Columbian Festivals
Encyclopedia
The Columbian Festivals are a set of annual celebrations in the city of Huelva
, Andalusia
, Spain
to commemorate the first voyage of Christopher Columbus
. They occur for a week at the end of July and beginning of August, the main day being 3 August, the date in 1492 on which Columbus departed Palos de la Frontera
, on the voyage that brought him to the Americas. The festivities have been declared to be of National Touristic Interest (de Interés Turístico Nacional).
Although Huelva has had religious festivals at least since the 17th century—a pilgrimage day in the month of September honors the city's patron
, the Virgin of La Cinta—toward the end of the 19th century sentiment began to arise for the recognition of the province of Huelva for its role in Columbus's first voyage, and what had come to be known as the Discovery of America. As the celebration of the fourth centenary of the Discovery of America approached, there was an intent to draw attention to the Lugares colombinos
, the places in Moguer
and Palos de la Frontera
associated with the voyage. This movement began around 1880, led by the recently created Real Sociedad Colombina Onubense (Royal Columbian Society of Huelva), who revived a similar idea initially put forward by Civil Governor Mariano Alonso y Castillo in 1855.
The first occurrence of the Columbian Festivals was an immediate success in Huelva and in nearby Palos de la Frontera. Setting the nautical tone, the Captain General of the Maritime Departament of Cádiz
, Luis Hernández-Pinzón Álvarez, descendant of co-discoverer of the Americas, Martín Alonso Pinzón, attended on August 3. Several vessels of the Spanish Navy were also present. More than 15,000 people gathered at the Monastery of La Rábida in Palos for a "disembarkation" of the Spanish navy and for a fireworks show.
Despite the city already having the festival of La Cinta, the new festivities took root rapidly. In those early years, the festivities included outdoor masses
, literary competitions, visits to La Rábida, and traditional sporting competitions. Beginning in 1925, when the Círculo Mercantil set up a booth, there began to be a massive celebration at the city quayside. From this point, the classic elements of an Andalusian fair began to attach themselves to the Columbian Festivals: booths (casetas: some of these are larger structures than is perhaps suggested by the English-language word "booth"), attractions, raffles, and spaces set aside for dancing.
The importance of the festivals in this era can be seen in the descriptions of them in the local press, such as this in 1924:
And on the special illumination for the festivals:
As for the presence of the Spanish Navy:
And on the institutional celebrations of 3 August commemorating Columbus's departure from Palos de la Frontera:
Despite this expansion, and despite continuing to hold the fair in a maritime-related location, the maritime spirit of the festival began to fade, as can be seen in the complaint of then-mayor Francisco Montenegro, expressing openly that in comparison with his youth:
By 1965, the celebrations were displaced a kilometer further south of the city, to what was then known as Avenida Francisco Montenegro, near the present-day Estadio Nuevo Colombino ("New Columbian Stadium"). The structure of the fair was similar today's, although the booths were large permanent constructions, in open air to take advantage of the cool of the August nights. Three years later, the bullfighting
arena Plaza Monumental de Toros de Huelva opened adjacent to the fairgrounds; it ended up being demolished in the 1990s. This was a time of economic and demographic growth in the city thanks establishment of a development center (Polo de Desarrollo). Many of the new and growing businesses established their own booths in the fair district. Nonetheless, there was a decline in the late 20th century, and the city government—which needed land for a new football (soccer)
—moved the fairgrounds again beginning in the year 2000. That year, a tradition began of dedicating a gate each year to a provincial building or institution.
, Columbus's ship the Santa María
, etc.).
The fair district is 31818 square metres (342,486.1 sq ft), with 68 booths (with a design similar to that of the Seville Fair
, with blue and white awnings). The streets in the fair district take names of characteristic places in the city: Muelle del Tinto, De las Canoas, Marismas del Titán, Punta del Sebo, and Club Marítimo de Huelva. There is also an area with about 70 attractions. The celebrations culminate with an interpretation of the Himno de Huelva ("Anthem of Huelva"), the pasodoble
Mi Huelva tiene una ría by Maestro Molero, and a 45-minute fireworks display by pyrotechnicians from Valencia.
Each years festivals are dedicated to some Spanish city, Latin American country or some event of regional significance. Dedicatees in recent years have included Palos de la Frontera
, Moguer
, Cuba
, the city of San Sebastián
, the Canary Islands
, Galicia, the Algarve (Portugal), Almería
, Madrid
, Ceuta
, Denominaciones de origen
de Huelva, El Rocío, Recreativo de Huelva
, to the history of the festivals themselves, and—in 2008—to 175 years of Huelva's status as a provincial capital.
, associated with flamenco
, although unlike most Andalusian fairs it is not customary to attend the in traditional Andalusian dress.
The celebration are complemented by a series of cultural and sporting activities. "Música Junto a la Ría" ("Music along the estuary") is a series of concerts by groups from Huelva and elsewhere in Spain. There is also the Trofeo Colombino golf
tournament and petanque
, archery
, and handball
competitions.
The festivities do retain a few nautical aspects: the Semana Náutica Colombina (Columbian Nautical Week), in collaboration with the Club Marítimo, as well as a fishing competition from an anchored dock and canoe
ing regattas.
The Trofeo Colombino
football (soccer) tournament hosted by Recreativo de Huelva
at the Estadio Nuevo Colombino was originally part of the Columbian Festivals, but is now held later in August.
such as langostino
, the "white prawn" (Parapenaeus longirostris), the coquina (Donax trunculus), and cuttlefish
. Traditional meat dishes include pinchitos
(skewers of marinated pork
, cecina
, and ham
). Some booths are specialized in preparing the beverage known as "ponche colombino" ("Columbian punch"); a chamomile
beverage (manzanilla) is also popular.
Huelva
Huelva is a city in southwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Huelva in the autonomous region of Andalusia. It is located along the Gulf of Cadiz coast, at the confluence of the Odiel and Tinto rivers. According to the 2010 census, the city has a population of 149,410 inhabitants. The...
, Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
to commemorate the first voyage of Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
. They occur for a week at the end of July and beginning of August, the main day being 3 August, the date in 1492 on which Columbus departed Palos de la Frontera
Palos de la Frontera
Palos de la Frontera is a town and municipality located in the southwestern Spanish province of Huelva, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is situated some from the provincial capital, Huelva...
, on the voyage that brought him to the Americas. The festivities have been declared to be of National Touristic Interest (de Interés Turístico Nacional).
Early years
As Pedro Rodríguez, mayor of Huelva, remarked in 1999, the Columbian Festivals are atypical of Andalusia in that they are not rooted in religion.Although Huelva has had religious festivals at least since the 17th century—a pilgrimage day in the month of September honors the city's patron
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
, the Virgin of La Cinta—toward the end of the 19th century sentiment began to arise for the recognition of the province of Huelva for its role in Columbus's first voyage, and what had come to be known as the Discovery of America. As the celebration of the fourth centenary of the Discovery of America approached, there was an intent to draw attention to the Lugares colombinos
Lugares colombinos
The Lugares colombinos is a tourist route in the Spanish province Huelva, which includes several places that have special relevance to the preparation and realization of the first voyage of Cristopher Columbus. That voyage is widely considered to constitute the discovery of the Americas by Europeans...
, the places in Moguer
Moguer
Moguer is a municipality and small city located in the province of Huelva, Andalusia, Spain. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 18,381. Its surface area is , and its population density is ....
and Palos de la Frontera
Palos de la Frontera
Palos de la Frontera is a town and municipality located in the southwestern Spanish province of Huelva, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is situated some from the provincial capital, Huelva...
associated with the voyage. This movement began around 1880, led by the recently created Real Sociedad Colombina Onubense (Royal Columbian Society of Huelva), who revived a similar idea initially put forward by Civil Governor Mariano Alonso y Castillo in 1855.
The first occurrence of the Columbian Festivals was an immediate success in Huelva and in nearby Palos de la Frontera. Setting the nautical tone, the Captain General of the Maritime Departament of Cádiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
, Luis Hernández-Pinzón Álvarez, descendant of co-discoverer of the Americas, Martín Alonso Pinzón, attended on August 3. Several vessels of the Spanish Navy were also present. More than 15,000 people gathered at the Monastery of La Rábida in Palos for a "disembarkation" of the Spanish navy and for a fireworks show.
Despite the city already having the festival of La Cinta, the new festivities took root rapidly. In those early years, the festivities included outdoor masses
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
, literary competitions, visits to La Rábida, and traditional sporting competitions. Beginning in 1925, when the Círculo Mercantil set up a booth, there began to be a massive celebration at the city quayside. From this point, the classic elements of an Andalusian fair began to attach themselves to the Columbian Festivals: booths (casetas: some of these are larger structures than is perhaps suggested by the English-language word "booth"), attractions, raffles, and spaces set aside for dancing.
The importance of the festivals in this era can be seen in the descriptions of them in the local press, such as this in 1924:
Every day one notes more animation for these patriotic festivals, that go far beyond the celebrations in earlier years.
And on the special illumination for the festivals:
Incredibly beautiful arches have been placed on the waterfront promenade, as well as on the promenades of Las Palmeras (the Palms) and El Balneario (the Baths), which will provide an unprecedented class of illumination, which has already come to be celebrated in all justice by the general public.
As for the presence of the Spanish Navy:
… it is expected that several warships will have anchored in our waters, to which effect Mister Marchena Colombo, president of the Columbian Society, has received a letter from the general in charge of the Naval department, announcing that the largest number of ships that circumstances permit will come to Huelva.
And on the institutional celebrations of 3 August commemorating Columbus's departure from Palos de la Frontera:
As is customary, on the third, the authorities of Huelva and associates of the Columbian Society will leave for La Rábida, where they will celebrate a mass in commemoration of that heard by Columbus and his intrepid co-voyagers before their departure from the port of Palos.
Growth and crisis of the festivities
Over the years, the Columbian Festivals began to become Huelva's leading celebration, winning out over religious and academic festivals, and became increasingly a festival of entertainment with massive attendance. It outgrew the capacity of its waterfront site and in 1943 moved to a less contained space, the Interior Port of Huelva.Despite this expansion, and despite continuing to hold the fair in a maritime-related location, the maritime spirit of the festival began to fade, as can be seen in the complaint of then-mayor Francisco Montenegro, expressing openly that in comparison with his youth:
… those festivals that we came to know in our childhood years came closer to our hearts. And it was that they had more flavor of the sea and more emotion in its spiritual and evocative sense. They didn't hang so many fair lanterns on the old quayside promenades, but on the other hand the battleships Reina Regente and Pelayo, together with other warships, filled the streets with white uniforms when the sailors came ashore.
By 1965, the celebrations were displaced a kilometer further south of the city, to what was then known as Avenida Francisco Montenegro, near the present-day Estadio Nuevo Colombino ("New Columbian Stadium"). The structure of the fair was similar today's, although the booths were large permanent constructions, in open air to take advantage of the cool of the August nights. Three years later, the bullfighting
Bullfighting
Bullfighting is a traditional spectacle of Spain, Portugal, southern France and some Latin American countries , in which one or more bulls are baited in a bullring for sport and entertainment...
arena Plaza Monumental de Toros de Huelva opened adjacent to the fairgrounds; it ended up being demolished in the 1990s. This was a time of economic and demographic growth in the city thanks establishment of a development center (Polo de Desarrollo). Many of the new and growing businesses established their own booths in the fair district. Nonetheless, there was a decline in the late 20th century, and the city government—which needed land for a new football (soccer)
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
—moved the fairgrounds again beginning in the year 2000. That year, a tradition began of dedicating a gate each year to a provincial building or institution.
Las Colombinas today
Today Las Colombinas is one of the most important fairs in Andalusia, a fair "of National Touristic Interest," with over 600,000 visits for its largely nocturnal schedule of activities. The fair district has been located since 2000 along the Huelva estuary, quite near its location from 1965 to 1999 and not far from the city center, adjacent to the Estadio Nuevo Colombino. Visitors enter the fair district through an entrance that is designed in imitation of an emblematic building of the city or province of Huelva (the "La Rábida" Institute, Casa Colón, the bullring of La Merced, the Gran Teatro, the Sanctuary of the Virgin of El RocíoVirgin of El Rocío
The Virgin of El Rocío is a small carved wooden statue of the Virgin and Child, of which the only carved parts are the face, hands, and the Christ child, which is venerated at the Hermitage of El...
, Columbus's ship the Santa María
Santa María (ship)
La Santa María de la Inmaculada Concepción , was the largest of the three ships used by Christopher Columbus in his first voyage. Her master and owner was Juan de la Cosa.-History:...
, etc.).
The fair district is 31818 square metres (342,486.1 sq ft), with 68 booths (with a design similar to that of the Seville Fair
Seville Fair
The Seville Fair is held in the Andalusian capital of Seville, Spain. The fair generally begins two weeks after the Semana Santa, or Easter Holy Week....
, with blue and white awnings). The streets in the fair district take names of characteristic places in the city: Muelle del Tinto, De las Canoas, Marismas del Titán, Punta del Sebo, and Club Marítimo de Huelva. There is also an area with about 70 attractions. The celebrations culminate with an interpretation of the Himno de Huelva ("Anthem of Huelva"), the pasodoble
Pasodoble
Pasodoble is a typical dance from Spain march-like musical style as well as the corresponding dance style danced by a couple. It is the type of music typically played in bullfights during the bullfighters' entrance to the ring or during the passes just before the kill...
Mi Huelva tiene una ría by Maestro Molero, and a 45-minute fireworks display by pyrotechnicians from Valencia.
Each years festivals are dedicated to some Spanish city, Latin American country or some event of regional significance. Dedicatees in recent years have included Palos de la Frontera
Palos de la Frontera
Palos de la Frontera is a town and municipality located in the southwestern Spanish province of Huelva, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is situated some from the provincial capital, Huelva...
, Moguer
Moguer
Moguer is a municipality and small city located in the province of Huelva, Andalusia, Spain. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 18,381. Its surface area is , and its population density is ....
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, the city of San Sebastián
San Sebastián
Donostia-San Sebastián is a city and municipality located in the north of Spain, in the coast of the Bay of Biscay and 20 km away from the French border. The city is the capital of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. The municipality’s population is 186,122 , and its...
, the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
, Galicia, the Algarve (Portugal), Almería
Almería
Almería is a city in Andalusia, Spain, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is the capital of the province of the same name.-Toponym:Tradition says that the name Almería stems from the Arabic المرية Al-Mariyya: "The Mirror", comparing it to "The Mirror of the Sea"...
, Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Ceuta
Ceuta
Ceuta is an autonomous city of Spain and an exclave located on the north coast of North Africa surrounded by Morocco. Separated from the Iberian peninsula by the Strait of Gibraltar, Ceuta lies on the border of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta along with the other Spanish...
, Denominaciones de origen
Denominación de Origen
Denominación de Origen is part of a regulatory classification system primarily for Spanish wines but also for other foodstuffs like honey, meats and condiments. In wines it parallels the hierarchical system of France and Italy although Rioja and Sherry preceded the full system...
de Huelva, El Rocío, Recreativo de Huelva
Recreativo de Huelva
Real Club Recreativo de Huelva, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Huelva, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 23 December 1889, it is the oldest football team in Spain, and currently plays in the second division, holding home games at Estadio Nuevo Colombino, which has a...
, to the history of the festivals themselves, and—in 2008—to 175 years of Huelva's status as a provincial capital.
Bullfighting
Bullfights at the Plaza de toros de La Merced are part of the festivities. They constitute a parallel festival, and are probably the most successful aspect of the festivities. They begin several days before the festival proper, with an act of proclamation in the "León Ortega" School of Art in the El Matadero district.Particularities
The Colombian Festivals, despite having an undoubtedly Andalusian style (and having become more like a typical Andalusian fair in the early 21st century), also has an Americanist aspect. Some of the booths may have music from various Latin American countries; others have more typically Andalusian music, for dances such as sevillanasSevillanas
Sevillanas are a type of folk music, sung and written in Seville in Spain. Historically, they are a derivative of Castilian folk music . They have a relatively limited musical pattern, but rich lyrics, based on country side life, virgins, towns, neighborhoods, pilgrimage, and love themes...
, associated with flamenco
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
, although unlike most Andalusian fairs it is not customary to attend the in traditional Andalusian dress.
The celebration are complemented by a series of cultural and sporting activities. "Música Junto a la Ría" ("Music along the estuary") is a series of concerts by groups from Huelva and elsewhere in Spain. There is also the Trofeo Colombino golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
tournament and petanque
Pétanque
Pétanque is a form of boules where the goal is, while standing inside a starting circle with both feet on the ground, to throw hollow metal balls as close as possible to a small wooden ball called a cochonnet or jack. It is also sometimes called a bouchon or le petit...
, archery
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
, and handball
Team handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...
competitions.
The festivities do retain a few nautical aspects: the Semana Náutica Colombina (Columbian Nautical Week), in collaboration with the Club Marítimo, as well as a fishing competition from an anchored dock and canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
ing regattas.
The Trofeo Colombino
Trofeo Colombino
Trofeo Colombino is a summer football tournament hosted annually by Recreativo de Huelva at their home grounds Nuevo Colombino in Huelva, Spain. The tournament is held in honor of Recre's position as the oldest surviving Spanish football club and has been held since 1965...
football (soccer) tournament hosted by Recreativo de Huelva
Recreativo de Huelva
Real Club Recreativo de Huelva, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Huelva, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 23 December 1889, it is the oldest football team in Spain, and currently plays in the second division, holding home games at Estadio Nuevo Colombino, which has a...
at the Estadio Nuevo Colombino was originally part of the Columbian Festivals, but is now held later in August.
Gastronomy
The food at the festivals provides a chance to sample the gastronomy of Huelva and of Andalucia in general. Among the foods served are fried seafood, featuring various species from the Gulf of CádizGulf of Cadiz
The Gulf of Cádiz is the arm of the Atlantic Ocean between Cape St. Vincent in Portugal and Cape Trafalgar at the western end of the Strait of Gibraltar...
such as langostino
Langostino
Langostino is a Spanish word with different meanings in different areas. In America, it is commonly used in the restaurant trade to refer to the meat of the squat lobster, which is neither a true lobster nor a prawn. It is more closely related to porcelain crabs and hermit crabs. Crustaceans...
, the "white prawn" (Parapenaeus longirostris), the coquina (Donax trunculus), and cuttlefish
Cuttlefish
Cuttlefish are marine animals of the order Sepiida. They belong to the class Cephalopoda . Despite their name, cuttlefish are not fish but molluscs....
. Traditional meat dishes include pinchitos
Pinchitos
Pinchitos or Pinchos Morunos is a North African influenced dish typical of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia...
(skewers of marinated pork
Pork
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
, cecina
Cecina (meat)
Cecina de León redirects hereIn Spanish, cecina means "meat that has been salted and dried by means of air, sun or smoke". The word comes either from the Latin siccus or from the Celtic ciercina related to modern Spanish "cierzo" or Northern wind.The best known cecina is Cecina de León, which is...
, and ham
Ham
Ham is a cut of meat from the thigh of the hind leg of certain animals, especiallypigs. Nearly all hams sold today are fully cooked or cured.-Etymology:...
). Some booths are specialized in preparing the beverage known as "ponche colombino" ("Columbian punch"); a chamomile
Chamomile
Chamomile or camomile is a common name for several daisy-like plants of the family Asteraceae. These plants are best known for their ability to be made into an infusion which is commonly used to help with sleep and is often served with either honey or lemon. Because chamomile can cause uterine...
beverage (manzanilla) is also popular.