THE TRADITIONAL GRAPE HARVEST AND VELÁ OF THE VIRGIN OF LA CORONADA. VILLAFRANCA DE LOS BARROS

DETAILS

Denomination: Festival of the Grape Harvest and Traditional Velá of the Virgin of La Coronada

Place: Villafranca de los Barros. Badajoz

Date: The first 10 days of September.

Most interesting moments:

The opening ceremony.

The Arrival of El Coronelo, an emblematic character from long ago who presents the festival.

Staging of the bell, the quea and the treading of the grapes in the traditional style.

The tapa route and popular competitions, like the throwing of wine stocks, the “Fat Men” and “Big Heads”, with prizes paid in kind.

How to get there: Villafranca de los Barros is located about 15 km south of Almendralejo, alongside the A-66 dual carriageway which crosses Extremadura from north to south.

THE HISTORY

Ten years ago, given that the wine-growing culture has age-old roots in our lands, it was earnestly proposed to hold a Grape Harvest Festival as just recognition for the most important of all agricultural activities in Tierra de Barros.

In an attempt to promote a product as autochthonous as wine, the way of uniting it to the best Villafranca tradition was sought. For this reason, it was decided to integrate it into the solemnities, going back many hundreds of years, of the traditional Velá of the Virgin of La Coronada which, moreover, coincides with the beginning of the work for the grape harvest. This is how the coexistence of both celebrations began, coinciding with the Day of Extremadura; a compendium of identities of our town.

THE FESTIVAL

Uniting tradition with modernity, devotion with commercial vision, countryside with town and regional identity with musical sensations, there is the Grape Harvest Festival and the traditional Velá of the Virgin of La Coronada, during which Villafranca de los Barros throws itself into honouring its patron saint and enjoys its traditions, celebrating, together with numerous visitors from other latitudes, the wealth of the land around the new wine which sprouts up each year, in a ceremony followed by thousands of people in the shade of the Sanctuary of the Virgin of La Coronada.

It has its preliminary acts and then extends to “Days of Wine and Music”, during which there is a broad and suggestive cultural and festive programme, for which characters, trades and traditions from yesteryear have been recovered and valorized, such as “The Treading of the Grape”, “Las Manijeras”, “The Cod of the Drunkard”, “The Wine Merchant”, “The Farewell with the Heart” and so on.

There is the use of elements typical of agricultural work for the development of attractive games and competitions which co-exist with others right up to the present day, not to mention all the rich local gastronomy, the tastings, the samplings, chats and didactic visits concerning wine.

During the first ten days of September, Villafranca de los Barros revels in happiness and vibrates with the sounds, flavours and sensations of a festival conceived for the senses, co-existence and the songs of the land and its people, while the message is sent everywhere, inviting local people and others from further afield.