The Bajada de la Bruja festival
- When: 28th August 2018
- Where: Vidángoz, Spain
- Website: turismo.navarra.es
The Descent of the Witch, la Bajada de la Bruja, marks the beginning of the local festival of the Navarrese village of Vidángoz in the Sangüesa area near Pamplona. The town's popular festivities are held in honour of its patron saint St. Augustine, taking place at the end of August.
This experience, based on magic and witchcraft, was the idea of a holidaymaker named Ignacio Doñate, who wanted to use the witchy tradition of the place to kick off the town’s celebrations in a very special way.
Vidángoz, mountainous rugged Spain
Vidángoz is one of those beautiful villages in the Roncal Valley in north-western Spain. The Biniés River flows through the valley, watering the large fields and the small vegetable plots of the farmers who grow their crops there. Temperatures in this place are quite cold in winter and cool in summer because of the high mountainous terrain, between 700 and 1500 metres high (2300 – 5000 feet).
The town of Vidángoz is very small and quiet, with just 100 inhabitants. In the past it experienced a great growth (a whopping 700 inhabitants in the forties!) but that has been declining in recent years.
Yes, Vidángoz is sparsely populated, but it still has several remarkable historic buildings. The Church of San Pedro is a construction of medieval origin, which underwent a major remodelling in the sixteenth century. The Hermitage of San Sebastián is another of the emblematic places in the municipality that tourists cannot miss.
Its Navarrese gastronomy, as is to be expected, is possibly its greatest charm with popular dishes and foods based around lamb, cheese and the traditional, hearty migas.
The witch’s coven that honours a Catholic saint
The Festival of the Descent of the Witch has been the highlight of the calendar in Vidángoz for many years. It is celebrated every year in the month of August on the feast day of Saint Augustine (known locally as San Agustín), which is 28th August. The village’s small size swells with visitors curious to witness this truly original fiesta.
The spooky atmosphere of this deserted town is perfect to create a mood and around midnight the young people dress up in typical sorcerer's attire and light torches and a huge bonfire.
In this way, the participants in this atypical festival dance around the fire in a pagan-style ritual. After this, the witch Maruxa appears on her broom, descending from the Pitxorronga rock at the entrance to the village on a cable from a considerable height in a stunning display.
Once the opening speech of the festivities has been read and the inhabitants of the village have welcomed Maruxa, accompanying her through the streets of Vidángoz in a joyful parade, then the eating, drinking and fun can begin. The typical celebrations of this municipality last five days and end with the so-called "Rise of the Witch", equally as impressive.
This Spanish fiesta is an absolute must for anyone interested in the traditional rituals of rural Spain, pagans, wiccans, druids and lovers of all things supernatural, as well as those just looking for a different kind of Spanish holiday experience in northern Spain in 2018.
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