The best way to discover a new culture is to join as many festivals as possible. This has become my moto, created especially for the needs of the Galician summer. In the little notebook I have, the events calendar had been filled from the same start of my EVS. With the time they grew to an unbearable amount, as up to four-five things usually happen at the same weekend somewhere around. In the same notebook the list of tasks and work To Do is usually not any smaller than this. The combination of both things makes it not a surprise that my time here in Ribadavia is just running faster than I could even imagine.
It’s been a long long long time ago (somewhere in the end of June) when we had to say Farewell to Lena, the previous volunteer, who finally had to go back home. She was our guide in the beginning and our strong support in adapting and getting to know the people, so we couldn’t let her go without a proper party. Which happened to be also the Welcome party for Aleksander, our Estonian volunteer. As we are becoming better and better in celebrating the occasions in the Spanish way – with good food, we made quite a colorful dinner at home, containing of Estonian starters, Bulgarian mish-mash, lyutenitza and white cheese, Galician marisco (sea food), German salad and Latvian desserts and gathered all Lena’s close people from around to help us eat them after all J
Soon after this private little fiesta came the big one – the night of San Juan, which is strongly celebrated in Spain and even some regions have it as an official holiday. Me and Santa decided to see the real way this night should be spent – on the beach, jumping over the fire for health and fortune. So this idea brought us to Vigo, the big city nearby on the coast. After a nice dinner at friends of ours we went together to one of the many beaches in the city and what we saw there was already hard to explain. People - huge, enormous amount of people, in the middle of the night going around, dancing, talking, making fires… And the amount of fires was not less impressive! Youngsters, children, but also adults – everyone was making The Jump and staying awake until the sunrise… Unforgettable!
Next week came together with the next fiesta – this time it was the week of Ourense, the other big city close to Ribadavia. I couldn’t really see anything of the daily program, full of events, but it is understandable when remembering after all that my project was not called “join as many festivals as possible” J So, at least I visited the celebrations on Saturday, when one amazing Galician female singer (Mercedes Peon) had her concert on the main square. We also could enjoy one medieval market with a fairytale atmosphere, had a good stroll, spent the night as sheep in the big city and went back home happy…
And prepared for the next weekend and for the next fiesta. From 2nd until the 4th of July Ribadavia (as a capital of the wine region Ribeiro) hosted the famous Feira do Vino. On the squares of the town you could try numerous quality wines, both white and red, while listening to the Galician bagpipe soundtrack live … Around it this little place got filled with life, guests, events, concerts, markets. People forgot their everyday life in the name of the wine magic. The same way we did J
The reason I may sound so impressed about all these fiestas could be the big difference that exists between here and Bulgaria. In my little country the summer is all about holidays, it is just the time to go to the sea or the mountains, and if it happens that you stay in the city... there is simply nothing to do. Cities die in the summertime. And here it is exactly the opposite - the summer is the active season in each village, town, city… obviously.
And in the end, the recipe of how to relax after such a busy program: the nature around Ribadavia knows what to offer for each case. It became more and more often just to hit the road together with Aleksander and to visit either Prexigueiro (the hot thermal springs in the forest 3km away from Ribadavia), or to have a swim in the paradise waterfalls of As Mestas, 7km away from here, or, if we are in the mood only for a walk –the nice hills around offer really precious views… I really wonder if I could ever get bored here!
