Agriculture, Livestock and Industrial Fair. Cedrillas

Agriculture, Livestock and Industrial Fair.

Cedrillas

THE ORIGIN

The origin of the Cedrillas fair is motivated by the decision of the majority of farmers in the province of Teruel who, year after year, attended the fair that was held in the neighboring town of Alcalá de la Selva with their herds, until the City Council of Alcalá decided to levy a taz on each beef or animal that attended its fair. This measure was very unpopular for the farmers who, in 1891 and led by JoaquínJulián Catalán de Ocón the “Señorito de Ródenas”, decided to celebrate the fair in Cedrillas the following year.

JoaquínJulián Catalán, the most prestigious rancher of the moment and President of the Provincial Board of Ranchers, sentenced his position with the famous phrase: “From now on, wherever my bundles go, the fair will be there.”

In 1892 the town held its first fair and the first days of October were chosen for it, so that it did not coincide with those of other neighboring towns. The first Cedrillas fair was a resounding success, both for livestock participation and for the public.

In its second year of celebration (1893), the fair was even more successful, doubling the number of visitors and considerably increasing the number of transactions. As an anecdote, it is worth mentioning that the Civil Governor of the time prohibited the “mountain” from being played during the fair, a card game popular at the time.

But the Alcalá de la Selva City Council requested that the Cedrillas fair not be held as it was considered contrary to their interests and thus it was reached in 1894 when the Minister of the Interior prohibited, by Ministerial Order, the Cedrillas fair. The Board of Ranchers and the City Councils of Cedrillas and other nearby towns reacted and managed to revoke the aforementioned order and that, in 1894, Cedrillas held the third edition of the fair. A newspaper of the time said about it: “The Cedrillas fair this year have exceeded what could be expected…there was an extraordinary abundance of cattle . Such was the agglomeration of people that the villages of El Pobo and Monteagudo with the farmhouses, were full for not being able to spend the night in the village due to lack of shelters”

During the years 1895 and 1896, the protests of Alcalá de la Selva followed and the Minister of the Interior issued another Royal Order by which Cedrillas was prohibited from celebrating its fair on the same dates that Alcalá did. The residents of Cedrillas and interested farmers found a solution to celebrate the fair and not break the order: camp the cattle on private land instead of on communal land and, in this way, the fair was held with as much success as in the previous years.

Despite the existing prohibition and the detractors of the moment, Cedrillas successfully held a new edition of the fair in 1897 and, finally, in 1898, the situation was legalized. Thus, thanks to the town councils and the efforts of the residents, it soon consolidated and surpassed that of Alcalá, which was already the best in Aragón since ancient times, until it became the second in Spain, onlyu surpassed by Albacete.

XX CENTURY

From 1906 to 1935 is when the fair reaches its best in participation and prestige, becoming the second in Spain. During this period, the celebration was carried out with great normality and even harmony, without serious conflicts, only with the incidents of any concentration of people.

On the other hand, some events that occurred at the time did mark the development of the fair and, among them, it is worth mentioning:

The arrival of the railroad to Teruel in 1904, with which many markets participants can arrive by train to the capital and, from there, walk only thirty kilometers to Cedrillas. The arrival, around 1914, of the road to the same village, with which attendees began to travel by bus.

On 1918 there was no fair due to a malignant flu that caused numerous deaths throughout the region.

After 1935 came forced parenthesis of the civil war, resuming the fair in 1939. In the early years, of course, there was a high demand for livestock after past hardships and little money from buyers. But the year 1942 the fair regained its old prestige and the great dealers from all over Spain met there, although it was not yet safe from the resentments and shortages that had occurred.

Around the 1950s there was a definitive recovery that was maintained, in rank and category, until the 1960s, then gradually declining as the dragging and tillage beasts disappeared and were replaced by motor machinery. In this way, the fair continued to survive, fueled by its own prestige, adapting to what current times demand, until it became a fair and exhibition, both agricultural machinery and beef cattle. In addition, lthe number of street vendor stalls (textiles, toys, etc.) has increased considerably over the years.

In 1992, a magnificent fairground was inaugurated in which the most representative acts and exhibitions of the fair are held and where, in addition, the people gather to eat during the celebration of the festivities in hnor of the Virgen del Pilar. Work is still going on to condition and improve its surroundings.

XXI CENTURY

At present, Cedrillas celebrates, year after year, around the firt of October, its FAIR. This has changes location; by tradition it was held in the place of “El ferial”, at the exit from Cedrillas to el El Castellar. Today we have a large fairground, located at the exit from Cedrillas to Monteagudo del Castillo. This meets the needs that an event of this category demands.

The Fair has been renamed the Livestock, agricultural and Industrial Fair. Today most of the cattle present at the fair belong to the regional and national auctions thar take place annually at the fair, as well as cattle fromexhibitor, herds, and in general animals of great value.

It is also common to witness demonstrations of admiration for visitor, agricultural machinery of all kinds is also part of the exhibiton.

Food and livestock proucts play a highly relevant role in this event, where the traveler can taste and learn at the many stands in the fairgrounds.

By tradition, a huge market with a multitude of products such as bells, dresses, clubs, nougat,…spreads through the streets of Cedrillas.

The dedicated conference cycles or the different sectors involved in the Fair, monopolize great interest in the professionals of the sector.

More information: https://www.cedrillas.es/index.php/la-feria