San Roque

They are the most important festivities in Tineo and are celebrated in the Campo de San Roque and in the town, in mid-August. The main days of the festival are August 15th (Bollo Day) and August 16th (Grand Day of San Roque), but the festivities begin a few days earlier with Peñas Day and end on August 18th (End of Festivities).

To trace the origin of the San Roque festivities, we have to go back to the founding of the Chapel in the Campo de San Roque in the 14th century when pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela paid tribute to the saint on his feast day.

In the 19th century, on August 16th, people with livestock, especially sheep and goats, would gather around the hermitage to buy or sell, and around them, people from the town would sell boiled potatoes, hazelnuts, spelt bread, and other local products.

Today, the tradition of eating in the countryside continues, and the appearance of the "peñas" (in the last decade of the 20th century) has significantly increased the festivities. Barrels of cider and wine are now a common sight in the countryside, alongside baskets filled with typical Tinetense food: ham, loin, chosco (a type of cured pork), and all kinds of sausages and meat products. It is and will remain the great moment of family union and one of the main events of the festival.

The Tineo Bowling Championship, which is still held at the Campo de San Roque bowling alley, remains essential, as well as the Carriage Parade, which takes place on August 18th and has been a tradition since the 20th century, along with the selection of the Festival Queens.

These festivities are the annual gathering for families and the return of absent Tinetense people.

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