Before roads and cars made getting around easier, ferias were set up periodically in certain villages so that folks in the area could get together and sell their mostly home-grown or home-made goods to each other. They bought, sold or traded such things as livestock, cured ham, cheese, etc. People came on foot, on horseback, or in wagons pulled by cows.

Besides being commerce centers, ferias were also social affairs where folks could meet and eat with friends and relatives who lived too far away to see regularly. Local bars were set up to serve home-cooked meals for the visitors. And people brought messages to be relayed to folks in other villages because there was no regular mail delivery so far out in the country.

Nowadays, most small village ferias are gone. They're not necessary now that folks can get into town. But the ferias continue in the towns. They're larger than ever now and attract travelling vendors from outside the local area - even from other parts of Spain. It's the way many of them make their living.

Betanzos, a town of about 10-12 thousand population, serves as a sort of business district for the villages in this area. It's full of locally-owned mom-and-pop stores that you'd think might try to keep out outside competition. But they welcome the big Betanzos feria because it attracts people who'll do some store shopping while they're in town. The Betanzos feria is held on the 1st and 16th of each month. Normally stores aren't open on Sunday, but if feria day falls on a Sunday, the stores make a point of being open for business.