Ventosa (La Rioja) (0)

Did you know that... Ventosa

It is located between the basins of the rivers Najerilla and Iregua, in the foothills of the Sierra de Moncalvillo, its landscape and orography reflect the area of Sierra-Valle in which it is located. One of the most important Roman roads in the Peninsula passed through the northern part of the municipality, the Vía de Italia to Hispania in its Vereia-Tritio section. The history of Ventosa is linked to that of Nájera. It belonged to the Monastery of San Millán, as Sancho III el Mayor, king of Nájera, donated it to it in the 11th century.

A little more history

Ventosa is also named in both the Nájera and Logroño jurisdictions, both granted by Alfonso VI of Castile. There were constant disputes over this area between Castilians and Navarrese, which did not cease until the union of the kingdoms of Castile and Leon in the fifteenth century with the Catholic Monarchs.

To discover What to see in Ventosa?

On a hill, under which the village is grouped, is the parish church of San Saturnino from the 16th century, where its beautiful Gothic façade stands out. In the surrounding area there is a rest area with benches, trees and games for children, from where you have a beautiful panoramic, and a privileged view of the entire environment. The Virgen Blanca fountain, the Virgen de la Natividad parish church and its polished adobe houses are also part of its heritage.

Festivities

The first weekend in July they celebrate the patron saint fiestas in honour of the Virgen Blanca (White Virgin). In August, the Mercado del Trato, where the ventosinos, once the market is open, make a representation of how they used to go through the most important markets in the north of Spain, trading, buying and selling or bartering products. This market aims to be a tribute to their ancestors, "Tratantes y Trajineros" November 28 San Saturnino, patron saint of the town.

Traditions

The dance of Ventosa, in the procession of the White Virgin at the beginning of July, is a tradition that goes back centuries. It is danced during one hour, at noon and always by eight adult men and the Cachiberrio, this last one is the one that marks the rhythm and is distinguished from the dancers apart from in its clothes, in which it takes instead of castanets of normal size, some of great size, they say that it does not fit more than one in each hand. the dancers dance in front of the Virgin and always of face to Her, during the procession. After the dance of the Virgen Blanca, there is a tasting of cod in the Rioja style and it takes place on the last day of the festivities, at night, in the neighbourhood of the wineries, it is another of the traditions rooted in time.

Curiosities

The most common name for the inhabitants of Ventosa is ventosinos, but they have another very characteristic name which is lechoneros. This is due to the fact that many families in the village were pig traders, they bought the piglets in private houses, since in the past there were no large farms, mainly in the Cameros area, and then they sold them in the fairs and markets of the largest villages in La Rioja.

The Legend

"There are two miracles of the patron saint of the village, the Virgen Blanca, which can be seen inside the parish church, the first of them tells how the Virgin saved a boy who fell into the void from the top of the bell tower, and the second, common to other villages, is the attempt by the "Navarros" to steal the image of the Virgin, and when they were near the village square, it became so heavy for the thieves, that they had no choice but to leave it on the ground.