During my first week in San Sebastián, a Spanish friend told me about a festival that would be taking place that day. Late in the afternoon, we gathered in the center of the city to watch a re-enactment of the Burning of Donostia. Donostia is the name given to San Sebastián by the Basque people. The festval re-enacts the day the city was burned in a battle between three armies!
Thousands of people lined the streets to watch the show. The re-enactment had soldiers dressed up in old-fashioned military-style outfits and armed with muskets! After the re-enactment, the city turned more joyful, and parties began!
In this yearly tradition, the local people gather to remember the horrible events in battle that took place over 200 years ago. I learned that the French owned this area for many years in the early 19th century. When the French went to war, the city was in danger. British and Portuguese armies burned and destroyed the city to try to hurt the French.
