The holidays of Magdalena the 22nd in July, San Roque, the 16th of August, and the Guía the 8th of September are events full of devotion and rites that take place along the good weather in this capital.

The three feasts are declared of tourist interest, and in these three, in some way, are hidden subliminally the land of origin and the sea, camouflaging the Catholicism. Women wear glass beads on their regional dresses. Men, with major austerity and stick on one of their hands, cheer up the rhythm of the processions and the samples of revelry that exceed the seriousness of it. Young women give to the different virgins the floral offering called "el ramu", and young men carry pyramids of breads elaborated with great care that after the offering will be sold to the public.

"The Pericote", the "Jota of Magdalena", the "Pilgrim Dance" and the "Prima Dance" are regional dances of ancestral origin. The maritime processions, on the other hand, are a faithful portrait of the relationship of local people with sea.

The folklore in the Asturian rural areas has a long tradition, but overall in the village of Llanes. "The picas" (rivalries) are really interesting. Local people are divided into groups, wearing distinctive clothes, showing passion and deep feeling in an unusual competence that paradoxically help to reinforce the collective local feeling and make these people more prosperous. In the surrounding towns there are also all kind of processions and festivities. Each town has its own nuances so, we will never find two exact processions.

"Pa joguera la nuestra". On the t-shirts of the band of Blanca, in the town of Nueva, we can read this inscription. In these processions people carry trunks of more than 40 metres long and more than one and a half ton of weight over their shoulders. In order to lift up the trunk we need to pull off three ropes, one of them is really heavy and is called the "guide rope". The "voceru" is the person in charge of coordinating this difficult maneuver. The trunk of the eucalyptus is getting right thanks to the efforts of the people holding it.

"Planting an "hoguera", "foguera" or "joguera" respecting all the linguistic variations, means to plant a trunk bigger than the neighbor town, on the main square. The size and weight of the trunk and the ceremonies around it characterise these events, establishing a competence among the commissions of festivities of the surrounding towns. Sometimes the night comes and the trunk is still not lifted up due to an error in the excavation of the hole or due to the lack of coordination. But in the end, all towns get the trunk in the middle of its squares even if it is got at dawn.

Some people think that the classical offering of "the bunch of flowers" to the virgin, "the hogueras" or the different regional dances belong to an ancestral culture difficult to set up. For the scholars of these areas, in these events there is a clear identification with the vegetal nature of these places. The dances talk about a rhythm supposedly previous to Christianity. This collective dance of circular character and chorale, usually takes place on the churchyard or around a fire. For those experts in folklore, this was the way in which the community used to fraternize.

The feasts manifestations, on the other side, went though an important change with the civil war. Along the post-war the essence of these celebrations was recovered due to the lack of money. The bunch of flowers were less and the offerings were then associated with the products of the local garden.

Although, the biggest change in the folklore comes with the Latin-Americans. The current rivalries are transmutations of the personalized rivalries among Latin-Americans. Those who come back to Llanes, after making a fortune in America, wanted their feast to be the best, so they did not doubt in helping with their money. Thanks to this, they got the electric light as part of this feast, more bunches of flowers and the notable increment of glass beads on the regional dresses of women. These improvements were a goal for those emigrants who come back for good.

In the locality of Celorio, in the end of August, a singular celebration takes place: the witches’Sabbath. This celebration shows the official and popular repudiation that in old times was professed against the black magic.

As tradition tells, and some heirs of it, it is thought that in this area inhabits a strange female being, capable of talking with wolves. This was the witch of Bricia, whose steps were carefully followed by the rancor of the inquisition. The pursued woman has become a legend. It is also said that she is still alive and year after year she makes an eternal spell. This spell is thought to introduce the old battle between humans and spirits.

More than 50 years later of the origin of this competition and after this trial was set up at all levels, an Asturian couple J. Jacobi-Ramón Andersson, in 1988, made a record very difficult to do better even today: one hour and six minutes and thirty-six seconds in finishing 17 kilometres which are between the localities of Arriondas and Ribadesella. This is the longest course of this beautiful river which its natural course has sixty kilometres surrounded by splendorous nature.

The river Sella is a kind of divinity to pay homage to and it is the main protagonist of this celebration. It is born in Majada of Pozúa in the valley of Sajambre, in the Peaks of Europe and covers the councils of Cangas of Onís, Arriondas and Ribadesella, where it finally flows into.

The festivity starts in the early hours in the morning, when fluvial trains go towards Arriondas from Ribadesella and Oviedo. At eleven in the morning the streets of this locality began to be crowded by the new people coming. These people take a lot of equipments for doing this descend or they take their car in order, to follow the race from the road parallel to the river.

Before midday, canoeists wait impatiently. After the ritual words "Keep public in silence and listen to these words…" These are Dionisio’s words before the race starts, and they are being repeated yearly even after his death in 1995. At twelve of o’clock this race starts.

At this point, more than one thousand canoes get into the river. Because of the hurry for the first places, many canoeists get broken their canoes or paddles. Unfortunately, some of them get trapped and others put on the head of the crowd at the time they hear the gunshot. In the half way, the course of this river is narrower and only allows five, six or seven canoes to pass together this section. Many of the participants are left behind and the favourite ones have to row hardly in order to be the first. When a participant is really good at rowing, there is no much to do. Numerous prizes of this competition have been decided in the last metres of the course of this river, just down the bridge of Ribadesella, where it is the finish.

The year 2004 was very significant for this competition. The canoe K2 whose owner is Julio Marínez (Seven times champion in this competition) and Emilio Merchán, his friend, defeated their adversaries and also opened a new possibility for completing this race because they reached the finish passing by a new section of the river called "the Island of la Boticaria".

In Ribadesella, the finish of this race, people wait impatiently for the champions. The megaphone tell us about what is the nationality of the potential winner, if he is Portuguese, German or Asturian (people living in this region of Spain).

When everything is finished, we keep alive the tradition inaugurated by Dionisio and all the participants go up to the Campos of Ova only 3 kilometres from Ribadesella, where a wonderful picnic is prepared for them. After having lunch, they can also have a siesta under the trees enjoying the regional folk and dances and then they are awarded the prizes.

But the party never ends, because this locality by the river Sella, offers a lot of entertainment on fridays and saturdays nights in Ribadesella and also in Arriondas. Each year this festivity is even more crowded beating all possible records of previous years.

There is another speciality. This is to do this same race but at night. More than 100.000 canoeists try it yearly.

Both villages, Arriondas and Ribadesella are full of life during those days. This place is a kind of little Venice full of channels. The nocturne sportsmen are accustomed to having a soft drink in the urban centre before the race starts. They are always accompanied by a large number of fans and also for young people who go out on binge.

As the night goes by, a number of "disc-jockeys" give life to the night with their music. Under the words "Row, Row!" people encourage those night participants up to the dawn. In this race vitality and hard efforts are very important. This race also counts with very experienced people, both men and women.

Someone said that this social event commonly known as "Sellismo" is a kind of special day event that only can be found in this region. It is a spiral of deep emotions, where people meet and start new social relationships under any kind of conventionalism.

If you have the chance, come here to enjoy it. If you are interested in seeing some photos of this celebration, please, click here.

During the previous days to the end of carnival and the forty days Lent lasts, the asturian people feel the impulse to grow in other entities. Traditionally, this metamorphosis was usually accompanied by thick vegetable soup over all, during winter. Today the typical gastronomy of the "Antroxu" is influenced by that old tradition. On current carnival we can taste pork, this type of meat was forbidden during the seven weeks of Lent that followed these profane celebrations.

Time before the participants of the Antroxu usually painted their faces on black colour, using for it burnt cork or soot. It was the cheaper way to get a masquerade. Years ago it was very common to disguise oneself as an animal, taking for it different leathers and skins of animals. At that time, it was also very popular to be dressed in poor clothes like the "probones" or "antroxos" whose ancient gender were the "guirrias" and "zamarrones" (all these characters belong to the Asturian mythology), who usually asked for money at the end of the year. It was also common to be dressed in the opposite sex clothes. Men were dressed up in women’s clothes and women in the other way round. This custom was heavily criticised by the Church for being considered as unmoral.

The musical instruments played on this carnival were daily items such as tins, fry pans, horns and whistles. Al these strident sounds are still today haughty and listened to thanks to the brass bands.

The Antroxu in Asturias was forbidden for a long time. It was recovered thanks to the coming of the democratic councils during the 80’s. Nowadays the carnival still keeps its old essence of the "antroxu" but the shapes and clothes have been changing. The carnival underlines a way of changing daily routines by commiting "irrational" acts overall during the long nights of winter. The irony, the satire and the songs are especially brilliant when criticising famous people and politicians.

Some places of Asturias have a long carnival tradition. In the three most crowded cities of this Principado of Asturias, the spirit of the Antroxu is especially much more alive than ever. Avilés, Gijón and Oviedo live this festivity with great pleasure. During the 19th century, in the city of Avilés live together two kinds of celebrations: the popular "Antroxu" and the carnival which only a few could enjoy: the wealthy classes. They were able to celebrate this festivity with floats, expensive decorated cars, dances and battles of confetti. This carnival resembles much that of Nice and Venice. On Monday of carnival were the poor classes who took the small towns to enjoy the carnival on their way: strange clothes, battles of eggs and bands of musicians at the streets.

At present, Avilés is the perfect scene for the International Descend along the Galiana Street. It consists of a procession of floats and items of any type, decorated with naval motives. The crew descends the Galiana Street on Saturday of carnival. This street is full of water and foam. From the carriages people pour water over the spectators and these last take their particular revenge against the others.

In Gijón, carnival officially starts the night of the "Thursday of Comadres". This is the moment in which the name of the sardine is revealed. From this moment on and during six long days and nights, carnival counts with an extensive programme of activities: competitions of brass bands, floats etc, cultural and recreational activities for all ages. In the Mayor Square the Sardine waits for its death, afterwards there is a respectful vigil and after would come the funeral cortége. Some time later, the testament of the poor Sardine is read and it keeps buried until the following year.

The Square of the Cathedral, the street of Trascorrales and all the close streets conform the central point for the "Ovetense (gentile) Antroxu". The celebrations in the old streets of Oviedo always take place the weekend after this festivity is first celebrated in Avilés and Gijón. At this festivity people can taste a special menu for the occasion: a carnival pot. Numerous restaurants serve it. It is a good stock accompanied by cabbages, beans, potatoes and pork. After this heavy dish we can also taste two delicious desserts, the casadielles (local cakes), the frixuelos (other sweet cakes) or rice pudding. This is a suitable menu for saving energy until the end of this celebration.

As well as the so called "Antroxu", the gastronomy which goes with it also extends for all the corners of this Principado. In the western area the typical dessert is the "rapón", a cake made of corn and mixed with water, salt, onion and pieces of sausages and bacon. It is also covered with cabbage leaves and baked in the oven. In the Eastern part of this region we can find the "boronas preñadas", a type of rolls made of corn, filled with sausages and different kind of meats. The most famous dessert in this area are the “buñuelos” filled with cream or the “rustidos”, tasteful pieces of bread dipped in milk and eggs, after fried and finally sprayed with sugar.

The deliberations of the different juries (one for each award), start in May and go on up to September. These awards are given at the Campoamor Theatre at the end of October, in a ceremony presided by Prince Felipe and his discourse. Although each year his discourse changes according to the current national and international events, his discourse always highlights the most essential merits of these prices.

"... good hopes are the foundation of our Awards. These express our conviction that all this is still worthy, in a changing world like this, dedicate all our efforts and will to the wonderful task of not making anybody feel alone when s/he is devoting all his/her own talent, intelligence and vocation for the benefit of the Humankind".

In the following lines are broke down all the people and institutions awarded since 1981. A long list, as it can be observed, constituted by people and institutions of great talent and merit, whose main aim is a fairest world full of good hopes.

Prince of Asturias Awards in Letters:

2010 Amin Maalouf ; 2009 Ismaíl Kaderé; 2008 Margaret Atwood; 2007 Amos Oz; 2006 Paul Auster; 2005 Nélida Piñón; 2004 Claudio Magris; 2003 Fátima Mernissi y Susan Sontag; 2002 Arthur Miller; 2001 Doris Lessing; 2000 Augusto Monterroso; 1999 Günter Grass; 1998 Francisco Ayala; 1997 Álvaro Mutis; 1996 Francisco Umbral; 1995 Carlos Bousoño; 1994 Carlos Fuentes; 1993 Claudio Rodríguez; 1992 Francisco Morales Nieva; 1991 Pueblo de Puerto Rico, which declared Spanish as the unique official language; 1990 Arturo Úslar Pietri; 1989 Ricardo Gullón; 1988 Carmen Martín Gaite y José Ángel Valente; 1987 Camilo José Cela; 1986 Mario Vargas Llosa y Rafael Lapesa Melgar; 1985 Ángel González; 1984 Pablo García Baena; 1983 Juan Rulfo; 1982 Gonzalo Torrente Ballester y Miguel Delibes Setién; 1981 José Hierro Real.

Prince of Asturias Awards in Communication and Humanities:

2010 Zygmunt Bauman y Alain Touraine; 2009 Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; 2008 Google; 2007 Science y Nature; 2006 National Geographic Society; 2005 the following European Cultural Centres: Cervantes Institute, French Alliance, Dante Alighieri Society, British Council, Camoes and Goethe Institutes; 2004 Jean Daniel; 2003 Ryszard Kapuscinski and Gustavo Gutierrez Merino; 2002 Hans Magnus Enzensberger; 2001 George Steiner; 2000 Umberto Eco; 1999 the Caro Institute and Cuervo; 1998 Reinhard Mohn; 1997 Václav Havel and Cable News Netwoork (CNN); 1996 Indro Montanelli and Julián Marías; 1995 EFE Agency and José Luis López Aranguren; 1994 Spanish missions in Ruanda and Burundi; 1993 Magazine "Vuelta", by Octavio Paz; 1992 Emilio García Gómez; 1991 Luis María Anson; 1990 the Central American University José Simeón Cañas; 1989 Pedro Laín Entralgo and the Cultural and Economic Mexican fund; 1988 Horacio Saénz Guerrero; 1987 The newspaper "El Tiempo" and the other newspaper "El Espectador"; 1986 The Communication Group "O Globo"; 1985 José Ferrater Mora; 1984 Claudio Sánchez Albornoz; 1983 The newspaper "El País"; 1982 Mario Augusto Bunge; 1981 María Zambrano Alarcón.

Prince of Asturias Awards in Social Sciences:

2010 Equipo arqueológico de los Guerreros de Xi’an; 2009 David Attenborough; 2008 Tzvetan Todorov; 2007 Ralf Dahrendorf; 2006 Mary Robinson; 2005 Giovanni Sartori; 2004 Paul Krugman; 2003 Júrgen Habermas; 2002 Anthony Giddens; 2001 The Mexican School and Juan Iglesias Santos; 2000 Carlo María Martín; 1999 Raymond Carr; 1998 Jacques Santer and Pierre Werner; 1997 Martín de Riquer Morera; 1996 John Elliott; 1995 Joaquim Veríssimo Serrao and Miquel Batlori i Munné; 1994 Aurelio Menéndez; 1993 Silvio Zavala; 1992 Juan Velarde Fuertes; 1991 Miguel Artola Gallego; 1990 Rodrígo Uría González; 1989 Enrique Fuentes Quintana; 1988 Luis Díez del Corral and Luis Sánchez Agesta; 1987 Juan José Linz; 1986 José Luis Pinillos; 1985 Ramón Carrande Thovar; 1984 Eduardo García de Enterría; 1983 Julio Caro Baroja; 1982 Antonio Domínguez Ortiz; 1981 Román Perpiñá Grau.

Prince of Asturias Awards in Internacional Cooperation:

2010 The Transplantation Society y Organización Nacional de Trasplantes; 2009 Organización Mundial de la Salud; 2008 Ifakara Health Institute, The Malaria Research and Training Center, Kintampo Health Research Centre, Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça; 2007 Al Gore; 2006 Fundation Bill y Melinda Gates; 2005 Simone Veil; 2004 the Erasmus Curriculum of the European Union; 2003 Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; 2002 the Scientific Committee for searching in the Antarctic; 2001 the international Spatial Station; 2000 Fernando Henrique Cardoso; 1999 Pedro Duque, John Glenn, Chiaki Mukai, Valery Polyakov; 1998 Fatiha Boudiaf, Rigoberta Menchú, Fatana Ishaq Gailani, Somaly Mam, Emma Bonino, Olayinka Koso-Thomas, Graça Machel; 1997 the Government of Guatemala and the Revolutionary National Native Unity; 1996 Helmut Kohl; 1995 Mário Soares; 1994 Isaac Rabin; Yasser Arafat; 1993 The Blue Helmets Peacekeeping Force sent in the old Yugoslavia; 1992 Frederick W. De Klerk, Nelson Mandela; 1991 the High Commissioner of the United Nations for the Refugees (ACNUR); 1990 Hans Dietrich Genscher; 1989 Jacques Delors, Mijail Gorbachov; 1988 Óscar Arias; 1987 Javier Pérez de Cuéllar; 1986 the Universities of Salamanca and Coimbra; 1985 Raúl Alfonsín Foulkes; 1984 the Group of Contadora; 1983 Belisario Betancur; 1982 Enrique V. Iglesias; 1981 José Lopéz Portillo.

Prince of Asturias Awards in Arts:

2010 Richard Serra; 2009 Norman Foster; 2008 Sistema Nacional de Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles de Venezuela; 2007 Bob Dylan; 2006 Pedro Almodóvar; 2005 Maia Pilsetskaya and Tamara Rojo; 2004 Paco de Lucía; 2003 Miquel Barceló; 2002 Woody Allen; 2001 Krzysztof Penderecki; 2000 Barbara Hendricks; 1999 Santiago Calatrava Valls; 1998 Sebastiao Salgado; 1997 Vittorio Gassmann; 1996 Joaquín Rodrigo Vidre; 1995 Fernando Fernán Gómez; 1994 Alicia de Larrocha; 1993 Francisco Javier Saénz de Oiza; 1992 Roberto Matta Echaurren; 1991 Victoria de los Ángeles, Teresa Berganza, Monserrat Caballé, José Carreras, Pilar Lorengar, Alfredo Graus and Plácido Domingo; 1990 Antonio Tápies; 1989 Óscar Niemeyer; 1988 Jorge Oteiza; 1987 Eduardo Chillida; 1986 Luis García Berlanga; 1985 Antonio López García; 1984 the Donostiarra Choral Society; 1983 Eusebio Sempere; 1982 Pablo Serrano Aguilar; 1981 Jesús López Cobos.

Prince of Asturias Awards in Scientific Searching and Technique:

2010 David Julius, Baruch Minke y Linda Watkins, 2009 Martin Cooper y Raymond Samuel Tomlinson; 2008 Sumio Iijima, Shuji Nakamura, Robert Langer, George M. Whitesides, Tobin Marks; 2007 Peter Lawrence y Ginés Morata; 2006 Juan Ignacio Cirac; 2005 Antonio Damasio; 2004 Judah Folkman, Tony Hunter, Joan Massagué, Bert Volgelstein, Robert Weinberg; 2003 Jane Goodall; 2002 Lawrence Roberts, Robert Kahn, Vinton Cerf and Tim Berners-Lee, fathers of internet; 2001 Craig Venter, Francis Collins, John Sulston, Hamilton Smith, Jean Weissenbach; 2000 Luc Montagnier, Robert C. Gallo; 1999 Ricerdo Miledi, Enrique Moreno González; 1998 Emilio Méndez Pérez, Pedro Miguel Etxenike Landiríbar; 1997 the searching Group of Atapuerca; 1996 Valentín Fuster Carulla; 1995 Manuel Losada Villasante, the National Institute of Biodiversity of Costa Rica; 1994 Manuel Elkin Patarroyo; 1993 Amable Liñán, 1992 Federico García Moliner; 1991 Francisco Bolívar Zapata; 1990 Santiago Grisolía, Salvador Moncada; 1989 Guido Münch; 1988 Manuel Cardona, Marcos Moshinsky; 1987 Jacinto Convit, Pablo Rudomín Zevnovaty; 1986 Antonio González González; 1985 David Vázquez Martínez, Emilio Rosenblueth; 1984 Antonio García Bellido; 1983 Luis Antonio Santaló Sors; 1982 Manuel Ballester Boix; 1981 Alberto Sols García.

Prince of Asturias Awards in Sports:

2010 Spanish Football Selection; 2009 Yelena Isinbayeva; 2008 Rafael Nadal; 2007 Michael Schumacher; 2006 Spanish Basketball Selection; 2005 Fernando Alonso; 2004 Hicham El Guerrouj; 2003 the tour of France; 2002 the national football team of Brazil; 2001 Manuel Estiarte; 2000 Lance Armstrong; 1999 Steffi Graf; 1998 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario; 1997 the Spanish Marathon team; 1996 Carl Lewis; 1995 Hassiba Boulmerka; 1994 Martina Navratilova; 1993 Javier Sotomayor; 1992 Miguel Induráin; 1991 Serguei Bubka; 1990 Sito Pons; 1989 Severiano Ballesteros; 1988 Juan Antonio Samaranch; 1987 Sebastian Coe; 1986; 1985 José Manuel Abascal.

Prince of Asturias Awards of Concord:

2010 Manos Unidas; 2009 Ciudad de Berlín; 2008 Ingrid Betancourt; 2007 Yad Vashem. Museo del Holocausto de Jerusalén; 2006 UNICEF; 2005 Daughters of Charity of San Vicente of Paúl; 2004 on the way to Santiago; 2003 Joanne Kathleen Rowling; 2002 Edward Said and Daniel Barenboim; 2001 the World Net for the Reserve of the Biosphere; 2000 the Real Academy of Spanish Language and the Association of all academies of Spanish Language; 1999 Spanish Charity; 1998 Nicolás Castellanos, Vicente Ferrer, Joaquín Sanz Gadea and Muhammad Yunus; 1997 Yehudi Menuhin and Mstislav Rostropovich; 1996 Adolfo Suárez; 1995 Hussein of Jordan; 1994 the National Movement of Meninos and Meninas of Rua, Messengers of Peace and Save the Children; 1993 the Gesto Coordinator for peace in Euskal Herria; 1992 the American Searching Foundation for AIDS; 1991 Medicos Sin Fronteras and Medicus Mundi; 1990 the Sephardic Community; 1989 Stephen Hawking; 1988 the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Sources, and the World Fund for Nature; 1987 the Village of El Salvador; 1986 Vicariate of Solidarity.

Traslation by Rebeca Couto.

In the 80’s and after a constant evolution of profane events, the festivity of Saint Matthew little by little began to take part on open air for the visitors to enjoy it best. Today all the squares of the urban centre are full of little bars that accompany musical shows and theatre on open air. The outside bars and marquee gens favour a social environment and help us taste the local food and wine. The centre of this city turns into an open space to enjoy it standing up. All the amusement is on the road during nights and days, with its bars and performances.

The musical shows are probably the most popular events and respond to all people’s tastes. On the Lanes of San Lázaro, the most famous pop and rock bands play at low price. In the Square of the Cathedral, jazz, flamenco, folk, urban music and the most famous artists of our musical panorama make the delight of all visitors that here have free entrance. This is a perfect occasion to have a drink while listening to live music. The opera finds its site at the famous Campoamor Theatre which offers different sessions during this time.

One of the most important events during the festivity of Saint Matthew is The Day of America in Asturias. The Asturian emigrant has on September 19th a ceremony on his honour. This celebration counts with a crowded traditional procession. In that morning we can enjoy the popular music of some folklore groups of this region. In the afternoon a parade full of Cuban, Colombian, Mexican, Brazilian, Argentinian... floats go by the main roads and streets of this city. On the pavement and on the balconies there are lots of people who follow this procession throwing confetti and streamers. Also in this procession we can observe the popular "haigas": luxury and old cars that ride the roads of Oviedo. They were old prototypes of those cars that the Asturian emigrants used to buy in order to make clear their new economical status. It is usually told that when the shop assistant asked the emigrant "What kind of car are you looking for?" Then the emigrant answered: "The biggest you have".

The Day of America in Asturias started to be celebrated in 1950 and it is today a festivity declared of National Tourist Interest. In this day we can find many people from America enjoying this festivity. On the Vip Box we can see the representatives of all delegations of the American countries.

On September 21st, the day of Saint Matthew, all people usually have lunch at the streets, parks, fields and gardens. The typical food for this day is called "el bollu preñao" a piece of bread filled with a sausage. Both bread and sausage are cooked together so finally the bread takes all the fat and taste of the sausage. This small lunch is usually accompanied by a bottle of wine that is shared with relatives or friends. There is also a tradition in these days "les paxarines" figures made of flour, yolks and saffron that are also thought to protect houses from tempests.

In the night this festivity ends there are wonderful fireworks. This is a spectacular event that was celebrated for the first time in 1920. This popular event takes place in the Winter Park and is observed by more of 100.000 watchers every year.

Today this festivity is famous in all the country. And as it was said before, this festivity is celebrated at the end of summer, taking into account the fact that this is mainly a university city so it is always going to be full of young people. They are mainly the people who will turn on this festivity.

Traslation by Rebeca Couto.

Here we find everything: food caravans, book fair, more than 50 cafés and bars on open air, music at the street, attractions, circus, night festivals, different dances, conjuring and magic, street market, video cinema at the street, juggling, journalism... in conclusion the most popular festival of all popular genres. This is maybe due to the background of the detective novel that thanks to its social concern, also involves the rest of the genres: comics, cinema, science fiction, historical cinema, expositions, social, demanding, subversive, emigrant movements...

Book Shops at the street share the same appearance of those food and drink stalls, and round tables spread along the streets so if you are interested in something in particular, you can take a seat. With all this the council is aimed to offer activities for people of all ages, so in that way if you go to a concert you can also end the day sitting in a round table of literature, cinema, comics, photography or even participate actively in a debate. Here there is no particular menu, we can choose among a great variety of dishes.

The goal of this festival is also to give promotion to the minorities’ culture in a festive environment. This is the victory of a wild populism, or at least it is how Paco Ignacio Taibo II understands it, the Mexican writer and precursor of this festival event since 1988 and current director of the orchestra of this Black Cinema Week. Once he defined this meeting in the city of Gijón as the "event in which you can hold a book in one hand while you eat a doughnut with the other".

This festival summons two hundred people between artists and authors yearly, coming from the different universes of the detective, historical and science fiction backgrounds, apart from people related to comics or photography. Also here we can find more than one hundred accredited journalists from all parts of Spain and also from the five continents.

There are near 300 lineal meters of book shops and a big space for the selling of special book offers, in which we can buy those books we thought we would never find.

At the street somebody will probably try to sell us the newspaper called "A Quemarropa", the newspaper published during this week which contains all the main events taking place in the morning and during the night.

Near the Molinón Stadium we can enjoy the interethnic street market where we can enjoy live concerts, street artists’ shows, fairs and two interesting expositions.

In early morning there is a special poetry reading that also summons hundreds of people in the most strict respect and silence.

But apart from this, we can also enjoy a big wheel that spins around just in the middle of the frenetic activity of this festival, quiz, competition, solidarity encounter, cultural event or how they would prefer to call it.

And finally something that we almost forget; in the Black Week two world record Guinnes took place. The first one was the longest conga of all Europe that was formed by 6.200 people in 1991 and, the second record was the longest row of books (1.650 metres) given by present people for the Cuban readers in 1994.

Traslation by Rebeca Couto.

The Internacional Cinema Festival in Gijón, with more than a half of a century history, is one of most important meetings of the seventh art. The main concern of this festival is just to highlight that talent far of commercial circuits.

Every year by the end of november, the city of Gijón, modern and cosmopolitan, is influenced by the independent cinema. For those film lovers, it is a great pleasure to walk down its streets, near the wall of San Lorenzo, go to its bars and modern locals and try to manage this relaxing activity with that of watching such extensive film program only in a week. It is easy to come across film directors, actors, technicians etc, who usually give papers on the filming subject and interviews. Here there is no glamour, because Gijón is a modest city, almost anonymous, and only worried about the work well done, without any debt with the show business people.

This festival offers a plural agenda that apart from films also offers live music, parallel exhibitions, discussions, parties, and important courses such as the season of Universo Media, organized by the University of Oviedo and the International Festival respectively. This season reflects the different mutations of our way to see and make cinema after the expansive wave of digital culture and new technologies.

Everything in Gijón is modern, except for the cinematographic retrospectives. The festival passes mainly based on current and contemporary showings.

In addition to its official section, there is another section called "Enfants Terribles" that has become one of the best referents of international cinema aimed at the youngest. In each new edition, Enfants Terribles offers two weeks of feature films, including fiction titles, animations and documentaries that have a look over both the children’s and teenagers’worlds.

There is another own section devoted to musical documentaries: Disorder and Concert, another section devoted to experimental films, and in the limit called "Llendes" between fiction and reality and the traditional "Esbilla" there is some sort of drawer of disorder where we find in it everything that does not fit in the rest of the sections of this competition.

Prizes are given to the different sections according to an International Jury (usually formed by five professionals from different countries), a Young Jury (formed by 50 young people between 17 and 26 years), and from 2005 to now it also offers the presence of a International Jury of critics: FIPRESCI.

Along the last two years, the most important and worldly prestigious professionals of independent cinema have come to this city. Some guests of honour directors have been, Abbas Kiarostami, Aki Kaurismaki, Todd Hayness, Pedro Costa, Paul Schrader, Joao Cesar Monteiro, Seijun Suzuki, Jem Cohen, Kenneth Anger, Ulrich Seidi, Hal Hartley, Lukas Moodysson, Tsai Ming Lang, Claire Denis or Todd Solondz.

It has also counted with the presence of national and international professionals in the International Jury or presenting films in the diverse sections of its program: John Cale, Maria Schreider, Monte Hellman, Paprika Steen, Julio Medem, Fele Martinez, Elvira Minguez, Jorge Perugorría, Maria Esteve, Tristán Ulloa, Daniel Guzmán or Jan Cvitkovic.

Traslation by Rebeca Couto.