Day of the almadía in Burgui
When is the day of the almadía in Burgui in 2024?
In 2024, the Burgui Almadía Day will take place on saturday 27th april. This year marks its 31st edition with a programme full of events throughout the day, the highlight of which will be the descent of the almadías down the river Esca, a tradition that is revived every year at this time of year.
Back in the early nineties, a group of enthusiasts started up this festival, which has attracted thousands of visitors and onlookers.
The Almadías, a tradition of the Roncal, Salazar and Aezkoa valleys.
This was one of the jobs in these Pyrenean valleys in the past, when the logs were moved from the Pyrenean valleys along the Irati, Salazar and Esca rivers. We must bear in mind that in these Pyrenean valleys of Navarre, Roncal, Salazar and Aezkoa, the use of forestsIts resources have been a source of income since time immemorial, and its rivers have been the means of transport to the places where the wood was processed..
Well, how did these trunks travel, forming ALMADIAS that travelled along the rivers to reach the Matral de Sangüesa (1 day's journey), Caparroso (2 days), Tudela (3 days) or Zaragoza (7 days). But the journey could end in the Mediterranean Sea itself, in Tortosa, where the trunks were loaded onto ships..
Day of the almadía in Burgui from Travesía Pirenaica on Vimeo.
The day of the Almadía in Burgui, Roncal valley
Symbol of the identity of the people of Burguithe Almadía Day has been held since 1992 at the end of April or the beginning of May. It is a tradition that has become one of the most important most popular festivals in Navarre and which in 2005 was declared a Festival of National Tourist Interest..
The Almadía Day is a day to remember and recover the knowledge that has been passed down from generation to generation. A day of celebration in which the people of the valley, the region and any lover of the Pyrenees, its traditions and its culture gather in this village in the Roncal Valley.
The trunks bound together with twisted hazel sticks are thrown into the river and begin to descend the river, led by the rafters.They are helped by large oars, back and forth, which guide the logs down the river as in other times, descending the dam in Burgui itself with the ease of yesteryear, under the gaze of thousands of people who see with their eyes what was and is present every year, celebrating the fact that the immaterial and identity will not be lost.
The festival continues with a popular meal of Pyrenean gastronomy, washed down with cider and wine, as could not be otherwise.
Wooden River Transport, Intangible Heritage of Humanity since 2022
But the Almadías are not a tradition exclusive to Burgui. In other Pyrenean valleys, the power of the rivers was also used to transport wood. Thus, in AragonThe almadías are known as navatas or armadías, and as in Burgui, this tradition is also commemorated in April in Murillo de Gállego and in May in Aragón Subordán and Aínsa.
At Catalonia are known as rais. In La Pobla de Segur, since 1979, the raiers, dressed in period costume, cover the five-kilometre stretch between the Llania Dam and the Claverol Bridge. It is a day that takes place in mid-July.
In the Aspe valleyin France, are the radeaux. Here, the large trunks extracted from the forests of Issaux and Pacq (by the Chemin de la Mature) for shipbuilding were brought down the river to Bayonne in three stages.
In reality, the transport of wood down rivers is not exclusive to the Pyrenees. In Spain, loose logs came down other basins such as the Tajo, Jucar, Turia, Segura and Guadalquivir, and also in other parts of Europe and the world. In fact, in 2022, the UNESCO declared wooden river transport Intangible Heritage of Humanity following the joint candidature of Spain, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Latvia and Poland.
