Festivities and Traditions
Holy Week, of International Tourist Interest The celebration of Holy Week in Salamanca has deep roots among the people of Salamanca, it arouses a deep and intense religious fervor, a profound feeling that, moreover, is framed within the historical complex of the city. The artistic richness of the imagery and the beautiful monumental setting through which the processions pass, merge in Holy Week with unique and singular brilliance. Salamanca has 18 Brotherhoods, Congregations, and Fraternities that organize processions and events, the oldest being the Act of the Descent, the Procession of the Holy Burial, started in 1615, and the Procession of the Encounter, started in 1616. Salamanca's Holy Week was declared a Festival of International Tourist Interest in 2003.
Holy Week in Salamanca
Water Monday Festival of Tourist Interest in Castile and León. Water Monday is a popular festival celebrated on the Monday following Easter Monday. The origins date back to the 16th century, when public women, who lived in the House of Prostitution, were moved outside the city during Lent and Holy Week. From Ash Wednesday they returned from their exile to the other bank of the Tormes river alongside the 'Father Pimp', a return celebrated with a great party by the city's students. Today, the tradition of gathering with friends for a snack and going to the countryside to taste 'hornazo' is preserved, a typical dish made of bread dough filled with meat and cured sausages. On the occasion of the Water Monday celebration, in the days leading up to it, the city hosts a festival of music, dances, theatrical tours… in a celebration around the river.
International Festival of Arts of Castile and León FACYL arrives in Salamanca in June, with a program of activities full of technology, performing arts, and avant-garde.
June 12. San Juan de Sahagún The city organizes a program of recreational activities in honor of its patron saint, San Juan de Sahagún. It includes fireworks, a folk festival, music, and sports.
From September 7 to 15. Fairs and Festivals of Salamanca The city's fairs and festivals begin with a floral offering to the Virgen de la Vega, who is carried in procession by groups of Salmantinos dressed in traditional costumes. Thus begins a big week marked by concerts, street performances, attractions in the fairground, a medieval market, and fireworks. September. Salamanca Bullfighting Fair This is a fair with a great tradition, as this is a land where some of the best fighting bull ranches in Spain are located. For several days, bullfights are offered with the main figures of bullfighting.
October 31 - Mariquelo's Ascent to the Cathedral Tower Year after year, on All Saints' Eve, the Mariquelo performs the ascent to the cathedral's tower and weather vane, dressed in traditional attire and carrying his working instruments: the gaita (bagpipe) and the tamboril (drum). An ascent to give thanks, which gives goosebumps when watching him perched on the outside of the dome and hearing him play from above. The tradition dates back to 1755. That year, an earthquake in Lisbon shook Salamanca, and many citizens fled their homes to take refuge in the newly built Cathedral. The temple remained standing, although some figures on its facade were shattered and the tower was slightly tilted, a circumstance for which, in subsequent years, it has been reinforced for fear of collapse. The Cathedral Chapter established that every October 31 of the following years, a person would climb to the top of the temple to ring the bells and, incidentally, check that the tower was not continuing to tilt. The Mariquelos, a family who lived inside the cathedral and passed the mandate from parents to children, were in charge of starting this tradition.
Salamanca is Christmas During Christmas, many cultural and tourist activities and street entertainment are organized in the city. Christmas music and lighting create a special atmosphere in the streets. In many places, traditional nativity scenes can be visited and choral concerts performing carols can be heard. Christmas markets, Christmas dances, the New Year's Concert, the Three Kings' Parade, and the traditional San Silvestre race are other events of these festivities.
