The equator of the month of August not only brings us some of the most traditional celebrations of the summer, but also offers us some of the most original ones: beautiful dances, a flying paper balloon, the tastiest gastronomy, a wet party and even a miraculous shipwreck coexists in the busy schedule of events this week.
Festa da Auga
16 de agosto. Vilagarcía de Arousa
It arose spontaneously in the mid-1980s when the pilgrims who had taken the image of San Roque in procession through the town began asking the neighbors for help to quench their thirst. That first glass of water thrown from the top of a building was the beginning of what today is a massive celebration. To participate it is only necessary not to be afraid of getting wet and eager to have fun.
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San Roque de Betanzos
Del 14 al 25 de agosto. Betanzos
The town of Betanzos honors its patron, San Roque, during this week. The program includes already classic appointments such as the launch of a huge paper balloon (midnight on the 16th) and the Jira Os Caneiros, two days of river festivities (18 and 25) in the Mandeo riverbed. In addition, there will be music with Luz Casal and Milladoiro, among others.
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Danzas Ancestrais de San Roque do Hío
16 de agosto. Cangas
One of the great ethnographic attractions of the municipality of Cangas is its ancestral dances, declared of Galician tourist interest and recognizable by the showyness of the costumes worn by the participants, especially women. On August 16 the Dance of San Roque is celebrated in Hío, which has as its setting the surroundings of the famous crossing of this parish. This dance is also known as “The one of the Pilgrims” and its origin dates back to the fourteenth century.
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Festa da Ameixa do Carril
17 y 18 de agosto. O Carril (Vilagarcía de Arousa)
O Carril pays tribute to its most famous product with a celebration of tourist interest that was born 27 years ago. The events will start on Saturday with the traditional boat race, the cooked clam contest and music. On Sunday, big day of the Festa da Ameixa, there will be parades, institutional events, the tasting of clams from O Carril “a la marinera” and more music.
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O Naufraxio de Laxe
17 de agosto. Laxe
It has been more than half a century since sailor Avelino Lema Santos, a survivor of 3 shipwrecks, decided to stage in his hometown a unique show of fervor towards the patron saint of sailors, the Virgen del Carmen. Since then, every August 17 and before the large audience that crammed the port, a group of sailors represent a shipwreck and then move the body of one of them, who pretends to have drowned, to the feet of the Virgin to recreate the miracle of the resurrection.
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Feira do Xamón da Cañiza
15 de agosto. A Cañiza.
The municipality of A Cañiza boasts a microclimate that makes it the best place in Galicia for ham production. This has led to a long ham tradition that has been commemorated every August 15 with its Feira-Festa do Xamón. This year it will reach its 53rd edition.
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Queimada popular de Cervo
17 de agosto. Cervo
A multitude of neighbors and visitors will congregate one more year in Praza do Souto to participate in this popular celebration. The acts always start with a theatrical staging before giving way to the preparation, the spell and the tasting of the queimada.
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