So all last week, Sevilla hosted the biggest/ most popular fair in all of Spain. It might be even in Europe, I'm not sure, but it's a huge deal and only about a 15 minute walk from my house (which is nothing in Europe haha) so after I got back from Greece, I went with my friends every night.
Now this fair isn't only a fair like a state fair. No, it's more like a combination between prom, the state fair, and a family reunion/wedding reception. Everyone gets all decked out in their flamenco dresses and suites.
There are horses with and carriages everywhere in the city.
Half of the fairgrounds are the casetas which are little tent parties that are mostly privately run by families, clubs, companies, etc. There are public ones too, but they aren't as nice. The trick (since none of us really know anyone with casetas) is getting invited in or finding Spaniards who have invitations and can bring us with them. The casetas are tents decked out like they are actually living rooms and each one has their own little restaurant/bar area.
They are open all night long, as full at 6 in the morning as a 11 at night, and everyone dances and sings and eats and drinks. It is so much fun! Now the dance of Sevilla and of the Feria is the Sevillanas which everyone knows. Think of the Spanish style Electric Slide. It's not at all similar but kind of is in the idea in the sense that everyone knows it and has their own little flair to it. But it's way more complex and requires more skill. I tried to learn it, but when you are up against people who've done it their whole life, it's hard. I went with my Senora and her family one night to a neighbor's caseta. It was so much fun. Their granddaughter who is five or six insisted in teaching me and helping me do the Sevillanas. So, I had no choice lol. In front of their whole family and a whole bunch of their friends there I was trying to do it. They were shouting out the next moves to me lol. When I sat down again, my senora told me "Que verguenza!" Which is like, how embarrassing. Thanks Maria Louisa lol. That's the Spanish bluntness for you haha. She was joking but it was funny because the whole tent of people was shouting out the next step... spin around... switch places... haha hilarious (harder even yet because it's in Spanish... and it's fast lol)
The other half is fair rides and everything. The funniest thing is seeing all of the people in their huge dresses walking around in the fair and riding all of the rides.
The thing I thought was coolest about it was that it's for people of all ages. High school kids go and dance and ride the rides, families get together at their friends casetas, little kids love it because its the fair and they get to dress up. Over all it's just a fun thing. Everyone rides around on their horses and carriages, it's awesome.
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