San Isidro Feast day

San Isidro's Feast Day. One of the most celebrated holidays of Madrid is held on May 15, the Feast Day of San Isidro who is the city's patron saint as well as the patron saint of farmers. The traditional festival and feast are held in an open-air area known as the Pradera del Santo.San Isidro was born in Madrid in 1082 and died in 1172. Legend has it that while the saint was praying, two angels ploughed the land for him. Amongst the miracles attributed to him, hagiographers say that once when he was building a well, his son fell in; but through his mediation he was miraculously brought back to the parapet when the water level rose causing the child to float.On May 15, starting first thing in the morning, the La Pradera de San Isidro (the San Isidro Meadow) plays host to a thronging pilgrimage, which dates back to shortly after the death of the saint. At 12pm, the Royal Collegiate Church of San Isidro hosts the Grand Mass. After the Eucharist, the Archbishop of Madrid makes his way to the San Isidro Meadow, where he blesses the water from the spring.In the afternoon, the image of San Isidro and his wife, Santa Maria de la Cabeza, are paraded through the streets, from Calle del Sacramento to the Plaza de la Villa, via Calle del Cordon. The peak moment for this pilgrimage was during the 19th century. In 1941, buildings started to spring up on the banks of the river Manzanares and the meadow started to shrink. But during the whole of the 19th century the celebration gathered together thousands of Madrileños and visitors every year, as depicted by key artists such as Goya.The pilgrims would leave the city via Cuesta de la Vega and Calle de Segovia with their guitars and tambourines. On arrival at the hermitage they would attend mass and kiss the remains of the saint, contained in an 18th century shrine. They would then drink water from the spring while reciting the following words, according to the book Fiestas y tradiciones madrileñas ('Madrid Festivals and Traditions'; published by Silex, 1990) by Pedro Montoliú: "San Isidro hermoso,/ patrón de Madrid,/ que el agua del risco / hiciste salir". ("Beautiful Saint Isidro, Patron Saint of Madrid, you made water spring from the craggy ground").The tradition of drinking this water lives on to this day, alongside the tradition of the rosquillas, or ring shaped pastries known as listas ('smart' – bathed in sugar) and tontas ('stupid' – plain), pots, drinks and clay recipients. Many families still spread their tablecloths out over the grass to picnic near the hermitage on this day. Afterwards, they can be seen at the various concerts and performances that Madrid City Council usually organises to celebrate the city's big day.During the San Isidro celebrations, the other attraction is of course bullfighting. The San Isidro bullfighting festival is Spain's most important. This is where the best bullfighters, and bulls can be seen at the Las Ventas bullring during almost a month. Tickets are sometimes hard to obtain and are best purchased in advance.