Zaragoza and celebrations

Hi Peeps! 

Now is the time of the year when I most miss Zaragoza,  yes of course I always miss it but specially these days. The 12th of October is a big day for all of us who come from Zaragoza. For the ones who do not live here anymore and cannot come back to the celebrations every year, Pilares celebrations and Virgin of Pilar will be always in our hearts.

 Ana Laiglesia Fotografia  is collaborating in the post today and has given me all these pictures to show you the celebrations, This Saturday are officially starting Fiestas del Pilar, one of the most celebrated festivals in Spain.

View of Basilica del Pilar and Ebro River

El Pilar Basilica. Baroque Style. Completed in 1754

The Offering of Flowers (The 12th of October)

This is the high point of the festival and a demostration of people devotion to Virgin Mary. Every 12th of October, throughout the day, thousands of people dressed in traditional costume, leave flowers at the statue of the Virgin, which is placed in the middle of the Plaza del Pilar next to the Basilica.

Virgin del Pilar has mantles done in gold, gemstones and beautiful materials donated throughout the years by devoted families and on te 12th of October her mantle is done with flowers; red flowers in the even years and white flowers in the odd years.



On this day, we also celebrate The Hispanidad or Hispanicity which are the community formed by all the people and countries that share a common Hispanic heritage and cultural pattern. The 23 nations incuded are all Spanish speaking countries.
Every year, Virgin del Pilar shows a flag of one of these countries, the pictures were done in 2013, this flag was from Dominican Republic.

The Glass Rosary Parade (The 13th of October)

The Glass Rosary parade, or Rosario de Cristal, is one of the most unique parades in the world. Originating in 1889, it combines both Religion and Art and consists of 29 parade floats made entirely of glass, known as “faroles” (lamps), all illuminated from within, making for a spectacular evening parade and light show.

 Fifteen of the floats represent the mysteries of the rosary, while other floats depict different topics, such as recreations of famous sanctuaries like the Basilica del Pilar, or the Sagrada Familia, as well as other religious and cultural themes.

At night, thousands of people assist to music concerts in Plaza del Pilar.

Views from the Tower. Photo: Javier Laiglesia Fotografo

If you are not coming for the celebrations, you can see all the beautiful sites of Zaragoza anytime of the year.  I have selected a 2 minutes video where you can quickly see Zaragoza sites.

                Enjoy your weekend everyone and Thanks for your lovely comments!!
                                                                    xxx