My Town and its Traditions

Soria is a city situated at the Eastern part of Castilla y León, in north-central Spain.I t is situated on the Duero River, at 1.063 metres.

It is the smallest city of Spain in population, 39.078 inhabitants in 2008. But one of the biggest provinces in area: 271,8 km².

The city is noted for its walls and a number of architecturally distinctive churches. One of the reasons why Soria has became famous in the world is because of the poet Antonio Machado. He wrote many poems referring to Soria and to the province.

TRADITIONS

-The main important traditions in Soria nowadays are:

- The Fiestas of San Juan

- Fiestas of San Saturio.

1- The Fiestas of San Saturio are in honour of the patron saint of Soria, San Saturio. They start on 1st of October and they finish 5th of the same month. They are more for young children because during this Fiesta, many games are arranged for them.

2- The most famous tradition is the Fiesta of San Juan; they have been declared of National Tourist Interest. They start the Thursday after the festivity of San Juan (24 of June). There are 6 days of fiesta, but during the previous two months, 4 days more are included in preparation for this fiestas.

PREPARING FOR THE FIESTAS

- The Catapán: During the Catapán, the new “Jurados” or neighbourhood leaders of the Fiesta are officially presented, when the Jurados of the previous year give the new ones the walking stick.

- Desencajonamiento: During the desencajonamiento, the 12 bulls that they are going to run in Jueves la Saca enter the bullring of Cañada Honda.

- Lavalenguas

- La Compra

THE SIX DAYS OF FIESTAS

Miércoles el Pregón: At 23:00, in the main square of Soria, the 12 new “Jurados” read an opening address to start the Fiestas of San Juan.

Jueves la Saca: At 12:00, the 12 bulls leave the bullpen of Cañada Honda to go to the bullring of Soria. The 12 bulls are guided by horses and people running. They stop at two different points before they arrive in Soria.

Viernes de Toros: During the morning and the afternoon, 12 bulls (6 in the morning and 6 in the afternoon) are fought by 6 inexperienced bullfighters.

Sabado Agés: The meat of the Bulls is auctioned during all the afternoon in the 12 quadrilles. Beginning with the horns and the tail, and ending with the sirloin.

Domingo de Calderas: In the morning, the 12 quadrilles show people their cauldrons in the city. First in the Dehesa and Collado, with each quadrille ending in their respective neighbourhoods.

Lunes de Bailas: It is the last day of the fiestas, and in the morning there are fashion parades by the quadrilles and by the four groups (Poca Pena, El Cuadro, El Desbarajuste and Los que Faltaban). In the afternoon, many people go to San Polo to have a snack next to the river Duero. At night the municipal band of Soria plays most of the Sanjuaneras, finishing with the “Adios, adios San Juan” which means the end of the Fiestas.