Whirling week of sherry and flamenco

By Fiona Flores Watson
Last Updated: 12:01am BST 18/04/2007

One of the commonest clichés associated with Spain is the spotty, flouncy, whirling flamenco dress, while one of the most typical tipples, if unfashionable for some English tastes, is sherry.

In April, three weeks after Semana Santa (Holy Week), the two combine to make Seville's biggest party of the year: the Feria de Abril.

Originally started in the 19th century as a gypsy horse and cattle market, this event has evolved into the social highlight of the year - many celebrities past and present, including Orson Welles, Rita Hayworth and Grace Kelly, have donned their flamenco outfits and stuck a flower behind their ear to join in the fun.

Deals are struck, love matches made - I know several married couples who first met at the Seville Feria - and friendships cemented. And a good time is had by all. Everyone who is anyone is here, including a considerable influx of Madrilenos, to the undisguised disgust of the more insular and snobbish Sevillanos.

(leer +) [vía telegraph.co.uk]

tags: flamenco, baile, cante, Feria de Abril de Sevilla, Sevillanas

What to pair with that wine? Seville!

DESTINATIONS

Bullfights and flamenco are just two of the attractions each year at Feria de Abril in Seville, Spain. Bullfights and flamenco are just two of the attractions each year at Feria de Abril in Seville, Spain. (CRISTINA QUICLER/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)

By Alison Arnett, Globe Staff | March 4, 2007

April is an impatient month -- not warm enough to be full spring in New England, but a time when we feel restless, ready to be on the move. So get out your travel planner and plot ways to catch some of these food and wine festivals from Auckland to Arizona. A trip might land you in spring time after all.

Feria de Abril

SEVILLE, Spain April 27-May 2

Seville goes all out for its Feria de Abril , this year April 27 to May 2. The fair, which started in 1847 as a livestock exhibition, features a wild explosion of flamenco dancing, bullfighting, elaborate costumes, music, and parties in striped canvas tents. It wouldn't be a fair without food. Besides the fare from local taverns, Spanish omelets, and fried fish, the special treat s are "buñuelos," soft doughnut-like pastries made and sold by gypsy families in the Plaza de las Buñoleras del Real .

(leer +) [vía boston.com]

tags: flamenco, baile, cante, flamenca