Viking “Romería”
Festival of International Tourist Interest
Catoira (Pontevedra)
This event is celebrated in the shade of the Eastern Towers, the site of a former Roman settlement where the medieval towers once stood in defence of the route along the River Ulla to Jacobsland – the name given to Santiago de Compostela by the Norsemen.
It is here, on this site steeped in history, that an re-enactment of the Viking invasions is carried out on the first Sunday in August:
the Viking “drakkars” put into port… aturuxos, the lusty cries of the strong red- headed Norsemen with their horned helmets ring out as they brandish their swords…the “Christians”, powerless before these fighting men and forced to surrender following a skirmish intermingled with smoke and fire, yet the conclusion is a fraternal gathering of actors and spectators around the table, to the accompaniment of the gaiteiros (pipers), whilst the sound of celebratory rockets echoes around the Arousa inlet.
