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Seville’s
April Fair
Learn Spanish in Spain, Seville
April Fair in Seville official dates 2005:
Opening lighting ceremony Monday 11th April at midnight, ending
with firework display Sunday 17th of April at midnight.
 The
calendar of Seville has two must dates for our foreign student of
Spanish who wishes to immerse himself in Spanish culture and popular
customs: Semana Santa and the Feria de Abril or April Fair, only
two weeks apart from each other. Semana Santa, at the end of March
or beginning of April, and the Seville’s April Fair, as its
name indicates, always in April. Once the Seville April Fair is
over, it takes one year for the city to recover from this one week,
day and night long party, where more than a million people from
Seville and other parts of Spain participate every year.
The name “feria” originally meant open
market and so was the Seville April Fair during the nineteenth century:
a market where people sold and exchanged their products and animals.
Nowadays the April Fair is a popular party where the whole city
of Seville participates
 Seville
April Fair takes place on an open site, which for this week is occupied
by over 1.000 bright coloured canvas tents put up for the occasion,
streets aligned with orange trees and named after famous bullfighters,
about a million light bulbs and paper lanterns, beautiful Andalusian
horses, men and women in popular costume, and a local variety of
flamenco, “Sevillanas”, which people sing and dance
day and night. Not to forget the “fino” o “manzanilla”
sherry: the fuel that keeps the party alive.
It is interesting to note that unlike in other
parts of Europe or even Spain, in Seville these popular fiestas
and local folklore are still fully alive and everybody participates.
Seville is unique in this aspect and we fully recommend it as a
privileged city of Spain to learn Spanish and the culture.
During the week of the April Fair, Giralda Center-Spanish
House offers regular Spanish courses as part of the year round short
and long term program of Spanish studies.
Students from all over the world can take advantage
of our intensive Spanish courses and accommodation in downtown Seville
in Barrio de Santa Cruz, the historical quarter where you will find
the school. Spanish courses are held in the morning and our students
can participate in the social program in the afternoon and evening
to enjoy Seville April Fair. Giralda Center-SH offers Sevillanas
dance classes. If you can manage to learn a few steps of this simple
dance, your enjoyment and full participation in the party will be
assured, you will feel part of the Spanish people.
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