An original festival that is celebrated during Spring in Cataluña is
Sant Jordi . On April 23 in this popular festival the couples exchanges
gifts : men receive a book and women receive a rose . On this day the bookshops , bookstands and flower stores of Catalonia is filled with people buying their gifts ( autographed books , beautiful roses ...) not only for their loved one but also for their friends and family . On this day you can enjoy music concerts , a program of different activities organized by the high school .
The very typical festival in Spain is La Corrida de Toros ( Bullfighting ). It consists of a bullfighting in a closed
place also called a bullring ( plaza de toros ), one or more bulls are fought by humans . It is certainly one of the most popular Spanish cust oms and also the most controversial of them because it is very dangerous and because it is against the rights of the animals , the animals suffer a lot . In some places it is considered as a blood sport but in some others where it isn ' t considered as a sport , since there are no elements of competition . In this bullfighting , professional bullfighters are called ‘ toreros ’. La Corrida de Toros is considered as one of the most important expressions of the hispanic culture . You can find it in some countries in America like México , Colombia , Ecuador , Perú and Venezuela . This festival could not exist without the ‘ toro bravo ’, a species of bull of an ancient breed of bulls that is only conserved in Spain . An anti-bullfighting movement has existed in Spain since the beginning of the 19th century , some people has defended the rights of the bulls , animal rights activists consider that bullfighting is a cruel blood sport , in which the bulls suffers stress and a slow torturous death .
The celebration of Moros y Cristianos ( Moorish and Christians ) are the most important in Alcoy . This festival
is dedicated to St . George and around them there is a great tradition . They are celebrated from century XVI and they remember a battle happened in 1276 where the Arab troops tried to assault the town . The legend tells that in the course of the confrontation , St . George appeared and thanks to his intervention , the Christian army won the battle . So in his honour , every year , the city adorns itself as if it were the Middle Ages to live its biggest party . Around 5,000 people participate in this mass event
Las Fallas ( Valencia ). The celebration entails the cre ation and destruction of huge sculptures made of papier
maché , wood , paper and clay . These large sculptures are called ‘ Ninots ’ and they look very real . They usually make fun of Spanish politicians and celebrities . The average budget is 60.000 Euros . The Ninots are on displa y until March , 19th . That day , in the evening , the youngsters make holes in the figures and place fireworks inside . People sing around the statues , the lights are switched off and the Ninots are set on fire at midnight . It ’ s an amazing show , which makes the city of Valencia known all over the world .