ENJOY THE LONG WEEKEND

 This is Zaragoza's largest and most famous festival and, like Semana Santa, has been declared a festival of National Tourist interest by the Spanish government. Starting around the second week of October with the opening ceremonies called "El Pregón" the party then goes on for nine more, authentically Spanish, festive-filled days. 

Highlights of the week, like most festivals here, come from a strong religious tradition. The first is "La ofrenda de flores" (flower offering) to the Virgin Mary on the 12th. This offering of thousands of flowers from people all over the world is definitely a sight not to be missed. Don't worry, you'll have lots of time to catch it, as the procession itself takes about 10 hours all together. Different groups gather near Plaza España, where they start their mini-pilgrimages towards the basilica. Donning traditonal regional costumes, they line the streets holding elaborate, carefully crafted bouquets made especially for this day. They slowly make their way towards the heart of the historic center. Once in the square, they patiently await their turn to lay their offering in front of the Virgin of Pilar, the patron saint of both Zaragoza and Spain. The flowers are then taken to be woven into a beautiful, colorful and extremely fragrant cloak for the statue of the Virgin. The other two processions are the offering of fruit and the offering of the Glass Rosary, which is held on the evening of the 13th. 

Before, during and after these processions, the city hosts a number of concerts, theatre performances, exhibitions, markets, contests, sporting competitions, bull chasing, bullfights and more. Jotas and traditional Aragonese folklore performances can be seen in Pilar square and in other important squares of the city, such as Plaza de los Sitios. For more modern music, check out what's on at Interpeñas or Valdespertera. There is also a very successful street performers competion held on Independencia Avenue, an international trade fair, and a market on Gran Via Avenue. All kinds of concerts and sporting events are held at Principe Felipe Pavillion, near the city centre. The most anticipated and probably most dangerous event is the famous "Vaquillas", where people chase, or are chased by, bulls in the ring. 

If you still have energy after all that, you may find it fun to be chased by the "gigantes" and "cabezudos", papier-mache giants and big heads , a favourite event among children. They made their first official appearance around the year 1659, and have been running the streets, shaking sticks and taunting children, ever since.

Again, like almost all Spanish festivals, the action of the week would not be complete without an enormous display of fireworks. Smaller displays are held throughout the week in different neighbourhoods of the city, with the biggest and most important one being held on the last day behind  Pilar Square on the River Ebro. Get to the stone bridge early for a good spot to watch this fiery end to a fantastic festival.