Feria de Abril

Along with Semana Santa, Feria de Abril (April Fair) is one of my two favorite weeks in Sevilla. Feria is a celebration of spring and the coming of summer. Typically, it takes place two weeks after Semana Santa and will be your second of two weeks off school. Essentially, a small city of private tents (casetas) is constructed on the fairgrounds along with a huge area for your typical fair games, rides, and attractions. All the streets are named after bullfighters and are lined with lights and paper lanterns. At the main entrance of the fair grounds a giant gate is constructed covered with lights. The fair begins at midnight of Monday-Tuesday with the lighting of the puerta and continues non-stop (literally) until Sunday at midnight with the firework conclusion.

Feria as we know it today originally began in the 1840s, however, it is said to have an even longer history. It began as a cattle fair which was located in the park near the Prado San Sabastian bus station. Slowly the purchasing or cattle became a less important factor in the fair but the eating, drinking, dancing, and music remained. As the fair grew in size, it needed more spance and moved to it's current location in Los Remedios.

Feria is an extremely fascinating event because of the tradition of the event. To this day, women still dress in flamenco dresses and Men wear suits and ties. During the day, men and women, dress in typical Spanish horse riding clothes and ride their horses or in carriages throughout the fairgrounds. Throughout the fair you can find the locals dancing and singing Sevillana which looks and sounds like flamenco to an untrained observer. Locals will be quick to correct you if you call it "flamenco" because Sevillana is different. I would highly recommend trying to learn the basics of Sevillana before the fair. In my experience, I was dragged out onto the dance floor numerous times.

For Feria, you will be greatly rewarded if you have made friends with a few Spaniards because the fair is more fun if you have someone who knows the ropes. Otherwise you will end up wandering around aimlessly and never quite get the real experience of the fair. If you're lucky one of your friends may invite you to a private caseta which are closed to the general public. Most casetas are rented by families, private groups, or companies. Having a caseta is a sign of money and a way for wealthy families to entertain their guests.

Being inside a caseta is the best way to experience feria because typically the family invites all their relatives and close friends to the caseta and it's incredible to be able to see them sing, dance, eat, and drink in celebration together. The casetas usually have a front room with tables and chairs and a dance floor and many times a live band playing Sevillana. In the back there is a bar that serves food and drinks as well as bathrooms. The etiquette of casetas is something I still don't completely understand, but I will give you my inexpert advice. If you get invited, don't bring along friends with you without asking first. Also be prepared to pay a little for food or drink if your host asks you and it might be a good idea just to go ahead and offer to pay for a round of tapas or drinks at some point in the night.

It's difficult to explain how incredible of an experience Feria can be if you have made some close friendships with Spaniards. The fair will take place towards the end of the semester which will allow you time to make friends. I can't reinforce enough how important it is to find a language speaking partner and to make new friends in Spain because quality of your study abroad experience will increase exponentially. The people I have met in Spain have made my experience so much better than other students who use study abroad for only partying and traveling. Getting to experience the most prized celebration in Sevilla with my Spanish friends has been the highlight of my trip.

Study Spots

Finding a good place to study in Sevilla can be a little frustrating at unless you know where to look. Oddly enough, I think most of us studying here have missed Mary Couts Library at one point or another. I've created a Google map to help aide in finding a place to get some work done. Hope it helps.


View Study Spots in a larger map

Semana Santa

The week of Semana Santa has just passed and after hearing many people give advice on what to do and not to do during the week, I wanted to shed my own light on the subject.

Prior to the week, I heard a number of opinions from locals and foreigners on the topic of Semana Santa. For example:

• "The way we celebrate holy week in Sevilla is amazing and facinating and you don't want to miss it." -my Spanish professor
  
• "Semana Santa is fun but once you've seen one paso, they all pretty much look the same after that so you really only need to be there for one day." -A local tour group coordinator explaining why I should pay to go on his week-long trip instead of see Semana Santa.
• "Semana Santa is touristy. Only foreigners come in to see it and all the locals hate the crowds and take vacations to other places for the week." -a student at UPO.

In my opinion, first statement is most accurate however the second and third statements also hold some truth. Semana Santa is a time in Seville that you don't miss. What I like about Semana Santa is that it isn't as commercialized as many American holidays and it maintains a religious tone that keeps consistent with the real meaning of the holiday.

While it is true that many of the processions look the same, I disagree that it is enough to just see one procession. Especially on the night of Madrugada (Thursday night and into the early morning of Good Friday) the atmosphere in Sevilla is electric. Imagine the streets packed at 4 in the morning as if it were New Years Eve in New York City, but instead of a drunken mess, it is a crowd of people of all ages (7 year olds to 70 year olds) waiting eagerly to see some of the most famous processions in Sevilla pass by. Incredible.

Since the best floats and the best atmosphere of Semana Santa can be found late Thursday night and into the morning of Good Friday (Madrugada), I would recommend returning from any trips prior to this night if you want to see the processions at their best. In fact returning Wednesday so you can get a good night of sleep is even better.

It is a good idea to pick up a schedule at a local kiosk and plan out which processions you would like to see. The time each procession arrives at each street is scheduled to the minute and the schedule is followed very precisely (unlike most other things in Spain). It is best to simply ask locals which processions are the best to see on any given day. From what I have found the most famous processions to see during Madrugada are:

• El Silencio - The oldest procession which proceeds in complete silence and in complete darkness
  
• El Gran Poder
• La Macarena - One of the more lively processions and also one of the largest and longest
• Esperanza de Triana - My personal favorite with great views from the Triana bridge

Overall, Semana Santa is an incredible event that has been my favorite memory of Sevilla so far. Even if you aren't religious the event is still worth seeing. The buzz and excitement in the air is unlike any event I've ever attended. Make sure you take advantage of this incredible opportunity to see the culture of Sevilla at its finest.

Sevilla: The good, the bad, and the ugly

The good:

1. Siesta: I will never tire of this Spanish tradition. Unlike a lot of places in Spain, Sevilla actually still practices the siesta. Everything for the most part shuts down and its even considered rude to call someone’s house during siesta. It’s nice because you don’t feel guilty or lazy when you take a nap because there really isn’t much else to do between 2 and 5 pm.
2. Tapas: My favorite is called a croqueta. Essentially it’s a little ball of fried dough and ham or chicken. Incredible.
3. Running along the Guadalquivir river: It’s very scenic and cuts right through the middle of the city. It's also great to sit along the grassy park beside the river and relax after classes get out. I will definitely miss the river when I leave Sevilla.
   
4. Futbol:Everyone in this town is obsessed with soccer from elementary school kids to my fifty year old senora. There is a big rivalry between the two teams in Sevilla. Right now Sevilla FC is ranked third in the Spanish Premier League. I hope to go to a game before I leave.
5. Teaching English: I teach classes at a local elementary school here once a week and it has been an incredible experience. The kids are always so excited and I enjoy seeing language learning from another perspective.
   
6. Orange trees: These line the streets here and even in February they’re covered in bright orange fruit.
   

The bad:

1. Oranges from the orange trees: They taste sour and bad. Looks are so deceiving...
2. Short showers: The Spaniards are really conservative with their water here so I really miss a long hot shower to wake me up in the mornings.
3. Lack of central heating: It is so hard to get out of bed in the morning. The ice cold tile floors don’t help either.
4. Weird food: I’ve had enough bean or lentil soup in the last week to last me a lifetime. I’ve found that having a cold/runny nose has given me an advantage because my sense of taste isn’t too keen. A blessing in disguise perhaps? (update: Don't worry, I eventually got used to the food and my house mom has adapted her cooking to fit our taste)
   

The ugly:
Nothing.