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Local Culture & Traditions
The best way to get closer to traditional life here is on your custom private escorted Northern Spain tour with us. Local cultures and traditions run deep. Cultural nuances vary from one region of the area to the next, if the mountains and sea tend to form a central axis around which much of traditional life revolves. Many local customs come as a surprise and can transport you back in time to bygone eras.
local culture /ˈlōk(ə)l ˈkəlCHər/
The customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements belonging or relating to a particular area, typically exclusively so.
The geography, climate and history of Northern Spain perpetuated unique cultural characteristics which are unexpected for many. They evolved over hundreds if not thousands of years. Cultural identity in Northern Spain in most areas is tied to specific regional differences in food, language, music, dance and sports. Signature regional dishes, traditional rowed fishing boat races, various types of bagpipes or celebrations rooted in Celtic tribal culture are just a few examples.
tradition /trəˈdiSH(ə)n/
The transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way.
Traditional ways of life tied to food production such as fishing, stock raising, farming and viticulture, continue, particularly in rural areas. Wooden shoes, cutting pastures with a scythe or horse drawn carts remain as traditions resist modernity, if they are slowly disappearing. Getting out into the countryside is a great way to stumble upon these threads in the fabric of life here.
Do understanding the local culture and traditions of an area get you closer to the places you travel? Get as close as you want to ours on your private, escorted Northern Spain Tour with us. Your Chief Experience Officer, Charles, will custom design your tour, guided by your interests and tailor an experience that will exceed your expectations. A Northern Spain local culture tour or a Northern Spain traditions tour can be a focus for your custom tour. My tour area covers traditional Northern Spain, including the regions of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, Euskadi (Basque Country), Navarra, La Rioja and northern Castilla & Leon (Leon, Palencia and Burgos).
Northern Spain Local Culture & Traditions on the Net
Rural depopulation has become one of the most pressing social crises in Spain over the past decade. ...Today, Silio stands out as the very example of a Spain that is slowly fading away due to the rapidly aging population and the generational disconnection, with youths who grow more uprooted every year. However, in the wake of rural depopulation, how do those that remain survive, and how does life change and adapt? Silio seems to have found the key to fight against disappearance.
the 900-year-old harvest festival, called Feria de San Mateo. It lasts a week and starts on September 21, St. Matthew’s Day, hence the name. Spaniards love a good festival and the entire population enthusiastically takes part. The tradition of wine treading is alive and well in La Rioja and you can watch the harvesters jumping into big barrels full of grapes and stomping them with their bare feet to squeeze out the juice.
Cantabria is a region rich in history, reflected in the absorbing culture and heritage that it encompasses. Through this brief review we will make known the intangible heritage that the community boasts, from its most ancestral traditions declared of National and International Tourist Interest as well as its various festivals of pagan and religious origins, which are part of the folklore and seal the community identity.
Christianity was first introduced to the Basques via Roman missionaries, but previous to this they held other religious beliefs. This selection provides an overview of these pre-Christian Basque beliefs.