Spain- Magdalena

This festival, held in Castellón de la Plana, Spain, remembers the migration of the city from its origin a few miles away in the hills. The city shuts down for a week, the people have a pilgrimage, celebrate, and party. There are processions showing off the traditional clothing, mascletas (which are auditory-only fireworks and they try and make them as loud as possible which is quite the experience) and there is a night where demons come out (there are outfits with a likeness to a part of American history but have nothing to do with each other. This is another culture from a different part of the world).

The night festivity was an especially amazing and immersive part of this festival to witness as it was so different from anything I have been a part of. The whole city gathers in the streets while the pyrotechnic artists dressed in robes walk around spraying sparks in every direction. Again, this has nothing to do with any part of American history. Spain has their own customs within their culture and it is important to respect it, especially as it is independent of what happened in the USA.

Feel free to click on any of the photos below for a different viewing experience. Some of them give additional context as well.