Come see the people of Logroño celebrate the Feast of Saint Bernabé in June

Come and see the people of Logroño celebrate the Fiestas de San Bernabé in June The Fiestas de San Bernabé is the patron saint festival of the Spanish city of Logroño. They are celebrated around June 11, the feast day of San Bernabe, the city’s patron saint, to commemorate the victory during the 1521 Siege of Logroño. Together with La Rioja Day, celebrated on the 9th, they form the bridge in the festive city. In 2015, they were declared a National Tourism Holiday. This date commemorates the victory achieved on June 11, 1521, during the siege of Logroño against the army of King Francis I of France and Henry II of Navarre, led by André de Foix, Lord of Asparos, and composed of Béarnese, Labotan, French. and Bajo de Navarra, to which Alto de Navarra was later added, through which he tried to reach the Castilian lands after the reconquest of the Kingdom of Navarre, occupied since 1512 by the King of Castile and Aragon. Mythology speaks of about 30,000 French and Navarrese soldiers besieging the city for 17 days. However, more recent investigations have reduced the number of attackers to about 8,000 and detailed the chronology of the siege, placing it between June 4-6 and the 11th of the same month (approximately a week). Among the factors that influenced Asparos' withdrawal, the most striking was the presence of more than 3,000 Castilian soldiers in the city, led by Pedro de Beaumont, Pedro Vélez de Guevara and Diego de Vera. The general's distrust of his troops due to poor discipline, low morale, and scarcity; the impending arrival of a relief army; and the lack of response from community insurgents. As a result, on June 11, Asparos lifted the siege and that same day arrived as the vanguard of a relief army commanded by the Duke of Najera. To commemorate this victory, the city of Logroño took the oath of Saint Barnabas, who became the patron saint of the city on this day of feast day. Emperor Charles I of Spain commemorated the victory by ordering the addition of three fleurs-de-lis to the city's coat of arms. The act was signed on July 5, 1523, in Valladolid. According to legend, the city survived the siege on fish caught in the Ebro River, so the leftover food was used to feed the last living cattle in the city. It was fattened up and shown to invaders to spread the legend that all inhabitants of Logroño, including the animals, were of superhuman size, thus frightening the invading army. Today we know that this myth and others do not correspond to reality. This fact leads to the main event of this celebration, the free tasting of fish, bread and wine organized by the Brotherhood of Fish, which takes place near the Puerta del Revellín, the only remnant of the city’s old walls. According to the vow of Saint Barnabas, which included the festive events to be performed, a festive arch was placed at each city gate, a fact that is currently maintained by placing a memorial arch at the beginning of Portales Street, in front of the Old Town Hall. Processions carrying images of the saint were also instituted, an activity previously carried out by peasants, which in the 18th century was taken over by the children of councillors born in Logroño. Currently, it is members of the Brotherhood of St. Bernabe who carry the image. The tradition of waving flags has also been established during the parade, which is currently carried out by the mayor at three locations in the city: the Arch of San Bernabe, in front of the Provincial Hospital, and Puerta del Revellín, where Puerta San Francisco was previously located. These flags are presented together with the city flag consisting of the Cross of St. Andrew, which was awarded to the city by King St. Ferdinand III in 1227 when he helped the people of Logroño to capture the city of Baeza. Since 2008, representations have been held around the walls of Reverin, reminiscent of the siege during the attack by the Franco-Navarre army, which reflected the battles experienced at the city gates. To this, many people in Logroño dress in period costume, to which we must add the Renaissance markets throughout the old town and the camps of the Franco and Castilian armies. The arch located at the beginning of Portales Street has aroused countless popular superstitions. Therefore, some people say that if you want to be lucky in love, you must go through it three times. However, others claim that you have to quit completely in order to achieve your desire. In recent years, some citizens and tourists have uncivilizedly torn off some of the boxwood leaves decorating the gateposts as souvenirs, damaging the gate's appearance and sometimes even leaving the installation completely bare. Logrono Comarca de Logrono