Spain has the most holiday days per year, and since we arrived in Zaragoza, we have been to 2 different festivals.
On 5 March, there was a local holiday called Cincomarzada. The festival celebrates the day in 1838 when they won against the French invasion. Everything is closed that day, and thousands gather in the Parque de Tio Jorge. The park is named after one of the war’s local heroes. People can enjoy different cultural, sports, and musical activities. I was surprised at how many people were there and how they celebrated this event.
The second festival we visited was Semana Santa, or Holy Week, Zaragoza’s most cherished festival. Easter is celebrated intensely in Aragon since it is one of their most important holidays. The Holy Week lasts nine days and has over 700 years of history.
We were hanging out in the center when we heard loud noises of drums and people gathering around the road. We were nosy, so we joined the crowd, and after a while, the drums got louder and louder. We saw a parade of people wearing black dresses and hats, covering their whole bodies. We were all a little scared because, through their masks, you could only see their eyes. They were playing drums, and it was so noisy that we couldn’t hear each other.
I liked visiting both festivals, and I think this experience will stay with me forever because you cannot see that in Slovenia.