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The Parque del Buen Retiro is the most popular park in Madrid. It can get crowded during weekends when many Madrilenian families go for a stroll in the park and street musicians, sidewalk painters, fortune tellers, jugglers and street performers animate the crowd.

The Retiro Park was created as a royal park; it belonged to the Real Sitio del Buen Retiro palace. In 1632, the palace was built by King Philips IV as a retreat for the Royal family.

Of the original palace, only two buildings survived, the rest was destroyed during the Napoleonic wars.

Las Fallas is undoubtedly one of the most unique and crazy festivals in Spain (a country known for unique and crazy festivals). What started as a feast day for St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters, has evolved into a 5-day, multifaceted celebration of fire.

Las Fallas literally means "the fires" in Valencian. The focus of the fiesta is the creation and destruction of ninots--huge cardboard, wood and plaster statues--that are placed at over 350 key intersections and parks around the city today. The ninots are extremely lifelike and usually depict bawdy, satirical scenes and current events (lampooning corrupt politicians and Spanish celebrities is particularly popular). They are crafted by neighborhood organizations and take about six months to construct (and often cost upwards of US$75,000). Many ninots are several stories tall and need to be moved into position with cranes.

Starting in the early evening, young men with axes chop holes in the statues and stuff them with fireworks. The crowds start to chant, the streetlights are turned off, and all of the ninots are set on fire at exactly the stroke of midnight. Over the years, the local firemen, called "bomberos," have devised unique ways to protect the town's buildings from torching along with the ninots, such as by neatly covering storefronts with fireproof tarps. And each year, one of the ninots is spared from destruction by popular vote and exhibited in the local Museum of the Ninot along with the other favorites from years past.

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The luminarias, consisting of plastic bags and candles, are set up each night by a team of about 20 volunteers

"Luminarias are very traditional to the Southwest, and the candle glow actually enhances and lights up the plants. You see the plants in a completely different way."

The Antón Martín market is in the heart of Madrid, with access from Santa Isabel street and Duque de Fernán Núñez, and the Doré passage, where the National Film Library is located, which used to house the old cinema Doré. The market was built in 1941 and it has a surface area of some 4,500 square metres, including some 70 stalls, of which 17 are fruit shops, 10 meat markets, 9 fishmongers, 7 sell chickens and the remainder other food produce, products and services. Another market that deserves a visit is the Chamberí, located in the neighbourhood of Madrid of the same name, in a residential area serving the centre of the city. It was inaugurated in 1943, and has a surface area of some 2,500 metres.

While Valencia is clued up to new technologies, the Boqueria, the emblematic market situated in the Ramblas of Barcelona, has developed a novelty for the tourist and sells for the reasonable price of 5 euros, fruit peeled and ready to eat, or stupendous milkshakes whose fruit content is chosen by the client and freshly crushed on the spot.

PicArtia helps you to create your photo mosaic online for free. It is popular for being fast, easy and free! Photo Mosaics are great gifts for friends, family members and even yours. Most of our users would print it in large size and use it as a poster for their office or room wall.

The Quinceanera tradition celebrates the young girl(la Quinceanera), and recognizes her journey from childhood to maturity.The customs highlight God, family, friends, music, food, and dance.

The Quinceanera celebration traditionally begins with a religious ceremony. A Reception is held in the home or a banquet hall. The festivities include food and music, and in most, a choreographed waltz or dance performed by the Quinceanera and her Court.

It is traditional for the Quinceanera to choose special friends to participate in what is called the Court of Honor.