Viva La Fiesta

The Ferria & Fiesta

In addition to the well publicised Spanish Fiestas, such as running with the bulls in Pamplona  an eight day festival beginning on 6th July in honour of the patron saint of Navara San Fermin. The origins of this Fiesta is unclear, but it can be traced as far back as the 13th century. There are different stages of this festival including, The Encierrro which is the heart of the Fiesta starting with the strike of the clock at eight in the morning at San Cernin. Following, chants to San Fermin. This Fiesta continues to attract controversy, especially with regard to the welfare of the bulls and the injuries to the public which are reported each year.

In August each year the worlds biggest Food fight happens in the small town of Bunol a province of Valencia. The festival known as La Tomatina, where basically every participant is pelted with tomatoes. This festival is now restricted to ticket holders only following safety issues. There are a few rules that must be obeyed.

1. The tomatoes must be squashed prior to throwing to avoid injury.
2.  Nothing but tomatoes must be thrown.
3. The trucks/lorries take priority.
4. After the second shot no more tomatoes should be thrown.

Almost each month throughout Spain you will most likely find a different Festival. Semana Santa or Holy week (Easter) is celebrated all over the country beginning the preceding Easter Sunday. Processions are common with men in pointy hats (Nazareno) and brass bands walk through the streets from their parish church carrying a statue of Christ or the Virgin Mary. There are different fraternities in the procession identified by different colours. This is a week full of festivities, a national holiday.

Moors & Christians-Mojacar (Andalusia) is Mojacars biggest fiesta and celebrates the surrender of Mojacar and surrounding villages to a Christian King at the end of the 15th century. This is an event that was a peaceful and negotiated surrender. Residents and holiday-makers in Mojacar-divide themselves into different guilds called cabilas and are either Christians or Arabs, and dressed in very colourful costumes. There are no winners in this festival and is all in the spirit of the original ceremony. The festival is in Mojacar in June each year.

In each town throughout Spain there is some sort of celebration which gets neighbours together, dancing, eating and having fun. Children are especially encouraged to join in the festivities. My own local village San Francisco is holding a dinner to raise funds for the Fiesta, which is a similar occurrence throughout the villages in Andalusia. The fiesta starts this year on 28th-30th August. 

Huercal Overa- The Fiesta of Huercal Overa happens the second weekend in October. It is a large colourful event with many activities. The children dress up in traditional Spanish dress and is a very smart event. There are many stall selling chicken & potatoes and the smells as you walk around are fantastic. Music is very much on the agenda, together with a fabulous fun fare and rides for the children. It is a noisy event and not to be missed.

Wife in Spain: Scorpions of the Mediterranean.

Wife in Spain: Scorpions of the Mediterranean.

Scorpions of the Mediterranean.

The Spanish Scorpion

The scorpion is neither an insect nor a reptile, but is classed as an arachnid as they have eight legs  (as opposed to an insect which has six legs) and are nocturnal. They also have no backbone and are considered venomous invertebrates. The Mediterranean scorpion or (Buthus occitanus, escorpión amarillo) is common in Southern Spain. They feed mainly on insects and live under rocks and in dry sandy areas.

The Mediterranean scorpion is related to the tarantula family, and will if necessary eat each other if there is nothing else available.This scorpion takes five years to mature, and sheds its skin in the process. Like mammals scorpions are viviparous and give birth to live young. Interestingly the babies take the markings of their parents, but are white until their first shedding of their skin.

The sting of the scorpion is painful, but not harmful (unless you are allergic to their venom) and is no more harmful than a sting from a bee or a wasp.

Update

I have always thought of myself as careful when it comes to Scorpions, I shake my shoes, spray round my bed, vacuum the floor regularly, but on Wednesday 2nd September 2015. I was watching a film in bed. I got up to get myself a glass of water and put my foot down on a rug at the side of my bed-that was it instant agony-I had stood on a scorpion, the creature must have bedded itself into my trendy now defunct shaggy rug. The pain was so intense. I can only assume that it is similar to been shot.

The scorpion's venom immediately paralysed my toes then spread up my leg-I could not move. I can now understand just how the character of Paul Sheldon (James Caan) felt in the psychological film Misery, when he was hit on his feet with a hammer by his number one fan-the deranged Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates). Still in shock, my hubby quickly brought me an ice pack and tried to put it on my toes-he couldn't-far too painful. Checking the Internet-the advice was to do the ice thing and take paracetamol.

I could not sleep, and could not put my foot on the floor, my head was throbbing, but I knew I was not allergic to the venom. In the morning the pain had not subsided, no choice but to go to hospital. The hospital were fantastic, and scorpion stings are surprisingly rare here, (Somehow I thought they would be quite regular) The main concern was my blood pressure which had risen quite rapidly, I was given a series of pain killers, a tetanus injection, hooked up to a drip full of Tramadol, then given analgesics and stomach medicine. I was sent home with four boxes of tablets which I have to take for the next month.

Day three, the pain is beginning to subside, and feeling is returning to my toes. I am on the mend.
So my advice is if you are bitten, firstly, try keep calm as apparently this slows the venom down from spreading too quickly round your body, and immediately seek medical advice, do not try to self-medicate-it is too serious for that.

Always remember that although scorpions like nothing better than to hide in dark places,they also like places you do not expect-be vigilant- always check your shoes before putting them on -you just never know who may have made a home in them, and always wear socks when gardening, or walking in dry rocky areas. Through experience, check any rugs etc these are all comfortable places for a scorpion seeking shelter. Worth mentioning is that Scorpions like damp places so again check your dishcloth before washing up, a perfect hiding place for a thirsty scorpion.

If like me you are unfortunate and do get bitten by a scorpion, first don't panic, if available put an ice pack on the sting to keep the swelling down, if possible take a photograph of the scorpion in case the doctor needs to see it. Visit the hospital as soon as possible, especially if you are normally allergic to venom, such as bees or wasp stings.

This is the Scorpion that stung me, and is something I never want to go through again.

Animals

Scorpion stings are painful to animals and veterinary assistance should be sought as soon as possible.