The 6 most important customs and traditions of Aragon

Aragón is an autonomous community that stands out for its traditions and cultural diversity. In it, different linguistic varieties are spoken that are classified within three different languages: the Spanish, Aragonese and Catalan, being the most spoken language in this territory and the official one Spanish or Spanish.

It is convenient to talk about the customs and traditions of Aragon that are so deeply rooted in its long history, having defined this territory in its Statute of autonomy as a historical nationality, since the Kingdom of Aragon had for centuries formed the Crown of Aragon together with the Kingdom of Valencia, the Kingdom of Majorca, the Principality of Catalonia and also together with some territories of Greece, Italy and France.

In this article we will know the most famous customs and traditions of Aragon and representative of this region.

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The most famous festivities, traditions and customs of Aragon

Among the cultural particularities of Aragon that reflect the history and diversity of this Autonomous Community, the following stand out.

1. Holy Week in Aragon

The first customs and traditions of Aragon that we are going to highlight are a series of events that can only be enjoyed in this community during Holy Week, and it is one of the territories of Spain where the drums and drums sound the most, fitting say that in Aragon a series of theatrical performances are celebrated and some customs take place with centuries of history behind them. backs.

The first of these events is called “break the wave”, being a unique tradition with international recognition in which hundreds of drums and bass drums meet in the squares of some Aragonese towns and, after a silence that can make one shudder, it breaks with a loud sound through these traditional instruments. This show takes place every year in 9 Aragonese towns mainly.

The second event that we are going to highlight is called “shed tears”, which is celebrated every Holy Thursday in the streets of Alcalá de Gurrea, where the well-known procession "The Tears of Our Lady" parades, being a typical custom of this event that the falling of the tears with the petals of the flowers that some neighbors throw from their houses on the passage of the procession when it passes through the street Higher. In addition, this act is accompanied by the music of some instruments such as carraclas or rattles.

Third, we should mention “the drama of the cross”, celebrated in the Aragonese town of Alcorisa, where the death and passion of Christ are recreated and, more specifically, it takes place on the Monte del Calvario in that town.

Another of the events that make Holy Week in Aragon unique is the auction of the steps that is held in the municipality of Biel every Good Friday. There the poles of the litters of the nine steps are auctioned, which are offered by the Brotherhood of the Dulce Nombre de Jesús so that those who acquire can carry them during the procession, being a tradition coming from the old discussions that used to originate each year to carry the Steps. The funds obtained serve the brotherhood to replace the habits and candles that have been delivered during the procession.

In addition, it is the customs and traditions of Aragon during Holy Week that we have just commented on, it should be mentioned that it is also a tradition that enjoy typical Aragonese sweets such as "Culecas", also called "monas de Pascua", prepared with eggs, flour, sugar, butter, lemon zest, olive oil and hard-boiled egg, as well as the tradition that other sweets such as torrijas and fritters.

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2. Feast of Saint George or Day of Aragon

Every April 23 one of the main festivals of Aragon is celebrated, since this day is a holiday throughout the community because it is the day of its patron saint, Saint George, and therefore, the Day of Aragon is also celebrated. That day the Aragonese usually hang the flag of Aragon on the balconies of their houses, wear some distinctive Aragonese or wear some garments with distinctive Aragonese, as well as buy the well-known Aragonese dessert that is known by the name of "El Lanzon”.

During this day numerous activities and events are held, among which it is worth mentioning the “Aragon Awards” awarded by the General Council of Aragon to various personalities of the community, this being the most important prize awarded in Aragon.

Too a series of institutional acts are held in the 3 capitals of the province of Aragon. (Teruel, Huesca and Saragossa). On the other hand, on the Day of Aragon various musical and cultural performances are held, among others.

On this important date, there have been some years in which it has been used to make different demonstrations in order to vindicate various requests such as asking for more powers to Aragon.

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3. Winter festivals in Aragon

The winter festivals are one of the customs and traditions of Aragon that have a more intimate and local character, being a celebration that is celebrated intensely, causing a lot of emotion among the Aragonese due to the fact that they are the ones in which the most traditional acts are carried out historically in honor of the patterns. Some of the most famous are those of San Antonio Abad (San Antón), those of San Sebastián in Alcorisa and Castelserás, etc.

In some of these celebrations, fire is a central element and there are also places where commemorations of events with a lot of history, as is the case of the representation of the Puebla Charter in the town of Belmonte, having a celebration of witch burning.

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4. pillar day

El Día del Pilar is another of the main customs and traditions of Aragon and, especially, in its capital, Zaragoza, where are the patron saint festivities that are celebrated every October 12 in honor of the Virgen del Pilar, this date being in turn a National Festival in Spain. This festivity was declared a Festival of National Tourist Interest in 1980 and in 2019 it has been at the International level.

On that day, Zaragoza City Council organizes multiple events such as the masses, the offerings, the proclamation, the parade of giants and big heads, various fairs, such as the General Fair of Zaragoza and the beer fair, among others. There is also an event with fireworks shows, children's activities, as well as various music and theater shows.

On the other hand, during the Pilar Day festivities it is common for various groups to form clubs to organize and participate in various events such as parades, festivals, concerts, children's games, the meetings between the different rocks, etc.

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5. Other Aragonese festivals

Among all the customs and traditions of Aragon, it is also worth mentioning its Major Festivals of each of the towns, because in this territory are the most anticipated and in which the residents of each locality show the most participation; above all, young people, thanks to a series of events that take place such as the proclamation, the coronation of the queen and the ladies of the festivities, as well as the processions in honor of the patron saints and the respective mass, etc.

Other acts with historical roots that manage to gather a large crowd of Aragonese and visitors are "La Arrives" (La Mata de los Olmos), “Rosaneiros” (Calanda and Castelserás), “La Cercavilla” (Castelserás, Mas de las Matas and La Mata), “La Mochiganga” (The Mas de las Matas), “Los Rosconet” (Genebrous), etc.

Then there are also the Carnivals in Aragon, a celebration in which the streets of the Aragonese municipalities are filled with color and emotion, fitting highlight those of some towns such as the Bielsa Carnival, and others such as Tarazona, Épila, Jaca, La Fueva, Broto, Ejea de los Caballeros, Calamocha, etc. Some of the most characteristic characters of these Carnivals are the zarragones, the devils, the madamas or the trangas, among others.

On the other hand, it is important to highlight the “Night of the Souls”, a celebration that takes place on the eve of All Saints' Day in Aragon, where battlements, ghosts, pumpkins and photons take center stage, this tradition having recently been recovered, after half a century without be held in the town of Piedratajada, although it is also celebrated in other Aragonese towns such as Radiquero, Trasmoz, Lupiñén, Ibdes, Pedrola, Teruel and Casper.

In this festival, the towns are usually left in the dark, while some neighbors wrapped in capes They prowl the streets with lanterns and knock on the doors of the houses in order for the souls In other places you can see white battlements wandering the streets with two lighted candles, while the tones dressed in black walk with a candle. The rest of the neighbors must flee from them.

6. Festivals and traditions of Zaragoza

Among all the customs and traditions of Aragon, it is worth mentioning some of the festivities and traditions of Zaragoza, its capital, beyond the well-known Fiestas del Pilar or the day of San Jorge.

To do this, we will start with the festivities of San Valero (January 29), in honor of a Roman visa who lived in this town and who would end up being the patron saint of Zaragoza. In this celebration the most important events are held in the Plaza del Pilar, a place where on that day it is customary to distribute a piece of roscón to the attendees. On the other hand, free guided tours of the museums are carried out and a popular race is also held.

Every March 5 in Zaragoza the "Cincomarzada" is celebrated, a festival that is celebrated in honor of the triumph of this city over the Carlist troops in 1838, and it is a tradition that the participants of this celebration go to the Tío Jorge Park where multiple sports, musical and cultural.

On the other hand, In Zaragoza during the Christmas season it is tradition to see the streets full of lights, markets and various activities, being customary to visit the Plaza del Pilar where the largest nativity scene in all of Spain is installed and in this same square on New Year's Eve it is tradition take the grapes to receive the new year, as well as the place where the most important activities of the parade of kings take place every 5th of January.