Arde lucus
Encyclopedia
Arde Lucus(Burn Lugo) is a festival celebrated in Lugo
in the last weeks of June which revives the Roman
and castro
past of the city, and which emerged to commemorate the declaration of the city's Roman wall as a World Heritage Site
in 2000. In its latest editions it has reached nearly half a million visitors.
in the 3rd century, began to be celebrated in the year 2000, growing in popularity year after year, with more and more people dressing up in Roman and castro attires. In the year 2009 the festival reached 460.000 participants, leaving a profit of around 10 million euros in the city.
It is necessary to mention that also, the council counts with the help of diverse associations for the celebration and ambientation of the festival, performing in many of the activities. A few of these associations are Cohors III Lucensium, Terra Copora, Lugdunum and Tir Nan'og.
Some of the highlighted events include:
They are a series of camps which have to be set up by the participants, who can be groups of people or associations, and in which they must "live" dressed up with the clothes and objects of the era. In its last edition, the camps were situated in the "Carril das Estantigas", inside Lugo's Roman walls. Also, each camp can organize its own activities and shows, always open to everyone. These camps can wither be Roman
or Castro
.
In this activity, the couples who wish to, can be wed by the ancient Celts rite, love union which lasts until the next year. Then, the couple can decide whether they want to renew their marriage or not (it is the woman who decides the renewal). If the marriage is renovated during seven consecutive years, the union will remain forever. At the end of the wedding, each couple is given a wedding certificate.
An artisan market where all sorts of Roman goods are sold. Magic , juggling and music shows also take place in this place.
It takes place in the "Parque de Rosalía", near the historic centre. Ancient Roman activities like gladiator fights, or quadriga
races, imitating the ancient Roman circuses.
In this show, the siege of the roman city is recreated, with fights between different groups and associations, as well as many volunteers, as well as a fireworks display.
It is an enormous open air banquet in which tables are placed around the Roman wall. In the 2009 edition it was substituted by the "Tabernae", a diner located in the Praza da Soidade.
Apart from the others, there are many other anctivities like Bacchanalia
, statue building, magic shows, fancy dress parades, Roman clothes contests, Roman games, battle recreations between Romans and Celts, gladiator fights, slave sales, roman weddings, military instruction in the city's streets and different activities to remind the citizens of the Roman and Castro past of the city. There are also some music and dance shows and parades.
Lugo
Lugo is a city in northwestern Spain, in the autonomous community of Galicia. It is the capital of the province of Lugo. The municipality had a population of 97,635 in 2010, which makes is the fourth most populated city in Galicia.-Population:...
in the last weeks of June which revives the Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
and castro
Castro culture
Castro culture is the archaeological term for naming the Celtic archaeological culture of the northwestern regions of the Iberian Peninsula from the end of the Bronze Age until it was subsumed in local Roman culture...
past of the city, and which emerged to commemorate the declaration of the city's Roman wall as a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
in 2000. In its latest editions it has reached nearly half a million visitors.
History
This festivity, which tries to evoke the ancient Lucus AugustiLucus Augusti
Lucus Augusti is the Latin name of two different ancient places in the Roman Empire:*Lugo, a city in Spain*Luc-en-Diois, a city in France...
in the 3rd century, began to be celebrated in the year 2000, growing in popularity year after year, with more and more people dressing up in Roman and castro attires. In the year 2009 the festival reached 460.000 participants, leaving a profit of around 10 million euros in the city.
It is necessary to mention that also, the council counts with the help of diverse associations for the celebration and ambientation of the festival, performing in many of the activities. A few of these associations are Cohors III Lucensium, Terra Copora, Lugdunum and Tir Nan'og.
Activities
All of the activities mix the city's Roman past with the "permission" for the celts to perform some of their rites inside the city walls.Some of the highlighted events include:
- Military Camps
They are a series of camps which have to be set up by the participants, who can be groups of people or associations, and in which they must "live" dressed up with the clothes and objects of the era. In its last edition, the camps were situated in the "Carril das Estantigas", inside Lugo's Roman walls. Also, each camp can organize its own activities and shows, always open to everyone. These camps can wither be Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
or Castro
Castro culture
Castro culture is the archaeological term for naming the Celtic archaeological culture of the northwestern regions of the Iberian Peninsula from the end of the Bronze Age until it was subsumed in local Roman culture...
.
- Celtic weddings
In this activity, the couples who wish to, can be wed by the ancient Celts rite, love union which lasts until the next year. Then, the couple can decide whether they want to renew their marriage or not (it is the woman who decides the renewal). If the marriage is renovated during seven consecutive years, the union will remain forever. At the end of the wedding, each couple is given a wedding certificate.
- Macellum
An artisan market where all sorts of Roman goods are sold. Magic , juggling and music shows also take place in this place.
- Roman circus
It takes place in the "Parque de Rosalía", near the historic centre. Ancient Roman activities like gladiator fights, or quadriga
Quadriga
A quadriga is a car or chariot drawn by four horses abreast . It was raced in the Ancient Olympic Games and other contests. It is represented in profile as the chariot of gods and heroes on Greek vases and in bas-relief. The quadriga was adopted in ancient Roman chariot racing...
races, imitating the ancient Roman circuses.
- The burning of the city walls
In this show, the siege of the roman city is recreated, with fights between different groups and associations, as well as many volunteers, as well as a fireworks display.
- Comilonum
It is an enormous open air banquet in which tables are placed around the Roman wall. In the 2009 edition it was substituted by the "Tabernae", a diner located in the Praza da Soidade.
- Other events
Apart from the others, there are many other anctivities like Bacchanalia
Bacchanalia
The bacchanalia were wild and mystic festivals of the Greco-Roman god Bacchus , the wine god. The term has since come to describe any form of drunken revelry.-History:...
, statue building, magic shows, fancy dress parades, Roman clothes contests, Roman games, battle recreations between Romans and Celts, gladiator fights, slave sales, roman weddings, military instruction in the city's streets and different activities to remind the citizens of the Roman and Castro past of the city. There are also some music and dance shows and parades.