Fires in Spain

La Hoguera de Castelseras

The children in the window! Oh, they´re fine...

The owners put metal around the doors and windows

After it burned down a little

So these are the festivals of San Sebastian in Castelseras, a neighboring pueblo to Alcañiz. Alcañiz had a bonfire for a different saint on Saturday night, but it was out in the open. Castelseras is impressive because they do their bonfire in a small plaza. The plaza is filled with logs and branches and a tall cottonwood tree is put in a hole in the middle. Traditional music and dancing arrives with the torches to light the pile. Soon the crowd is pushing back up the side streets and sheilding their faces from the heat of the huge bonfire. Flames reach above the height of the buildings but there is not a firetruck to be seen, later I saw a fire hose laid out in the street, but no worries. Apparently everyone soon retreats to the bars and the festivities continue. When the fire burns down eventually people roast meat over it and the cottonwood tree either falls or is chopped down (and falls against the houses?). We didn´t stay too late as this was Monday night.

Which reminds me I´ve been back in Spain for a week now. It was a long journey back after the flight and the bus ride but I was rockclimbing Tuesday already and it is going well.