Orujo Festival
The Orujo Festival is one of the most traditional festivals celebrated in Cantabria; it has been running now for more than twenty years. It was first celebrated in 1984 and since then, thousands of people travel every year to this village in the north of Spain to participate in the celebrations.
Orujo originates from the region of Liébana and is mentioned in Middle Age documents found in the monasteries of the region. This festival celebrates not only the liquor, but the importance of this spiritual drink, which was once used as currency.
During the Orujo Festival visitors can enjoy watching Orujo being distilled before sampling it on the streets of the town. Visitors have the oppourtunity to taste the different varieties from the local cellars and discover other well-known dishes, such as “cocido lebaniego”, a special chickpea stew from the Liébana region; traditional gastronomic products, such as Picón Cheese; and desserts, such as “borono”, which is similar to black pudding. Musical shows and folkloric performances complete the activities program of this festival.