Villanueva Del Fresno - Local Celebration Days

Local Celebration Days

Carnival is at the beginning of Lent and thus its date will depend on the date of Ash Wednesday. The carnival starts on the Friday evening before Ash Wednesday with a procession though the streets with people in costumes and disguises 'frightening' anybody they meet. On Saturday, the big day, again there is an evening procession through the streets to the football stadium where the singing groups congregate. These groups then process though the town until they arrive at the Plaza de España where they sing their, usually amusing and/or satirical, songs called comparsas, the same name is used for the groups which sing them. Then on Sunday there is another evening procession of the adult and children's singing groups, again disguised or in costume. On Shrove Tuesday evening, after a further street procession, there is the ceremony of the Burial of the Sardine. This involves the burning of a symbolic article and signifies the end of the carnival celebration.

The Gurumelo Food Festival This occurs one weekend in March, close to the 19th, Father's Day in Spain. Gurumelos are edible mushroom-like fungi. It brings together neighbours in a gastronomic and handicrafts fair.

St. Ginés de la Jara Romeria This festival, celebrating the patron saint of the town, takes place on the first Monday in May. It is usual to spend the day in the country around the area of the St. Ginés hermitage. The day begins with a fanfare from the town band and the firing of exploding rockets. At 10.00 hrs there is a procession and competition of decorated carriages around the Plaza de España. The romeria passes through land which is part of the San Ginés estate. A mass is celebrated in the San Ginés hermitage at midday. This is followed by a procession around the area of the hermitage livened up by music from the municipal band. After that comes the presentation of the prizes for the decorated carriages and when all the religious ceremony has finished the party/picnic begins and lasts well into the night.

Feast of the Virgin of Fatima on 13 May.

Feast of St. Juanito on 24 June.

Feast of St. Christopher (for drivers) held in the middle of August. An open-air mass is held at 21.00hrs in honour of St. Christopher followed by a vehicle procession and finally a blessing of the vehicles.

Fair and Festival of St. Gínes de la Jara at the end of August, the main day being the 25th. The fair and festival last for 5 days during which there are activities for children in the Plaza de España.

The Feast of Holy Christ of the Expiration on the 14th September. The celebration starts on the 3rd September with the transfer of the image of Christ from the hermitage to the parish church in preparation for the novena which starts the following morning. On the 14th at midday there is a tasting of sangria in the porch of the church. In the evening the statue of Christ is brought out of the church and processed back to the hermitage where it is met by a statue of the Virgin of Solitude (La Virgen de Soledad) who goes in procession to the parish church where the next day a triduum is performed in her honour.

Extremadura Day held on the 7th September.

Feast of the Gamona is a local tradition that is carried out on New Year's Eve. Before the family meal many people, mostly younger, build bonfires and burn faggots of the dried stems of plants locally called St. Joseph's Wands, (varitas de San José or gamonas). The origin and meaning of this tradition is unknown.