2.3 – Fiera de Abril and The Spanish finally kissed me (Written May 2, 2026)

This Friday (May 1st) was a holiday in Spain know as Fiera de Abril. Maria told me that this consists of carrying the Virgin Mary up some hills and through a forest to a symbolic place. A few people carry the statue of Mary, and the rest of the town follows either on foot or horse. During the journey it is also traditional to drink wine. This morning me, Maria and Cesar went to participate in this “romeria” or pilgrimage. We arrived at 11 and the event was supposed to start at 10:30 but did not start until 11:30. Apparently in Spain this means that the event started early. Up until this point everyone has greeted me with a handshake. The family always introduces me to people we see around town as “El Canadienese” (The Canadian) and the handshakes and hellos quickly follow. As well, at the school in Segovia where I’m teaching all the teachers know that I’m Canadian. So I have not been able to participate in the Spanish double cheek kiss or “dos besos.” This all changed when we arrived at Fiera De Abril. Hoards of middle aged Spanish woman in traditional flamenco dresses stormed Maria. In the midst of the storm Maria didn’t have the opportunity to inform the ladies that I was “El Canadianese” and many of them greeted me like any other Spaniard. I was caught in a world dos besos and think that I did fairly well. I tried to mimic what I had seen other people do. You go left side first and don’t actually kiss the cheek. You just make the kissing sound. After all the kissing was done, we made our way up the hill and through the forest. A band of smoking, drinking, kissing and flamenco wearing Spaniards. On our trek a middle-aged man offered me what he called “fino vino” which is wine mixed with sprite. I happily obliged and from what I can tell Spaniards have no problem with drinking in the morning hours. After walking for a few kilometers, we reached our destination and the Virgin Mary was set down. The party then started, hundreds of Spaniards drinking in the forest. Plates of bocadillas and jamon were passed around and shoved in my face. The party was supposed to last all day. Unfortunately, a heavy rain started to come down and the rest of the days events were canceled. Hopefully I’ll be able to attend another Fiera de Abril before it’s all said and done.