Think of it as prom but for the whole town and so much more! I felt like a princess going to the gala with the new friends I made in Tomelloso, I wish I could attend every year!
Spain is, generally-speaking a collectivist country while the United States is an individualist country. Collectivism is when a culture values the notion of groups working together, making for a collective environment rather than a society of individuals (like the United States is) whose members rarely come together in a festive way, except perhaps in order to vote or to celebrate Christmas or Thanksgiving. In the United States, you have more of an independent, self-reliant way of thinking, and people generally value moreindividual freedom over group effort. One type of society -- either collectivist or individualist -- is not better than the other, but rather, just a different way of looking at the world. This observation about the basic difference between American and Spanish society can explain why a collectivist county like Spain would be in favor of stopping all day-to-day activities in order to celebrate festive traditions with their entire town. The social culture in Spain is more relaxed, in general, so it is more common here than in America to hang out, go for walks, and take time to enjoy life. The tradition of the feria is connected to the environment because the spaniards prefer to build their relationships with others through participation in a week long event rather than being alone. As such, I find this tradition to be very worthwhile and one we might even try in our own country!
