today’s holiday : National Agriculture Fair at Santarém

National Agriculture Fair at Santarém

The most important agricultural fair in Portugal is held for 10 days in June each year at Santarém, capital of the rich agricultural province of Ribatejo. Although the focus of the Ribatejo Fair is on farming and livestock breeding, there is also a colorful program of bullfighting, folk singing, and dancing, as well as a procession of campinos, or bull-herders. Many other European countries exhibit farm animals and machinery at the Feira Nacional de Agricultura. More… Discuss

THOUSANDS OF SHEEP FLOCK TO MADRID

It is not every day that one can witness thousands of sheep crowding the streets of a major city, but that was the sight in Madrid this past Sunday, as shepherds paraded a flock of more than 2,000 sheepthrough the capital. For more than 700 years, Spanish shepherds have had the right to use droving paths that wind across what were once open fields and woodlands for their seasonal livestock migration. As Madrid grew, some of these paths were enveloped by the urban center, but each year, a group of shepherds upholds the tradition and drives its flock through the city. More… Discuss