July 16th. Cangas del Narcea (Asturias).
Pomp, ceremony and gunpowder often accompanies Spanish festivals. In the case of La
Descarga, at Cangas del Narcea, they are certainly the protagonists. The excuse is the
"santina", the Virgen of Carmen. Her arrival, on the evening of the 16th to the
centre of the Roman bridge -which she crosses before heading back to the chapel of
Ambasaguas- is the crucial moment. Bangers and rockets fill the air with a "symphony
of gunpowder", shaking the foundations of this singular village where the notion of
work (mining is the main occupation of its inhabitants) is only comparable to the notion
of having fun.