Apr 21, 2013

Virgin of Ujue, Navarra There is something apocalyptic about Ujue. The landscape looks ancient and eroded. Even the local place-names – Unx, Ujue … sound old and remote.  The hamlet of Ujue crowns a cone that could have been a volcano; the terraces spreading fanwise down the sienna-coloured slopes emerge like flattened rims of civilizations ending...

Mar 27, 2013

 The Descent of the Angel – an eye witness account Where: Tudela, Navarra Date of event:  Easter Sunday “The Descent of the Angel” is held every Easter Sunday in Tudela, Navarra’s second largest city, praised by the Arab historian Rassis for the excellence of its fruit, and the birthplace of the intrepid medieval traveller, Rabbi Benjamin, the first...

Mar 7, 2013

 Books4Spain Fact File Navarra was one of the original kingdoms that emerged in the north of Spain during Visigothic times to fight the Moorish occupiers – the others being Castile, Aragon and Asturias (which became the Kingdom of Leon in 910 AD). Located in the north east of Spain, today Navarre occupies just over 10,000 km2, ranging from the Pyrenees in...

Feb 2, 2013

See the confirmation of Ferdinand the Catholic as King of Navarre and his oath to uphold and respect the fueros This year the Royal and General Archive of Navarre year has been exhibiting documents from 1512 and 1513 throughout the year in their Exhibition Centre.  The exhibition reaches its climax in December with the exhibition of the confirmation by King...

Jan 29, 2013

The Bells of Ituren and Zubieta Once a year, during the last week of January, the hefty, taciturn young men of the village of Ituren in Navarra dress in a traditional peasant outfit: a simple shirt, blue pants tucked into the galtzerdiak or socks, and the rubber zatazak.  Around their waist they wear a white skirt, decorated with red or blue laces, that...

Jan 16, 2013

Fiestas of San Sebastian New Year bonfires, with the ulterior motive of burning relics of the old year and welcoming the new light, are attached to many fiestas of San Anton, celebrated on 17 January, or of San Sebastian, usually celebrated 19-20 January, or in both cases the nearest weekend to these dates, in Spain. Two traditional San Sebastian celebrations...

Jan 9, 2013

El Rey de la Faba (The King of the Bean) An interesting variant of the age old New Year rites: the king and queen of Babylonia and their ritualistic marriage, the bean of fecundity hidden in the French gateau des Rois, the throwing of beans for good luck in Japan, is to be found in the annual ‘King of the Bean’ ceremony celebrated every year in the...

Jan 9, 2013

2 Traditional  Spanish Fiestas in Navarra Spain is famous for the fiestas and romerias of its villages, towns and cities – often to celebrate a “Virgen”, not necessarily a virgin as many non-Spanish speakers assume but a female martyr, patron saint or holy person, and often Our Lady herself. September is the most festive month of the year in Spain as many...