The Feira Franca is a medieval festival held in

Pontevedra Pontevedra (, ) is a Spanish city in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the capital of both the ''Comarca'' (County) and Province of Pontevedra, and of the Rías Baixas in Galicia. It is also the capital of its own municipality whi ...

(

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

) on Friday afternoon and Saturday of the first weekend in September. It is set in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

and includes a medieval market, a

chivalry Chivalry, or the chivalric code, is an informal and varying code of conduct developed in Europe between 1170 and 1220. It was associated with the medieval Christianity, Christian institution of knighthood; knights' and gentlemen's behaviours we ...

tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

falconry Falconry is the hunting of wild animals in their natural state and habitat by means of a trained bird of prey. Small animals are hunted; squirrels and rabbits often fall prey to these birds. Two traditional terms are used to describe a person ...

shows, food stalls, street entertainment,

juggling Juggling is a physical skill, performed by a juggler, involving the manipulation of objects for recreation, entertainment, art or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling. Juggling can be the manipulation of one object o ...

, music, workshops, leather, wood, textile and natural products crafts, and more. In 2013, it was declared a festival of tourist interest by the

Galician Government The Xunta de Galicia (; "Regional Government of Galicia") is the collective decision-making body of the government of the autonomous community of Galicia, composed of the President, the Vice-President(s) and the specialized ministers (''Consell ...

. Today, it brings together some 100,000 people who dress up in period costumes to take part in the festivities.

History and description

The Feira Franca has its origins in the tax-free market, which began to take place in the city through a royal privilege established by King Henry IV in 1467, with the celebration of a month-long festival around 24 August in honour of Saint Bartholomew. In the medieval

Fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

s, the highest and lowest social classes met. The first edition took place in 2000, and has since attracted a large number of visitors. People wear medieval-inspired costumes and the old town centre undergoes a major aesthetic transformation. Locals and visitors are encouraged to join in the festivities with carts and horses in the streets, prisoners on the

gallows A gallows (or scaffold) is a frame or elevated beam, typically wooden, from which objects can be suspended (i.e., hung) or "weighed". Gallows were thus widely used to suspend public weighing scales for large and heavy objects such as sacks ...

or with

Blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

s and other medieval characters. For several years now, each fair has been dedicated to a theme. In 2006 it was dedicated to the Irmandiños, in 2007 to the sea and in 2008 to agriculture. In the tenth edition in 2009 the Fair was named ''Love, Mockery and Curses'', in homage to the medieval songs made in the Galician language. In 2010 the theme was walkers, in 2011 old-time trade and in 2012 popular games. In 2013, it is devoted to

Invention An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an i ...

s, in 2014 to

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

, in 2015 to

alchemy Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim world, ...

, in 2016 to music, in 2017 to medieval

bestiaries A bestiary (from ''bestiarum vocabulum'') is a compendium of beasts. Originating in the ancient world, bestiaries were made popular in the Middle Ages in illustrated volumes that described various animals and even rocks. The natural history ...

and in 2018 to legends. Since 2019 the Feira Franca has not been dedicated to a specific theme.

Gallery

File:Feira Franca on Pontevedra.jpg, Falconry show File:Plaza de toros de la ciudad de Pontevedra.jpg, Equestrian jousting in the arena File:Feira Franca.JPG, Group of visitors dressed in medieval clothing File:Feira Franca 2019.jpg, Group of friends at Feira Franca 2019 File:Pregón (29334476512).jpg, Speech File:Dama y caballeros (29442565955).jpg, Ladies and gentlemen File:Pontevedra-La plaza de la leña en la Feira franca de 2013 (9723671486).jpg, Dining tables File:Porta de Trabancas (29154182610).jpg, Trabancas Gate of the walls of Pontevedra File:Pontevedra-Feira franca 2013-Un cortesano (9850047653).jpg, Courtesan File:Pontevedra-Feira franca 2013-Redeiras (9704583673).jpg, Weavers of fishing nets File:Pontevedra-Feira franca 2013-Obispo por lo menos (9993334156).jpg, Bishop File:Pontevedra-Feira franca 2013-Pan enjaulado (9781918362).jpg, Bread in a cage File:Pontevedra-Feira franca 2013-Frutos de la huerta (9782102424).jpg, Vegetables File:Nobles (29635432676).jpg, Nobles File:Juglares (30152008863).jpg, Troubadours

History and description

Gallery

References

See also

Related articles

External links