Traditional festivals
Its festivals and celebrations are the maximum expression of the open and festive character of the inhabitants of this town located in the centre of the Sierra de Guadarrama, in the shelter of the Cerro del Castillo; a village and fiestas to which everyone is invited.
Welcome to the Collado Mediano Festival!
Festivals of the May Cross
A pilgrimage is held in the meadow of Miaccum, to where the cross is brought down and a traditional stew of potatoes with meat is eaten around it, followed by dancing and singing. This celebration recovers the tradition of “Los Mayos”, a celebration held at the end of the winter with the arrival of the good weather.
This festival is marked by the inhabitants of Collado Mediano as in the past. People gather on a day-long pilgrimage in a country festival where they are grouped by trades (shepherds and goatherds, farmers, stockbreeders and craftsmen) to celebrate each year the end of winter and the arrival of good weather.
The pilgrimage takes place in the meadow of “Miaccum”, a large open space next to the inn and the Roman site. There, in the middle of the morning, the traditional stew of potatoes, cod and little more is prepared in half a dozen large stewpots, and is usually ready by lunchtime. However, in case it takes longer, wise locals usually come with water, bottles of wine, comfortable shoes and a handy potato omelette. Animated conversation, live music, games for the children, and above all, a great atmosphere and the hope for good weather are the key ingredients of this day of pilgrimage outside in the healthy spring air.
Festivities of San Ildefonso and Nuestra Señora de la Paz.
This is celebrated on 23 January in commemoration of San Ildefonso, and feature a mass with a procession through the village to the Town Hall square to taste the typical pestiños, biscuits and donuts with sangria. The Rondón is danced, accompanied by the dulzaina and tamboril.
The feast of Nuestra Señora de la Paz is celebrated on the 24th with a mass and procession in her honour. The parish priest offers a tasting of sweets and sangria in the church portico (the same as for San Ildefonso). The festivities last four more days, each one dedicated to the town’s unmarried men, unmarried women, married men and women, and children. There is dancing until dawn.
Festivals of Santísimo Cristo de la Caridad
At the end of August, the festivities of Santísimo Cristo de la Caridad are celebrated starting with the proclamation of the queen and her ladies of honour in the municipal park. There are six days of celebration with a multitude of cultural, religious and festive activities for all ages. It ends with a dinner laid on by the members of the Festivities Organisation Committee in the Town Hall square with the traditional stew of bull meat, followed by the final dance.
