La Feria, by Emma Skoler

Before I came to Sevilla, I had multiple people ask me if I would be there during La Feria. I had heard that it was going to be beautiful, but didn’t know much about it. I also knew that people would be wearing elaborate dresses and had been told that it was more fun if I bought one of my own. Unfortunately, I opted not to because I didn’t want to spend the money when I would only be there for two days. However, before being a part of it in person, I didn’t understand how important the flamenco outfits would be. I live a five minute walk from the fairgrounds in Los Remedios, and I loved people watching during the days of Feria. It was like a constant fashion show. A Spanish girl who I talked to told me after the fact that it was common for girls in Sevilla to have 6 flamenco dresses each, largely because fashion trends grow and change every year. This is so interesting to me, especially considering the price of an entire Feria outfit. Even though the event only occurs once every year, people still spend hundreds of dollars to embrace this week-long cultural experience. I think part of the reason this was so striking to me is that we don’t have anything like it in the United States. Because the cities and regions in the U.S. are so ethnically diverse compared to Andalucia, and specifically Sevilla, an event built on shared tradition like this seems impossible. Every family has their own cultural background, religion, and traditions, contrary to Sevilla. The only similar event I can think of is Mardis Gras in New Orleans, but this feels like a less culturally rich, tradition-based version (though it could be argued they are equivalent).This reminded me of the video we watched in class where men who were refugees from an African country were forced to move to the United States because I remember them mentioning how they live much more communally in their country, and know all of their neighbors. Though this is not entirely true in Sevilla, I think La Feria reflects some of the more collectivist aspects of Spanish society, as there is a microculture of fashion, food, and camaraderie shared only amongst Sevillians. Each caseta is also made up of communities of families and their friends, like a little neighborhood. As an outsider, I did not understand flamenco fashion trends at all, nor did I know what to expect during the week of Feria. However, the people in Sevilla were very welcoming.

Source: https://www.20minutos.es/minuteca/feria-de-abril/