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The Columbian Festivals ((スペイン語:Fiestas Colombinas), popularly just ''Las Colombinas'') are a set of annual celebrations in the city of Huelva, Andalusia, Spain to commemorate the first voyage of Christopher Columbus. They occur for a week at the end of July and beginning of August, the main day being 3 August,〔(Fiestas Colombinas ), Concejalía de Turismo del Ayuntamiento de Huelva. Retrieved 2010-05-04.〕 the date in 1492 on which Columbus departed Palos de la Frontera, on the voyage that brought him to the Americas. The festivities have been declared to be of National Tourist Interest (''de Interés Turístico Nacional'').〔(RESOLUCION de 23 de abril de 2003, de la Dirección General de Fomento y Promoción Turística, por la que se hace pública la declaración de Fiesta de Interés Turístico Nacional de Andalucía las Fiestas Colombinas de Huelva. )〕 ==Early years== As Pedro Rodríguez, mayor of Huelva, remarked in 1999, the Columbian Festivals are atypical of Andalusia in that they are not rooted in religion.〔Luis Eduardo Siles, ("Las Colombinas, en sepia Huelva tiene este año el mayor programa de feria de los últimos años" ), ''El País'', 30 July 1999. ''"…no conmemoran a ninguna Virgen ni a ningún patrón."'' ("They don't commemorate a Virgin or a patron saint").〕 Although Huelva has had religious festivals at least since the 17th century—a pilgrimage day in the month of September honors the city's patron, the Virgin of La Cinta—toward the end of the 19th century sentiment began to arise for the recognition of the province of Huelva for its role in Columbus's first voyage, and what had come to be known as the Discovery of America. As the celebration of the fourth centenary of the Discovery of America approached, there was an intent to draw attention to the ''Lugares colombinos'', the places in Moguer and Palos de la Frontera associated with the voyage. This movement began around 1880, led by the recently created Real Sociedad Colombina Onubense (Royal Columbian Society of Huelva),〔Lorena Martín, ("Colombinas: Seis días que rememoraron 515 años de historia" ), ''ABC'', 6 August 2007.〕 who revived a similar idea initially put forward by Civil Governor Mariano Alonso y Castillo in 1855. The first occurrence of the Columbian Festivals was an immediate success in Huelva and in nearby Palos de la Frontera. Setting the nautical tone, the Captain General of the Maritime Departament of Cádiz, Luis Hernández-Pinzón Álvarez, descendant of co-discoverer of the Americas, Martín Alonso Pinzón, attended on August 3. Several vessels of the Spanish Navy were also present. More than 15,000 people gathered at the Monastery of La Rábida in Palos for a "disembarkation" of the Spanish navy and for a fireworks show. Despite the city already having the festival of La Cinta, the new festivities took root rapidly. In those early years, the festivities included outdoor masses, literary competitions, visits to La Rábida, and traditional sporting competitions. Beginning in 1925, when the Círculo Mercantil set up a booth, there began to be a massive celebration at the city quayside. From this point, the classic elements of an Andalusian fair began to attach themselves to the Columbian Festivals: booths (''casetas'': some of these are larger structures than is perhaps suggested by the English-language word "booth"), attractions, raffles, and spaces set aside for dancing. The importance of the festivals in this era can be seen in the descriptions of them in the local press, such as this in 1924: Every day one notes more animation for these patriotic festivals, that go far beyond the celebrations in earlier years.〔This and the following quotations are from the newspaper ''La Provincia'', 30 July 1924. ''Cada día se nota más animación por esos patrióticos festejos, que superarán con creces a las celebraciones en años anteriores.''〕 And on the special illumination for the festivals: Incredibly beautiful arches have been placed on the waterfront promenade, as well as on the promenades of Las Palmeras (the Palms) and El Balneario (the Baths), which will provide an unprecedented class of illumination, which has already come to be celebrated in all justice by the general public.〔''En el paseo del muelle se han colocado vistosísimos arcos, como también en los paseos de Las Palmeras y del Balneario, los cuales lucirán por primera vez esa clase de iluminación, que ya comienza a ser celebrada con toda justicia por el público en general.''〕 As for the presence of the Spanish Navy: … it is expected that several warships will have anchored in our waters, to which effect Mister Marchena Colombo, president of the Columbian Society, has received a letter from the general in charge of the Naval department, announcing that the largest number of ships that circumstances permit will come to Huelva.〔''… se espera que hayan anclado en nuestro puerto varios buques de la marina de guerra, a cuyo efecto el señor Marchena Colombo, presidente de la Sociedad Colombina, ha recibido carta del general encargado del departamento de Marina, anunciándole que vendrán a Huelva el mayor número de buques que las circunstancias permitan.''〕 And on the institutional celebrations of 3 August commemorating Columbus's departure from Palos de la Frontera: As is customary, on the third, the authorities of Huelva and associates of the Columbian Society will leave for La Rábida, where they will celebrate a mass in commemoration of that heard by Columbus and his intrepid co-voyagers before their departure from the port of Palos.〔''Como de costumbre, el día tres, las autoridades de Huelva y socios de la Colombina saldrán para La Rábida, donde se celebrará una misa en conmemoración de la oída por Colón y sus intrépidos acompañantes antes de su salida del puerto de Palos.''〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Columbian Festivals」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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