VIANA do BOLO FLOUR FESTIVAL FROM SPAIN!!

    Most people no longer see a Spanish holiday as merely straw donkeys, Sangria and the hot sun of the southern costas. Tourism to Spain's wondrously varied interior are now commonplace, with Andalucia and Grenada particularly popular. There are though, still areas of Spain which go largely unnoticed by tourists, and some fantastic sights and experiences are there to be found by anybody looking for a slightly different experience of "Spanish culture". One such place is Galicia.

    Galicia is the "nub" of Spain which sits directly north of Portugal, in the extreme North West of Spain itself. It's an area of mountains, forests and , unlike much of the rest of the country, abundant water. Its people, who are Celts, display all the natural warmth and vivacity you find in their British and Irish cousins. It's there Celtic influences, together with a lack of mass tourism and a feeling that you're in a very different Spain from the one we've all seen from its beaches, that give Galicia the feel of a genuinely alternative Spanish destination.

    The period leading to the start of Lent is a particularly good time to go. The whole Latin world celebrates carnival during this time, and Galicia is no different. Different areas celebrate in different ways, all with their own trademark. One such trademark is the orgy of flour throwing which engulfs the town of Viana do Bolo, in Ourense, ever year.

    Viana do Bolo is not one of the most accessible places to take a holiday, but, particularly at Carnival time, it's well worth the effort. The specific origins of the flour festival are lost in time, but the locals make up for that with an entirely wholehearted celebration which lasts about three weeks, reaching a peak during the lat five days before Lent, the same time that Mardi Gras is happening all over the Latin world. The entire town becomes engulfed in flour as people go after each other armed to the teeth with bags of the white stuff. The perfect delivery is a handful delivered to the face, smothering the cheeks and mouth, below the nose. Men go after women and vice versa. A clean face is an invitation not to be missed to a Vianes. If you go out into town during Carnival, you accept the chance that you're going to get a handful to the face-don't wear your best clothes!

    It's not just flour though. This is a vivacious and easy going culture which places a huge emphasis on food and music as part of the celebration. On the last Sunday of Carnival, the Folion come to town. The Folion is the tradition of drumming your area's specific identifying beat on huge drums (but also shovels, heads or anything percussive!). Folion bands from the local towns parade through Viana in their finest costumes, beating their own beat over and over again while the crowds are kept at bay by the tall and highly decorative Boteiros, running up and down the edges of the parade, bells ringing. It's an explosion of noise and color which is followed by an impressive array of local meat delicacies: chorizo, lacon and androlla, and red wine, all handed out free by volunteers.

    Then it's a stroll uphill to the local sports hall, where 3000 people will sit and eat an even richer feast centered again around local meat, and watch pipe bands and more drumming. A quiet lunch it isn't. The sound of 3,000 Vianese eating their cutlery on the long wooden tables, hammering out Viana's own Folion, stays with you for some time.
If you want a break from the noise and activity, there are other things on offer in the wider area. Galicia has beautiful and spectacular scenery,with largely undeveloped mountainous areas offering trekking or mountain biking opportunities if you want to get away from the Carnival. The landscape is breathtaking and extremely quiet, and the pace of life in the area is reflective of that calm, outside of Carnival at least. Portugal, with its own festive traditions and pretty, old towns like Chaves, is just over an hour's drive away. There's even skiing available at Manzaneda, again, only about an hour from Viana.

    Viana, indeed Galicia generally, is not a beach holiday. If you're looking to catch some sun, go to an enormous nightclub and entertain children, it's not for you. A car is absolutely essential, not just for getting around but for getting there in the first place as the nearest airports are all a couple of hours away. But it's cheap, and it's real. Its largely undiscovered nature makes it a taste of real Spain.



<