A short guide to San Mateo
The end of the Summer here coincides with San Mateo, the fiesta in Oviedo. It also seems to bring schadenfreude-inducing thunderstorms to the rest of Spain and a brief window where the temperatures in Asturias are not too dissimilar to the south.
San Mateo began on Friday 11th and runs through to the end of Monday 21st (which is a bank holiday in Oviedo). It begins with the pregón, the address to the town hall square by a notable person (notable to the Ovetense, not to me) and the big puppets parading through the streets…
Then it falls into a routine, which goes like this:
First, check the programmme, if there’s a group you want to see, go see them (Ojos de Brujo, Chambao for example).
If not, wander the streets from chiringuito to chiringuito (thats what the temporary stalls selling beer and butties are called) having beer and butties (bocatas, big sarnies).
Have a mojito at the cuban chiringuito and marvel at how the Spanish pack into a very small space very very tightly.
Have a second mojito (if it’s not a school night) and marvel at how the Spanish seem to actually enjoy Europop.
Think about a third mojito, or a beer, another sandwich…
Repeat until tired or the stalls close at five.
Last night there was an extra surprise. Youssou N’Dour was in Asturias doing some stuff for a cultural centre in Avilés and was persuaded to do a gig in the Cathedral square. I think all of the Senegalese in Asturias turned up, it certainly changed the normal ethnic mix in the city.
Tags: oviedo
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