This Town Throws Ants at You: Entroido in Laza, Spain (Carnival in Galicia)

Laza in Galicia has one of the most traditional - and wild - carnivals in the world. The Monday before Fat Tuesday is "Luns Borralleiro." On this day the little town of 1,500 people becomes absolute chaos filled with mud, water, ash, flour, ants, and gorse branches.
In the morning, we celebrate the Farrapada (a fight with rags soaked in mud). Then the Xitanada dos Burros and Maragatos arrive while serenaded by traditional music. The afternoon turns into a party with charangas and dancing in the plaza. Don’t miss the Peliqueiros swinging their whips through the crowd.
In the evening, a procession descends on the square with the toxo branches, a donkey, a Morena (cow’s head costume), and flour and ants are flung into the crowd in Picota plaza. It’s said that the procession recalls Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, showing a parallel between pagan and religious rites.
How we booked our bus arrived:
www.conocegalicia.es/excursio...
€16 each for roundtrip day excursion. 10 am departure from Ourense. 9:30 pm departure from Laza.
Ourense to Laza to Ourense
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Ofshane: “Tea Time” / audiolibrary

[@ericm6519]

Wow, looks like you guys had a blast! I love how most Spanish folk traditions are variations on the theme of wine-fueled barely contained chaos. Super interesting from an ANThropological perspective😉 Thanks for sharing!

[@DaysWeSpend]

Hahaha. That’s a perfect pun. Spanish festivals are the best.

[@mistreated]

This is, with out a doubt, the wildest Spanish festival I’ve seen (so far). Thanks for the great videos. Better and better all the time.

[@DaysWeSpend]

Thanks so much! It’s definitely our craziest experience.

[@cmcjvcltcbmc]

In the words of Monty Python, "and now for something completely different"! That was interesting.

[@DaysWeSpend]

Hahaha. Thanks!

[@helenwallis5914]

That is the craziest thing ever. Lainey you looked way too clean. 😂😂 So funny the whole thing, but those Ants their on another level.

[@DaysWeSpend]

It was wild! Next year we’ll try to get Lainey a bit more muddy.

[@helenwallis5914]

Yes way to clean.

[@DaysWeSpend]

😂

[@musingwithreba9667]

This looks like something that everyone should experience at least once in their life. But I really have to wonder WHY? 😂 what a strange carnival! I would need a full hazmat suit with all that flour flying around! 😷
I already have a closet full of costumes though 😁

[@DaysWeSpend]

It’s a weird pagan tradition that also has roots about the procession of Christ. It’s tough to find info on this since it’s so old a lot of the meaning is lost to time.
We loved it.

[@musingwithreba9667]

@@DaysWeSpend looks like a lot fun

[@DaysWeSpend]

@@musingwithreba9667 It sure was!

[@neiss2]

hahaha, that’s so nuts 😂 Cool video! 😊👍

[@DaysWeSpend]

Thanks so much! It was an insane day!

[@Karen-dq8nw]

Okay, no. Hard miss on that one! I'll stick to our moose dropping festival. lol

[@DaysWeSpend]

Moose dropping festival!???!!

[@richardrtracy]

Great video. Just discovered the channel. Saw you break down on your expenses. What iis the city you live in, and is it close to Seville? Thank you- keep up the great videos. We're coming out that way in 2 years. Just trying to prepare.

[@DaysWeSpend]

Thanks so much! Our city is pretty far from Seville. Probably a 10-12 hour drive.

[@bearisland55]

Burning Man meets Lord of the Flies meets...Them? 😀

[@DaysWeSpend]

😂😂😂😂 exactly what we said!

[@carlosm-kitchen]

Interesting. At least the bite of those ants seem to be tolerable. I did volunteer work in Latinamerica years ago and those ants send you to the hospital. They have a very toxic and painful bite.

[@DaysWeSpend]

Ooh! Yeah, good thing these ones didn’t bite too hard.

[@JeffRhinoBannister]

We don't have enough room for the costumes they use here. Lol. Great job of assimilating

[@DaysWeSpend]

Thanks! We now have a drawer full of costumes.

[@myspanishcountryhome]

Absolute pandemonium, lol. I love the sense of community in Galicia.

[@DaysWeSpend]

It’s the best!

[@jeffreykursonis6554]

Wow that is wacky. I'm Ok living my whole life and not experiencing that.

[@DaysWeSpend]

Hahahaha. Fair enough!

[@andyalam5074]

I’m so jealous right now 🤯😡😤

[@DaysWeSpend]

Come to Galicia!