The 8 Most Famous Traditions and Customs of Galicia

In Spain, more specifically in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, there is a community full of traditions and customs that are deeply rooted in the culture promoted through generations among the Galicians.

Among the traditions and customs of Galicia, it is worth highlighting traditional festivals such as the night of San Juan, the day of Galicia, the traditional Galician dances (the Xota and the Muiñeira), pilgrimages and the universally known Camino de Santiago, the pilgrimage route to the the Cathedral of Santiago of Compostela.

In this article We will see what the main traditions and customs of Galicia are like and its distinctive characteristics.

The most important traditions and customs of Galicia

The traditions and customs of Galicia are deeply rooted within Galician culture, a land with deep and ancient habits, which has numerous pilgrimages and festivals that they have managed to maintain over the years. It is worth highlighting, for example, the old Camino de Santiago, which attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world to the Galician community, which is a very positive aspect for the economy of Galicia and serves to make its culture known through of its typical products, monuments and tourist places, as well as its traditions.

Among the traditions and customs that endure today in Galician society, it is worth highlighting the most illustrious festivals of the Autonomous Community of Galicia, which we will see below.

1. The Entroid

Carnival, also known as Entroido or Antroido, is one of the most notable festivals among the traditions and customs of Galicia. This festival begins 3 days before Ash Wednesday of the liturgical calendar of the Christian religion

During this festival, one of the most popular customs are the gastronomic rituals in which pork is mainly served, being a form of farewell, since, according to tradition, it would be prohibited to eat meat for the following 40 days.

On the other hand, carnival is traditionally celebrated with dances and parades, and participants usually dress up with masks. In the Galician towns of Xinzo de Limia, Verín, Laza or Maceda, among others, you can visit museums or centers where The traditional Galician carnival masks are preserved These masks stand out for their color and a large number of accessories.

2. The Night of San Juan

Among the traditions and customs of Galicia that should be highlighted is the Night of San Juan, which is celebrated on the night that runs from June 23 to 24, being a Christian festival with customs of pagan origin. This is one of the most relevant festivals in Galicia, also called in this Autonomous Community as “a Noite da Queimada” also being celebrated in other parts of Spain.

In this festival, it is worth highlighting its celebration through traditional bonfires, whose original purpose was to purify and protect the people who made them. There are also other superstitions about this tradition.

Another of the traditions and customs of Galicia around the Night of San Juan is that families used to put various aromatic herbs and flowers in a container in order to cure some diseases.

Notably Since 1971 in A Coruña the Night of San Juan has been celebrated differently from the rest of Galicia, holding the Poetic Coven Festival where various cultural events related to music, dance, art, folklore groups, among others, are held throughout the month of June and ending with “a Noite da Queimada” (St. John’s Night).

3. Galicia Day

Another of the most popular traditions and customs of Galicia is the celebration of the great festival of the Galician people on July 25, being a holiday celebrated in honor of the Apostle James in addition to being the National Day of Galicia.

That day, numerous concerts and other traditional and cultural events are held in Santiago de Compostela, as in other locations; However, the celebration in Santiago de Compostela is the most popular. It is also customary for many pilgrims to calculate their routes on the Camino de Santiago in order to arrive at the Cathedral of Santiago that same day.

4. A Rapa das Bestas

A Rapa das Bestas is one of the most popular traditions and customs of Galicia; It consists of festivals that are celebrated between the months of May and August in various towns in Pontevedra and A Coruña.

At these parties It is tradition to cut the manes (the long hair that grows on the horses’ necks) of horses that are pure Galician breed, although also to the Galician crossbred horses, within a closed enclosure. Any possible wounds that the horses may have are also treated and dewormed.

The origin of this festival happened as a ritual that was born out of the need to deworm horses having become a traditional festival of great international significance.

5. The Fiadeiros

The Fiadeiros (O fiadeiro) are another of the traditions and customs of Galicia that should be highlighted, having originated as a meeting between young Galicians on All Saints’ Day.

This festival usually revolves mainly around traditional dances and music from throughout the Galician territory, the most popular dance being the muiñeira which is usually accompanied by music played through instruments such as the tambourine, the accordion, the tambourine or the bagpipes, whose origin is Celtic.

In the origins of the O fiadeiro festival, they used to light bonfires in order to roast chestnuts, another of the most traditional Galician foods.

6. Pilgrimage

Throughout the year, numerous pilgrimages are held throughout the territory, being another of the most popular traditions and customs of Galicia. Various activities are carried out during the pilgrimages: medieval markets, tasting dinners with typical Galician foods, musical performances, etc

7. Gastronomic festivals

Gastronomic festivals are another of the traditions and customs of Galicia that attract the most tourist attraction to this area, highlighting the consumption of the most typical and traditional Galician products, which are octopus, seafood, Galician empanada, brandy, wine Galician or cooked.

Wine is a fundamental component in the traditional festivals of Galicia, in order to accompany traditional Galician food; The best-known wine is Albariño, which is made in the Rías Bajas region (Rías Baixas).

8. The Camino de Santiago

In addition to the traditions and customs of Galicia that we have just seen, there is a pilgrimage route that has turned Galicia, and more specifically the Galician city of Santiago de Compostela, into one of the main pilgrimage centers around the world, along with Rome and Jerusalem, among other cities. This pilgrimage is universally known as the Camino de Santiago.

The origin of this pilgrimage was following the discovery of the tomb of the apostle Santiago the Greater around the year 820 in a forest known as Libredón, a place where the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is located today At that time the news of that appearance spread quickly around the entire European continent, which led to the spontaneous conversion of the place where the remains appeared into a pilgrimage point, giving rise to what is now the Camino de Santiago. which already has more than 1,200 years of history.

There are various routes to get to Santiago, the French Way being the most traveled; It has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, although the popular saying is well-known that originally the Camino de Santiago began from the door of each person’s house.

Any of the paths allow you to explore the Galician community on foot from end to end, since they also The paths of many pilgrims do not converge in Santiago de Compostela, but rather these travelers continue their route until they reach the Galician coast in Finisterre Throughout this journey you can enjoy traditional products and dishes, as well as learn about the traditions and customs of Galicia, living an unforgettable experience.