Take part in the Viking festival in Catoira (Galicia) this week culminating in a full blown invasion on Sunday. Dress up, see plays, go to market, listen to concerts, invade or defend the land. These are some of the things you can do during the festivities in the small village by the outlet of river Ulla.
The first Sunday in August of each year, the Battle of Catoira is recreated. The colorful event has been going on since 1960, and the city has even built its own Viking ship inspired by the Gokstad and Oseberg ships. The organizers collaborate with Viking groups in Scandinavia, including Fredrikssund Vikingtheater in Denmark.
Jesper Wittenburg from Fredrikssund tells us his theater has helped Catoira develop the historical play performed in the small town every night for a week before the actual “naval battle”. The festival also offers a lot of good food and drink and up to 1,500 people seated around long tables. Fortunately, the atmosphere is quite different than in the past.
Based on various sources, it is believed that the Vikings raiders arrived in three main waves to the Iberian Peninsula: the first in 844 and the second around 860. The third great wave of Viking raids took place between 966 and 971. According to sources, a fleet of 100 ships appeared in the “Arousafjord” by the river Ulla in Galicia. It must have been a frightening sight.
The Vikings may have landed as many as 8,000 men at Catoira and continued on foot to Santiago de Compostela. Bishop Sisenand led the local opposition in Galizeland, if we are to believe the chronicles. Even in this wave, the last of the great waves of attacks on Iberia, the fighting became a brutal hand to hand affair. It was not a respectful pilgrimage. The Vikings killed the bishop in battle and ravaged Galicia for several years before they were forced to withdraw.
The last decisive battle, in which the locals finally managed to defeat their enemies from the north, is celebrated with an annual Viking festival in Catoira. No wonder there is a celebration, right? The festival has been “Declared of International Tourist Interest”. The city, which today has about 3,500 inhabitants, is strategically located to protect Santiago de Compostela from invasion forces sailing up-river.
You can still see the remains of the large fortress Torres de Oeste (or the Western Towers), located on a promontory that juts out into the river Ulla. The local rulers had used large resources over many years to build fortifications that could withstand attacks but the Vikings did not give up without a fight. Among other things, they demolished the local church. At that same site, they later built a pilgrimage chapel. The chapel was built on the spot where one of the Viking ships is said to have run aground and local tradition has it that the grounding was a result of the bishop’s desperate prayers for help from Our Lord.
If you are interested in a different kind of experience this summer, you can contact Concello de Catoira and find out more about the Viking Festival in Catoira, local history, accommodation and experiences. You can call them by phone (+34) 986 54 60 14 or send an email to concello.catoira@eidolocal.es.
If you want to read the full article, you can do so here: “A pagan and extremely evil people” – Viking raids in Iberian lands.
Featured image: The Viking Festival in Catoira offers historical games, a Viking market and other experiences in a beautiful natural and cultural landscape. (Source: Frank Bradford pix)
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