Rites and traditions

Every rite or tradition reflects the distinctive idiosyncrasy of a people. In Aras de los Olmos, rites and traditions remind us of its past and define its present.

The relationship with Nature, the memory of a harmonious relationship between man and earth, the rugged, wooded landscapes and the scrutinising gaze of the sky and the stars tell us of the ancient inhabitants, of their shamanic and polytheistic religions, of the vital energy of an entire people.

But it is the long medieval and Christian centuries that have left the greatest mark on us: the religious festivals –the descent of the Virgin from the hermitage, the Entramoro (religious dramatization in the streets of the confrontation between evil and good), the Ruedo de la Bandera–, the communal arrangements – the Dula or the management of the medieval oven– or the rich gastronomy of the area –gachas, calderos, gazpacho, ajoarriero, morteruelo–.