Fiestas, Siestas...

Other celebrations and activities in Tossa de Mar

Apart from the religious fiestas and traditional festivities, there are also a number of other celebrations in Tossa throughout the year.

Here are a few of them, but do check our Events Diary and www.infotossa.com for full details of what is going on during the year.

Gastronomic week

This is usually held in September and celebrates the typical dish of Tossa, the ‘Cim-i-Tomba’.

The week is aimed at educating people about the local cuisine, which of course is mostly from the sea.

Cim-i-Tomba is a delicious meal of white fish, usually skate, monkfish or turbot, cooked to melt-in-the-mouth perfection and presented on a bed of thinly sliced potatoes, peppers, mushrooms and sometimes other seasonal vegetables, seasoned with Saffron. The highlight of the dish is its sauce: traditionally made ali-oli – cloves of garlic crushed into olive oil with a mortar and pestle…. superb!

The Cim-i-Tomba, like so many other things in Tossa, has an historical story to go with it. It is said that its origins lie with the fishermen. On their long fishing excursions, the fishermen would take with them in their boat a small stove, a cooking pot and some vegetables: potatoes, peppers and whatever else they had. All the vegetables would go into the pot with some salt and seasoning, the most important of which was Saffron. Of the fish they caught, some were not good enough for market, but they did not like to waste them, so they would prepare them and throw them into the pot with the vegetables. To help bring out the flavour, they would make the garlic sauce and add this near to the end when the pot was bubbling and their stomachs were rumbling. And to this day, this dish has remained extremely popular fayre in Tossa.

Many restaurants in Tossa are involved by putting together a special menu to mark the celebration of this dish. As well as the Cim-i-Tomba as main course, other delights like Tossa-style prawns, sweet peppers stuffed with seafood, smoked salmon or crayfish warm salad, and as for the desserts…. fresh fruits with Catalan Cream, home made lemon sherbet, glazed biscuit with tropical fruit sauce…. such a treat for the taste buds!

For a list of participating restaurants, pick up a leaflet from the Tourist Office in Avenida del Pelegrí, or look out for the posters displayed around the village.

Also during the week there is usually a live demonstration in the Paseo del Mar showing how the dish is made. Experience the traditional cooking method passed down through the generations, delight in the aroma of fresh fish, vegetables and potatoes simmering in a garlic-enhanced sauce, and best of all…. when it’s ready, there is enough for everyone to try!

VW Meeting

There are several meetings of VW vehicles throughout the world every year. The Tossa de Mar meeting was born of a delightful love story and takes place over the last weekend in September.

In 1993, Juan Giménez, proprietor of the Sa Palma restaurant in Tossa de Mar (now closed), presented his wife Carmen with a VW Beetle as a gift.

As well as the gift, Juan made a promise that he would gather more beetles than she could imagine in Tossa.

In order to keep his promise, Juan made put out an announcement in the media to all VW owners. To his surprise, more than one hundred VW owners paraded into Tossa in their vintage VWs.

The sight of success inspired Juan to turn the parade into an annual event and over the years it grew to become one of the main VW meetings in Spain.

When the meeting became too much for Juan to continue organising, Tossa’s Council took over, and with the help of the Club Aire Libre and Camping Cala Llevadó lending their facilities, the event was able to grow into a weekend affair.

The meeting starts on Friday with the registration of the participants. On Saturday, the vehicles rally into the La Selva countryside and in the evening, after dinner, in the midst of a disco, the rally winners receive their awards.

Sunday sees the peak of the meeting. From early in the morning, music and revelry abound. There are drag races and tests of skill, then all the vehicles cruise the streets, eventually assembling in the centre of Tossa, where they can be admired by all the onlookers, as well as the judges who will decide which vehicles will be achieve the years’ accolade of the esteemed trophies. With so many vehicles parading the streets, many of some ageing years, beware the petrol fumes!

See photos of the VW meeting in Tossa on the Fiestas and Celebrations photo movie!

For photos and detailed information on the history of this event, visit
http://www.avwc.org/fotos/TOSSAHISTORIA/tossahistoriaangles.htm

Competitions

Quick painting competition
This is held around August and attracts a number of artists who set up their easels all around Tossa – on the beach, within the Vila Vella, in the town centre – and paint – at speed - wonderful pictures of the stunning scenery that surrounds.

Competition of flower crosses
This is part of the Feast of the Holy Cross around early May which also involves processions and Sardana dancing.

Fairs

Fair of drawing and painting
Being well known as an artist’s colony, many of Tossa’s celebrations and competitions revolve around the creative arts. The Fair of Drawing and Painting usually held in August is a celebration of this heritage.

Esoteric and Alternative Fair ‘Tossa Magical’
This fair started in 2004 and takes place within the walled town in the Plaza de Las Armas, stretching into a usually hidden courtyard. On sale at the fair you’ll find all things ‘magical’: gemstones, crystals, aromatherapy oils, incense and other such things. There is a distinct aroma of incense in the air at this event!

There is so much to do in Tossa!

If anyone has any more information about celebrations in Tossa they would like to add to this section, please e-mail info@tossacostabrava.com!

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