The Sant Antoni Festival in Ascó was declared Heritage Festival of National Interest in 2010. It starts with the traditional Tres Tombs, with the blessing of animals and bread.
Its origin goes back a lot of generations. The jotes, for example, come from the Moorish age, according to some experts, because they were mentioned in the “Ordinaments de la vila d’Ascó”, from 1520. And the Clavari and the Majorals, organizers of the festival, were already mentioned in 1739.
But the most outstanding part of the festival is the traditional “corridas”, spectacular runs of horses, mules and donkeys. They are the only run in the Ribera d’Ebre that never stopped its celebration. The festival is unique because of the runs and other activities, which have been taking place for centuries, like the plega (collection of firewood in the town) or the bonfire in the square that burns for three days (where the jotes are danced).
The festival combines the devotion to the Saint with the ludic, pagan and popular activities that make it so special. In addition, it also includes modern activities, like concerts, so everybody can find something to their taste.
If you want to discover what you can find in this Sant Antoni festival, you can see the program here.