The fair is aimed at general and professional public, and includes works for young audiences by theatre companies from all over de world. This year incorporates more tan 140 shows from 67 theatre companies from different European countries as Austria, France, Bulgaria, Belgium, Denmark, Portugal and Spain.

The performances take place in various theatres, schools, and centres of learning and throughout the city with a wide range of activities designed for children and families, as theatre for children, juggling, dance, music, puppets…

One of the aims of the fair is to highlight new theatrical works and to encourage promoters and schedulers to contract them.

There will be also an exhibition at ‘Antiguo Instituto’ Cultural Centre of the replica of the legendary theatre Shakespeare Globe, made by Escalante Theatrical Centre. This is the principal part of ‘In Love With Shakespeare’ Exhibition, led by Paula Salinas.

Here you can see a sample of the shows we can enjoy during these days:

Mowgli The Jungle Boy. Lleida’s Puppets Centre

Mr. Baltasar animals. Teloncillo’s Theatre

Stories in dance. Carmen Roche Ballet

It starts with the ‘Comadres’ Party, taking place on the 16^th of February, where men stay at home and women go out for dinner and party all night.  Restaurants offer special menus for that day with a special dessert: frixuelos (a kind of crepes)

There are lot of activities in the city those days, people disguise themselves, attend carnival parades, students celebrate the festivity at school making their own costumes and people have fun with their friends and relatives.

A Gastronomy event is held on the different establishments of the city offering a special menu from 15€ (Tax included, drinks not included):

Pote de Berzas (Asturian cabbage soup with pork)

Picadillo de matanza (mince meat)

Frixuelos (crepes) or Picatostes (croutons)

As you see, we offer the whole package: fun, parades, gastronomy and much much more… Do you want to come?

What is it?

Sea urchins are sea animals with a water vascular system. Their spherical shape is typically small, ranging from about 6 cm to 12 cm in diameter (2,3 to 4,7 inches) and their bodies are covered with a spiny Shell.

The season to fish and eat them is usually from November to March. It is therefore a winter gastronomy product.

Where can we find them?

Sea Urchins or Oricios (Asturian) live in oceans all over the world, at a depth up to 2.500 m. (8202 feet)

In our region, Asturias, we can find them in half-lying coastal areas, located between 1,5 and 3 m above 0 elevation of sea level.

The horizon is characterised by numerous ponds, mostly occupied by this specie.

We can also find them in the infralittoral zone, located under tidal zone to greater depths.

Until not a long time ago, Asturias was the only place within the Green Spain where the sea urchins were consumed. These days we are the first consumers, but you can also find them in the Basque Country and Catalonia.

Most of the national sea urchin captures are done in Galicia, but they do not consume but sell them all over the world, mostly in Asturias.

How do we fish them?

In Asturias sea urchins are fished on the cracked coastal Stones with low tide. People normally use gears as scrapers, hand hooks, or tridents. In Galicia spear fishermen also gather them.

How do we clean and open them?

Watch it on the following video!:

How do we cook them?

Most people eat them raw or just cooked. In Gijon people use to accompany them with a bottle of cider. There are many other ways to cook this delicious ingredient, such as scrambled eggs with sea urchin, pate or sea urchin sauce to accompany different fishes as hake or sea bass.

To whet the appetite we leave you the menu you can taste on the participating restaurants.

Paté de Oricios (sea urchin pate)

Oricios al natural o cocidos (cooked or raw sea urchins)

Merluza en salsa de oricios (sea urchin sauce hake)

Arroz con leche (rice pudding)

Enjoy your meal!

They are called Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar. Melchior comes from Europe, and he is represented by a light skin person with a White beard. He is the oldest and bears old. Gaspar comes from Asia and he has a dark beard, he offers incense. Balthazar comes from Babylon. He represents the youth of mankind and brings myrrh to the Child Jesus.

A Cavalcade is celebrated on the 5th January in the spanish cities, trying to represent the route that toured teh Magi from Bethlehem to find baby Jesus following the star which pointed the way. The cities fill with light and color and children are usually full of expectation to see their favourite Wise Man, the royal pages, animals and many other characters.

Before going to sleep, children put some milk and biscuits next to the Christmas tree for the Magi and some water for their camels. They also leave out their best pair of shoes to be filled with presents.

On January 6, adults and children wake up very early to open the presents they have received. If they have been good they will find good presents, but if they have been naughty their only present will be coal, but a special one made of sugar.

It is the day to enjoy the Roscón for breakfast,  a kind of large bun, rounded, and decorated with pieces of crystallised fruit of various colours, very sweet and tasty.

Christmas

The Christmas lights in the streets of Gijón tell us that Christmas is here!

Christmas would not be the same without the Gijón Nativity Scene which, as is the custom every year, has been created by the Nativity Society.  It shows a typical scene in a square in a Jewish town with all the trades and crafts that existed during that time.

Christmas has also come to Gijón Botanical Garden  where a Free Open-door Event is held from 16 December to 8 January. During your visit, be sure to see the Monumental Nativity which has 30 enormous sculptures. The Winter Solstice event is also held on 18 December, with an extremely interesting programme.

Another classic for children in Gijón is Mercaplana, the most important children’s fair! Children can also visit the Navidubi-¡dubi Week at El hervidero, in Galería Espacio Líquido Gijón, which offers an entertaining programme for children aged over 4.

 The welcome of Prince Ben Alihttp://www.gijon.info/site/63/eventos/show/20413-navidad-2011-recepcion-del-principe-ben-ali is another children’s event that is not to be missed.  They can bring along their letters for him to deliver to Their Majesties the Three Kings who will be arriving at Gijón on 5 January and participating in the grandKings Parade . 

Music is another important element this December in Gijón.  On 18 December the Grand New Year Concert will be held at Laboral Ciudad de la Cultura, with a fantastic selection of the best waltzes, polkas and marches by Johann Strauss.  On 31 December Gijón City Band is organising a Christmas Carol Concert at Centro de Cultura Antiguo Instituto.

 And for older folk who are feeling nostalgic, the exhibition Christmas  2011 “…”Take a look out of the window …1940/1970” in Gijón” includes different objects from those years, bringing back memories and allowing different generations to exchange stories and memories .  This exhibition is on at the Exhibitions Hall in PumarínGijónSur Municipal Centre .http://www.gijon.info/eventos/show/20251-belen-monumental-2011

Gijón is preparing to celebrate the last month of the year.  We’d like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and hope you will pay us a visit!

December

Everyone has time to spend with their families and take part in events and activities for children designed exclusively for them. They will certainly not get bored in Gijón, as on 3 December they can have fun at the  “Xugando cola toponimia”workshop.  This is an amusing, free workshop that allows participants to learn more about the borough of Gijón by building a giant jigsaw puzzle.

La V Villa Maravilla is a Children’s Fair held at the Salón del Libro Iberoamericano de Gijón, from 5-8 December.  It offers many options for playing games and having fun.  Don’t miss the free programme with exhibitions, story tellers and cartoons.  Find out about all the activities organised for children.

OtoñodeCuentoenelHuerto also continues with its children’s programme and on 11 December it is organising a magic – clown show;  11 December is also the date chosen for the event ConocelasavesdelJardín (Name the birds in your garden), a free guided tour of the Botanical Gardens of Gijón, in which you can learn to know and identify  more than 90 species of birds which live and nest in this park.

The workshop programmes of  Laboral Ciudad de la Cultura also include TallerenBuscadelteatroPerdido (In search of the lost theatre workshop) on 10 December, and TallerEnlaPieldeundinosaurio (In the skin of a dinosaur workshop) on 17 December.

The Aquatic Christmas at Gijón Aquarium is also another good option for spending leisure time, with activities for children aged between 6-12 years, and an excellent and amusing opportunity to learn about marine wildlife.  Find out about the times and prices.  

On 27 December don’t miss  elfantásticoviajedeJonáselEspermatozoide (the fantastic voyage of Jonas the spermatozoon), an entertaining play for all the family that is on at Teatro Jovellanos de Gijón.

This is just a small example of a plan that children can enjoy in Gijón this Christmas. We’re sure you’ll find it interesting.

Castañes y sidra del duerno!

            During the months of October and November, the people from Asturias collect chestnuts and apples from the forests and get ready to celebrate one of the most popular festivities in Asturias: Amagüestu. The main ingredients of this festivity, which is very popular in Asturias are the chestnut and the apple.

            Amagüestu is a longstanding tradition celebrated in country houses and villages all over Asturias. Chestnuts were one of the main energy foods during the winter for humble folk and over time, the chestnut-roasting tradition was adopted by the church, with priests distributing chestnuts in the porches of the church after mass. As a result, what started out as a custom eventually became a local festivity, in which the arrival of winter was celebrated by eating chestnuts and drinking sweet cider, as well as regional dancing to the sound of bagpipes and tambourines.

            According to tradition, chestnuts symbolise the souls of the dead. Each chestnut consumed released a soul from hell, and roast chestnuts were even left  “for the absent”.

In Gijón, certain cider houses along the Cider Route organise activities to celebrate Amagüestu.  LlagarTrabanco organises chestnut hunts and sweet cider and the opportunity to taste the chestnuts at traditional “espichas” or parties every Sunday in October and November.. The prices are €16 for adults and €9.50 for children (up to the age of ten)

It is time to celebrate Amagüestu in Asturias and in Gijón.

In the Official Section the films included are beyond what is considered conventional; for instance, the psychological thriller by the winner of two awards at Sundance, Jeff Nichols, in the drama The Future.. Jonathan Caounette,  Bouli Lanners, Nicolás Klotz and Bruno Dumont will also be repeating.  The French director Mia Hansen-Love presents Un amour de jeunesse which was acclaimed by the current French film critics and public. The best from the Swedish film scene by Ruben Ostlund with Play. And the Latin American film industry will be represented by Santiago Mitre with El estudiante. These are just some of the jewels presented in the Official Section of the 49^th edition of Gijón Film Festival.

The EnfantsTerribles Section will again be offering the best films for children and adolescents. From cartoon comedies to social conflicts involving adolescents.

The Esbilla Section includes a great selection of films which, for one reason or another do not meet the standard of the Official Section, but are considered worthy of being included in the festival.

 The Llendes Section includes films that are considered unorthodox, with more daring works that cannot be included in the main section.

We will also have the chance to ponder on issues related to philosophy and films in the Universo Media Section.

Retrospectives and cycles; the past and present of the film industry come together in these  retrospective tributes with the projection of films by authors such as Tscherkassky, Hadjithomas and Joreige or Lucrecia Martel, among others.

Through the section No nos cuentes películas… ¡Hazlas! (Don’t tell stories .. create them!) the festival offers young Asturians the opportunity to develop their initiative, creativity, teamwork and enterprising spirit.

And of course, the festival also includes the Noche del corto español  (Spanish short film night), which is now the most long-awaited section for those who have embarked on a career directing short films or decided to use them as their mode of expression.

Once again, Día D´Asturies highlights the commitment of Gijón Film Festival to Asturian film productions and directors.

Gijón Film Festival also promotes external activities. The 3^rd edition of its music section, the Minifestival ( “TheFiesta”) has an interesting programme. Tickets are now on sale, so be sure to hurry!

The Gijón Film Festival  will keep you abreast of the all latest events and last-minute news.

The exhibition, held at the Cultural Centre at the Old Institute of Gijón, is on from 10 to 15 October.  This 35th edition of the Comic Fair includes original works by  Jean-Claude Mézières, a French comic writer and illustrator who is famous for creating and drawing the science fiction comic Valerian, spatio-temporal agent, and also for his work as a designer in various film projects and for cooperating with Luc Besson in The Fifth Element. Apart from his work as an illustrator, he has given many courses on comic-writing at French universities and received many prizes for his work.

This event is not to be missed by comic-enthusiasts and in particular, those who like science fiction..

 Don’t forget!  Make sure you are in Gijón from 2 – 10 October for the 35th Principality of Asturias Comic Fair. The Man from the Stars exhibition.

“What is it about this cider that tastes so good?  The more I drink it, the more I want to drink”; those were the words of a well-known singer and composer from Asturias and we would probably say he was right after consulting our Cidermap of  Gijón…

The third edition of GijóndeSidra® – AsturiasdeSidra® 2011 is on from 7-16 October. For ten days, people from Gijón and tourists can visit the 34 cider houses taking part. The most curious thing about this event is that each of the 34 houses taking part obtains its cider from just one cider press. Quality is assured, as each type of cider has been selected by a tasting committee.

Gijón de Sidra has everything planned; as drinking cider usually whets the “appetite”, for a modest price of €2.90 you can have a bottle of cider accompanied by a cazuelina (a small serving of exquisitely-prepared food). If you are with a group, €3.90 entitles you to a bottle cider and a cazuelona (large serving of food) for 3 or 4 people. These prices are well worth it!

To make sure you don’t get lost, the Cidermap proposes routes for visiting the cider houses taking part and a map of the 34 cider presses, with their names, locations, and the variety of cider produced… It also describes the food on offer in each cider house.

So come to Gijón and have a glass of cider,.. or even a few glasses!

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