1.
La
Portada
La Portada is a temporary gate that is erected
to mark the main entrance to the Feria grounds. Its design is different every
year and this year it’s decorated with about 22.000 light bulbs which are lit
by the mayor of Seville. (Read about this year’s ceremony here.)
2.
Las
casetas
The tents of the Feria are very iconic due to
their red/white and green/white stripes. Usually they are very lavishly
decorated inside. The sides of the casetas are pulled to the side so take a peek
and marvel at the painted chairs, the covered walls or the gorgeous looking ceilings. There are
more than a thousand casetas so it’s a good idea to look at a Feria plan if
you’re looking for a specific one.
They are sitting next to each other from wall to
wall, some of them bigger, some of them smaller, depending on the
community/company who pays for them.
Most of these are in private hands meaning you
cannot enter without an invitation and a security guard will make sure that it
is so. (However our Spanish friends said that if you look a bit smart and ask
nicely, for a small fee they will let you in to some of them.) There are public
ones as well that belong to charities and political parties however they can
get very crowded and later in the evening quite rowdy, too, therefore it’s not
advised to stay in them too long.
3.
Rebujito
The ‘official’ drink of the Feria is the
rebujito which is white wine mixed with 7UP. The wine they use is the strong
Manzanilla or fino. Even a few years ago they served these without a mixer but
due to obvious reasons it needed to be diluted resulting in this light, refreshing
drink. Now the Manzanilla they serve you on the grounds actually contains less
alcohol.
4.
The
food
The food on the Feria is usually very expensive
and the quality leaves something to be desired. The most popular dish is pescadito: deep fried fish. On the night of lighting up the La Portada it
is a tradition to eat fried fish. For some magical reason there is no siesta
time on the Fair meaning that you can buy food all throughout the day.
5.
The
dress
Oh, the gorgeous flamenco dress, the traje de
flamenca! It is a loud, spectacular (and VERY expensive) piece of material that
the female half of the city adores with a passion. Every year in January there’s
a designer show in the city where the new trend is decided and as you can
imagine, there’s a slight change to it in each year. It means that if you want
to be trendy, you have to reach deep into your wallet. You also have to spend
on shoes and other accessories, too. Read more details about it here.
Here´s Penélope showing off her gorgeous dress.
Here´s Penélope showing off her gorgeous dress.
6.
What
about the guys?
They just simply wear jeans and T-shirt.
Seriously.
If they want to dress up a bit they put on a
shirt. Without a tie. It has to be said though that in many casetas a suit is
a requirement.
There is a traditional wear for men as well
called traje corto which you can see on the horsemen. It consists of tight
trousers, a short jacket and comes with a flat hat.
7.
The
horses and the carriages
There are many of these. Everybody who has a
horse seem to dress up and ride to the Feria and just walk around. This is the
same for the carriages, too. It gives a chance for the wealthy to flaunt their
wealth and be seen by the public. They are also great subjects for photography.
8.
The
ground
There is a special sand like powder on the
ground that is usually used in bullrings. It is transported over from another
village outside Seville. It will cover your footwear so make sure that you
don´t wear your most expensive high heels.
9.
Transport
There are many ways to get there. It is possible
on foot, depending on where you live, of course. You can use the metro as well
but it will be crowded and it might ruin your mood. There are special shuttle
buses that leave from Prado. You can also use the Seville bikes, the Sevicis,
but check the bike docking stations on your free app as they will probably be
full.
10. What’s the point of it
all?
Well, we’ve been wondering about the same thing.
Originally it started as a three-day livestock market in the middle of the 19th
century and very soon it was turned into a fiesta. Now there is no animal
selling/buying at all and it lasts for six days but there are many events
before the starting date, too. As far as we can see it’s a week-long
eating-drinking-dancing party which is attended by the whole city.
Only in Spain….
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