Fireworks will not return to Obradoiro

[peregrina2000]

A Spanish friend, with whom I once crammed into Obradoiro to see the show, just sent me a link to an article describing the decision that has been made to permanently move the Saint’s day fireworks to some (still unknown) new location. After four centuries! I suppose it is not surprising, but it was such a wonderful event there. The light show will stay put, and it is possible that the fireworks will go to Alameda, but no decision has been made.

The story is here.

 

[Kanga]

I am glad that I had the opportunity to be there in 2003.

 

[Kathor1]

Not surprising at all that the fireworks will be moved to a different location.

I went straight to Xacopedia to see whether the claim about 400 years of fireworks for the Apostle's Day was true. Then I puzzled for a long time about the quema de un castillo. Did they burn a castle? Was it a paper castle? Did the fireworks set a castle on fire? Is it a Spanish expression for a Catherine wheel?

Thank goodness for El Correo Gallego and their article of today about Hubo luces antes que Ofrenda.

 

[Bradypus]

Thanks @Kathar1na - another fascinating gem.

 

[Kathor1]

another fascinating gem

And there we had been thinking it was just beautiful fireworks ... . Below is a photo from before 1992 when they apparently used pyrotechnical explosives to make it look like the artificial mudéjar façade was set on fire. They changed not only the motif but also the location of the artificial façade, further away from the Cathedral building because of the damage the explosives did to the Cathedral's structure every year, and eventually abandoned this altogether a few years ago. The bull run had also disappeared at some point in time. They have also stopped offering 1.000 gold coins to the Apostle and his terrestrial representatives on his feast day. So far, the Apostle's Day has survived such changes, and I'm confident that it will survive this newest one, too ...

PP: Some interesting images, including the artificial Gothic façade for the festivities, are here. These façades are called "castle" in Spanish. And, please, someone correct me if I didn't understand something correctly, my Spanish rests on shaky grounds.

 

[Pelegrin]

And there we had been thinking it was just beautiful firework. They changed not only the motif but also the location of the artificial façade, further away from the Cathedral building because of the damage the explosives did to the Cathedral's structure every year, and eventually abandoned this altogether a few years ago. The bull run had also disappeared at some point in time. They had also stopped offering 1.000 gold coins .

View attachment 68866

It was a corrida (bullfight) no a encierro ( bull run).
Galicia doesn't have any tradition in both activities, so it is not strange that the corrida disappeared.

 

[Kathor1]

It was a corrida (bullfight) not a encierro ( bull run).

Thank you! I will be finally able to keep them apart now. Corrida looked like it has something to do with correr/running and encierro looked like it has something to do with encerrar/in an enclosure but it ain't so and it's just the opposite of what I was imagining. ☺

 

[Pelegrin]

Thank you! I will be finally able to keep them apart now. Corrida looked like it has something to do with correr/running and encierro looked like it has something to do with encerrar/in an enclosure but it ain't so and it's just the opposite of what I was imagining. ☺

Yes, I inderstand the confusion. The original objective of the Sanfermines encierros is to drive 6 bulls from a place (stable) with capacity for around 50 animals (for the whole feria) to enclose (encerrar) them into the bullring stable (smaller) for the afternoon bullfight.
Running is a consequence of the activity that has become the most important.

 

[Kathor1]

Yes, I inderstand the confusion. The original objective of the Sanfermines encierros is to drive 6 bulls from a place (stable) with capacity for around 50 animals (for the whole feria) to enclose (encerrar) them into the bullring stable (smaller) for the afternoon bullfight. Running is a consequence of the activity that has become the most important.

Thank you again for your explanations. This is the first time that these two words that I've seen many times before make sense to me.

And please everyone, don't spoil it for us: this is a conversation about specifics of the festivities around the Apostle's feast day in Santiago, especially the fireworks, and the changing nature of these festivities, and not an occasion for fervently expressing personal opinions about the topic that is covered by rule #2 to which you agreed when you joined the forum.

 

[Theatregal]

Found this photo in the wonderfully eclectic bookshop Vetusta on Rúa Nova in Santiago. It's dated 1948 on the back.

 

[ivar]

The last few years the fireworks has been off the Ajuntamiento, but still close enough to do damage to the cathedral I guess.

 

[KinkyOne]

Just once I saw the fireworks at the ending of the festivities around St.james Day in SdC and I've watched it while sitting on the front stairs of the Seminario Menor. Just a perfect spot to enjoy it and not breaking the neck

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Yes, I inderstand the confusion. The original objective of the Sanfermines encierros is to drive 6 bulls from a place (stable) with capacity for around 50 animals (for the whole feria) to enclose (encerrar) them into the bullring stable (smaller) for the afternoon bullfight.
Running is a consequence of the activity that has become the most important.

Here is a picture of the place where Pamplona's encierro starts.