It's fiesta time again!

Saturday, 9th August and we go down to the peña with 14 others to clear the weeds and generally make the place habitable in preparation for the fiesta activities which will take place there. Breakfast for everyone of sausage and fried eggs follows.

Saturday, 16th August and we go with 6 others from our peña into Alcañiz to buy food and drink for the festivities.

Monday, 18th August and we have the first meal, cooked by Rosi below, which is the traditional hearty dish of rice, potatoes, bits of bone with some meat on and of course caracoles. Because the summer weather has been so poor in the UK, snails are abundant and on a TV programme people were asking how to get rid of them. It's simple - eat them!

Click left on any photo for the full size view.

Tuesday, 19th August and it's the customary small bonfires to cook the sausages which are then eaten in chunks of bread. Everyone is there, young and old and some of the more organised elderly people have taken their tables and chairs and are making it a true picnic.


This year, there is a live band and they add to the carnival atmosphere.


They are wearing their orange polo shirts which just happen to be exactly the same colour as the t-shirt of our peña so we blend in with them.


Later in the proceedings, a couple of characters run around and chase the children.


By this time people are dancing to the music and having a great time. In the UK gangs of youngsters hide their identity by wearing hoodies - here, they have their name on the back of their peña t-shirt.


Wednesday, 20th August. It's that time of year when San Ramón gets carried around the village towards the end of the midday mass.





We follow virtually every street in the village, thank goodness it's small and then back to the church via the Plaza Mayor.


This year we have a proper group of singers in the church to lead the service and they finish off with a spot of dancing.


Once the service is over, those who dressed in traditional costume gather for a photo shoot.


As the young girls explained, the costumes look good but are more suited to the colder months.


Lola daringly shows her authentic hosiery.


In the evening, we had a display by a group of 10 dancers. Click the "play" button to see them in action.



The dancing took place on the school yard in front of the school building. The school no longer operates as a school as there are insufficient children in the village. You may have noticed in the videos the people going in and out of the doorway - they were preparing a chocolate drink with a toasted breadstick for everyone after the entertainment, at least 250 people.

That evening there was live music by a pop group in the Plaza Mayor from 21.00 - 23.00 and from 1.00 to the early hours. The entire population of the village is there, dancing. They might as well because the music is so loud they couldn't sleep through it!

During the break, Lola cooked pork escalopes in a delicious sauce, here assisted by Eva with Rosi in the background.

Friday, 22nd August. This evening the weather was against us and the pop music group booked to perform were unable to. At least people in the village would be able to choose at what time they went to bed. For part of the downpour it was as if the village was surrounded by thunderstorms with lightning going off in every direction. However, that did not dampen our spirits and prevent us enjoying another meal at the peña.


We all managed to get undercover while we ate apart from Pablo and Manolo who were sitting at the more exposed end of the table.

Sunday, 24th August. This morning we have been cleaning the peña and stacking all the sofas and chairs so they will be ready for next year. Next weekend, there is to be another peña meal on Saturday and then on Sunday, the official saints day for San Ramón, another mass in the church followed by a meal for the whole village in the Plaza Mayor...and then everyone goes back to their homes in the cities and the village returns to its normal tranquil state.