Ponga is a town and municipality in the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

and

autonomous community The autonomous communities () are the first-level administrative divisions of Spain, created in accordance with the Spanish Constitution of 1978, with the aim of guaranteeing limited autonomy to the nationalities and regions that make up Sp ...

Asturias Asturias (; ; ) officially the Principality of Asturias, is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensive with the provinces of Spain, province of Asturias and contains some of the territory t ...

, northwestern

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. Its capital is San Juan de Beleño.

Ecology

Ponga has a natural park. “Ponga- Amieva” is also the name of a

Special Protection Area A special protection area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and cer ...

for wild birds in the area.

History

Several archaeological remains show that the area was already inhabited in the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

. During Roman colonization, what is now Ponga belonged to the territory of

Cantabria Cantabria (, ; ) is an autonomous community and Provinces of Spain, province in northern Spain with Santander, Cantabria, Santander as its capital city. It is called a , a Nationalities and regions of Spain, historic community, in its current ...

. The first documented reference of Ponga dates to the reign of

Alfonso IX of León Alfonso IX (15 August 117123 or 24 September 1230) was King of León from the death of his father Ferdinand II in 1188 until his own death. He took steps towards modernizing and democratizing his dominion and founded the University of Salaman ...

Parishes

There are nine parishes (administrative division):

Culture

Art

Among the most notable artistic attractions are in rural churches, including: * Church of Santa María de Tarañes (1779) * Church of Santa María de Viego * Church of San Juan de Beleño (17th century) * The ''Ermitas'' of Ventaniella and Arcenorio * Bucket Tower * Sobrefoz Palace * Spa Mestas

Holidays and festivals

* January 1: Feast of Aguinaldo and Guirria, San Juan de Beleño (declared a regional ''Fiesta de Interés Turístico'') *

Carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...

Saturday: Aguinaldo de Sellaño *

Holy Saturday Holy Saturday (), also known as Great and Holy Saturday, Low Saturday, the Great Sabbath, Hallelujah Saturday, Saturday of the Glory, Easter Eve, Joyous Saturday, the Saturday of Light, Good Saturday, or Black Saturday, among other names, is t ...

: Market in Trasiegu, Sobrefoz * May 13: Cheese contest and Ponga Beyos days, celebrating Beyos Cheese in

San Ignacio San Ignacio (the Spanish language name of St. Ignatius (disambiguation), St. Ignatius) is a common toponym in parts of the world where that language is or was spoken: Argentina * San Ignacio, Argentina, Misiones Province * San Ignacio Miní, a ...

* Around May 15: San Isidro Labrador, San Juan de Beleño * July 1: San Pedro, Sobrefoz * July 16: Nuestra Señora del Carmen, San Juan de Beleño * 31 July: San Ignacio de Loyola and Carangas Beyos * August 4, 5 and 6:

Nuestra Señora de las Nieves ''Nuestra'' is the debut studio album of the Venezuelan rock band La Vida Bohème, released in August 2010. Recorded and produced by Rudy Pagliuca, it is a free download on the website of the record label All of the Above. The album was nominated ...

, Ladle and Sellaño * August 9: San Justo, Cadenava * August 10 and 11:

San Lorenzo San Lorenzo is the Italian and Spanish name for Saint Lawrence, the 3rd-century Christian martyr, and may refer to: Places Argentina * San Lorenzo, Santa Fe * San Lorenzo Department, Chaco * Villa San Lorenzo, town and municipality in Salta P ...

, Abiego * August 15 and 16: Our Lady, Tarañes and Viego * Last weekend of August: The ''Arándanu'', Bedules * September 1: La Santina de Ventaniella, Ventaniella, celebrating

Our Lady of Covadonga Our Lady of Covadonga () also named "La ''Santina''" is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the name of a Marian shrine devoted to her at Covadonga, Asturias. The shrine in northwestern Spain rose to prominence following the Battle of Covadonga ...

patroness Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...

of Asturias (nicknamed “''La Santina''”) * September 8: La Santina de Arcenoriu, Arcenoriu * Last weekend in November: Gastronomic Days of Hunting, observed in the entire council

References

External links

Rural house in Ponga - Casa Severa
{{authority control Municipalities in Asturias *