The 8 most famous traditions and customs of Galicia

In Spain, more specifically in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, there is a community full of traditions and customs that are deeply rooted in the culture promoted through generations among the Galicians.

Among the traditions and customs of Galicia, it is worth highlighting traditional festivals such as the night of San Juan, the day of Galicia, traditional dances Galician (la Xota and la Muiñeira), pilgrimages and the universally known Camino de Santiago, the pilgrimage route to the cathedral of Santiago de Compose it.

In this article We will see what the main traditions and customs of Galicia are like and its distinctive features.

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The most important traditions and customs of Galicia

The traditions and customs of Galicia are deeply rooted within the Galician culture, a land with deep and ancient habits, which has numerous pilgrimages and festivals that they have managed to maintain over the years the years. It is worth noting, for example, the old Camino de Santiago, which attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world to the Galician community, which is a very positive for the economy of Galicia and serves to make its culture known through its typical products, monuments and tourist places, in addition to its traditions.

Among the traditions and customs that persist today in Galician society, it is worth highlighting the most illustrious festivals of the Autonomous Community of Galicia, which we will see below.

1. The Entroid

Carnival, also known as Entroido or Antroido, is one of the most outstanding festivals among the traditions and customs of Galicia. This party begins 3 days before Ash Wednesday of the liturgical calendar of the Christian religion..

During this festival, one of the most popular customs are the gastronomic rituals in which meat is mainly served. of pork, being a form of farewell, since, according to tradition, it would be forbidden to eat meat during the 40 days later.

On the other hand, in the carnival it is a tradition that it is celebrated with dances and troupes, and the participants usually dress up with masks. In the Galician towns of Xinzo de Limia, Verín, Laza or Maceda, among others, you can visit museums or centers where the traditional Galician carnival masks are preserved. These masks stand out for their color and for a large number of accessories.

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2. The Night of San Juan

Among the traditions and customs of Galicia that should be highlighted is the Night of San Juan, which is celebrated in the night that runs from June 23 to 24, being a Christian festival with customs of origin pagan. This is one of the most relevant festivals in Galicia, also called in this Autonomous Community as "a Noite da Queimada", being also celebrated in other parts of Spain.

In this festival it is worth highlighting its celebration through the traditional bonfires, whose purpose was originally to purify and protect the people who made them. There are also other superstitions about this tradition.

Another of the traditions and customs of Galicia around the Night of San Juan is that the families used to put various aromatic herbs and flowers in a container in order to cure some diseases.

Notably since 1971 in A Coruña the Night of San Juan has been celebrated differently from the rest of Galicia, with the Poetic Coven Festival, where various cultural events related to music, dance, art, groups folklores, among others, throughout the month of June and ending with "a Noite da Queimada" (Night of Saint Juan).

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3. Galician day

Another of the most popular traditions and customs of Galicia is the celebration of the great festival of the Galician people on July 25, being a holiday celebrated in honor of the Apostle Santiago, besides being the National Day of Galicia.

That day in Santiago de Compostela numerous concerts and other traditional and cultural events are held, as in other towns; however, the celebration in Santiago de Compostela is the most popular. It is also customary for many pilgrims to calculate their routes on the Camino de Santiago in order to reach the cathedral of Santiago that same day.

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4. To Rapa das Bestas

A Rapa das Bestas is one of the most popular Galician traditions and customs; It consists of festivals that are celebrated between the months of May and August in various towns in Pontevedra and A Coruña.

at these parties it is tradition to cut the mane (the long hair that grows on the horse's neck) of horses that are purebred Galician, but also to mestizo Galician horses, within a closed enclosure. Any possible wounds that the horses may have are also treated and they are dewormed.

The origin of this festival happened as a rite that was born out of the need to deworm horses, having become a traditional festival of great international significance.

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5. The Trustees

The Fiadeiros (O fiadeiro) are another of the traditions and customs of Galicia that should be highlighted, having originated as a meeting between young Galicians on All Saints' Day.

This festival usually revolves mainly around traditional dances and music from all over Galicia, the most popular dance being the muiñeira, which is usually accompanied by music played through instruments such as the tambourine, the accordion, the tamboril or the bagpipes, whose origin is Celtic.

In the origins of the O fiadeiro festival, they used to light bonfires in order to roast chestnuts, another of the most traditional Galician foods.

6. pilgrimages

Throughout the year numerous pilgrimages are held throughout the territory, being another of the most popular traditions and customs of Galicia. In the pilgrimages various activities are carried out: medieval markets, tasting dinners with typical Galician food, musical performances, etc.

7. gastronomic festivals

The gastronomic festivals are another of the traditions and customs of Galicia that attract the most tourists to this area, including the consumption of the most typical and traditional Galician products such as octopus, shellfish, Galician empanada, aguardiente, Galician wine or cooked.

Wine is a fundamental component in the traditional festivals of Galicia, in order to accompany traditional Galician food; The best-known wine is Albariño, which is made in the Rías Bajas (Rías Baixas) region.

8. The road to Santiago

In addition to the traditions and customs of Galicia that we have just seen, there is a pilgrimage route that has made Galicia, and more specifically the Galician city of Santiago de Compostela, one of the main pilgrimage centers in the world, along with Rome and Jerusalem, among other cities. This pilgrimage is universally known as the Camino de Santiago.

The origin of this pilgrimage was due to the discovery of the tomb of the apostle Santiago el Mayor around the year 820 in a forest known as Libredón, a place where the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is located today. At that time the news of that apparition spread rapidly around the entire European continent, which led to the spontaneous appearance of turned the place where the remains appeared into a pilgrimage point, giving rise to what is now the Camino de Santiago, which is already more than 1,200 years old of history.

There are several ways to get to Santiago, the French Way being the busiest; It has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, although the popular saying that originally the Camino de Santiago began from the door of each one's house is well known.

Any of the paths allows you to walk from end to end of the Galician community, since in addition to the paths of many pilgrims do not converge in Santiago de Compostela, but these travelers continue their route until they reach the Galician coast in Finisterre. Along this route you can enjoy traditional products and dishes, as well as learn about the traditions and customs of Galicia, living an unforgettable experience.