Universtudents - Spanish students

New Year (1st January) - Año nuevo

Three Wise Men (6th January) - Los Reyes Magos

The night between the 5th and the 6th January is very special in Spain. Especially for the children. The Three Wise Men (Los Reyes Magos) visit in this night each house and bring presents to the children.
This day is celebrated all over the territory of Spain, but one of the most interesting ceremonies take place in Malaga. The 5th of January at 5 p.m. arrive the Three Wise Men to the Port of Malaga. They are welcomed by a child who represents all the children in Spain.

Easter (march or april) - Semana Santa

Easter in Spain is famous for its religious processions. It is a combination of art, spirituality and of passion. The traditions comes from the XVI. Century, when the Catholic Church wanted to approximate the passion and death of Jesus Christ to the biggest number of people.
Easter of Salamanca belongs to the most appreciated ones, but surely, the one of Sevilla is the most typical one.

Labour's day (1st of May) - Día del trabajo

In this day the rights of workers are celebrated.

Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary (15th August)

Día del Pilar (12th Octubre)

This day is very special for two reasons: it is the Day of The Virgin of Pilar and the Spanish Day as well. The region of Zaragoza is famous for its folklore.

All Saints Day (1st November) - Día de todos los Santos

There is a tradition in Spain to visit the cemeteries this day. All the tombs are decorated with flowers and candles. The cemeteries do not close during the night. The messes to commemorate all the death people are celebrated all over the country.

The Constitution Day (6th December) - Día de la Constitución

The Spanish constitution was finally approved in 1978. It has 169 articles and since that time it has been changed only once, in 1993.

Immaculate Conception (8th December) - Inmaculada Concepción

This day was proclaimed a religious ceremony by the Pope Pio IX. in 1854.

Christmas (24 - 25 December) - Noche Buena y Navidad

Christmas, starting with Christmas Eve is very much a family affair. The evening may start at home but often ends up with a party in a hotel, club or disco with friends and family.
The family Christmas Eve meal is one of the most important meals of the year for a Spanish family. The meal will be complemented with Cava, Spain's excellent sparkling wine. At the same time, trays of Christmas cakes and sweets will be served. The important sweets are turrón and marzipan. Turrón is a nougat made of toasted sweet almonds and has been made in Spain for over five centuries.
At midnight, some people will go to the Midnight Mass at the church.

Christmas Day in Spain is one of the quietest of the year. The children usually receive a small amounts of money. Anyone wanting to eat out on this special day will have to book well in advance.

Ciudad Rodrigo Carnivals (febrero) - Carnavales de Ciudad Rodrigo

The Carnival of Ciudad Rodrigo attracts annually thousands of visitors from all over Spain. Masks and bulls are the kings, what makes a unique party in the world.

Party of the Almond tree (Fregeneda, febrero) - Fiesta del almendro

It takes place when the almond trees flourish. It consists on crossing the river Duero by boat ,passing Portugal.

Water Monday - Lunes de aguas

On Easter Monday, it commemorates a medieval tradition in which the students crossed the river to pick up and bring back the prostitutes into the city. They had been previously relegated because of the Season of Lent.

Nowadays the salmantinos spends that day with friends and family, eating the traditional hornazo.

Corpus Christi

This day in Salamanca and near villages, processions are made inside the mark of the Cathedral.

San Juan de Sahagún (Salamanca, 12 de junio)

12th June is the feast day of St. John of Sahagún, Salamanca's patron saint, a four-day holiday period of continuous festivities and entertainment. The is a special market installed in the centre of the town where you can see and buy wide variety of typical products.

Ofertorio (Alberca, 15 de agosto)

La Alberca celebrates the 15th and 16th August with La Ofrenda y La Loa de Nuestra Señora, a traditional mystery play in which meet human failing and the malignancy of devil.

Virgen de la Vega (Salamanca, 8 de septiembre)

Virgen de la Vega was declared the paitron of the town in 1618. The legend says that the Virgin helped the local people to recapture the town. These days people can admire the statue of the Virgin in the Old cathedral.

Los Hombres de Musgo (Béjar, 25 de mayo)

Bejar is a small town near to Salamanca. It is very interesting to visit it in may, for the Corpus Christi Feast. There is a special procession - men wear dress made of moss. The legend says that people thanks to wearing dress made of moss achieved to recapture the town.