This is a HUGE festival here… It runs for a little over a week, all day and all night. Buses from all over the province stop at the fairground itself, which is just acres and acres of games, rides, food, and dance clubs. We went out on Saturday, saw the parade and then went out with some auxiliares. I didn’t get home until around 4am and everything was still going strong when we left.

That’s just how they do.

I’m not entirely clear on the history of the festival, but the parade was all about the history of Jaén. It started with some Romans, who were followed by the Muslims, who were followed by the Spanish, then Napoleon, and then, apparently, large balloon animals like the catoctopus, billowing things that shoot confetti, and an army of smurfs. At the end of the parade come Saint Lucas himself on horseback in battle with the Lagarto, a dragon that apparently terrorized Jaén in the middle ages and whose skin supposedly hangs in one of the churches.

Anyway, check out the pictures. It was awesome.
(...)
Read the rest of Feria San Lucas, Jaén

© Ian for Ian Korn Photo Industries, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us