Jarramplas de Piornal
Jarramplas is the most emblematic festival in Piornal, in the Jerte Valley. A masked character, dressed in a suit of colored ribbons and protected by armor, walks through the streets playing the drum while receiving an intense rain of turnips. The ritual coexists with the devotion to Saint Sebastian and mobilizes the entire town.
Date and place of celebration
The central days are always the 19 and el 20 January, in Piornal, province of Cáceres. There are previous activities, but the ritual cycle is concentrated from the request for offerings on the 19th to the last exit and the symbolic relay on the afternoon of the 20th.
It is not a general public holiday in Extremadura in itself; The municipal work calendar may establish local days. The tradition remains linked to the festival of San Sebastian, which is celebrated on 20 January.
View the Jarramplas 2026 programme.
Also check out the festivals of Piornal.
Quién es Jarramplas
Jarramplas wears a conical mask with a large nose, horns and mane, as well as a suit covered in multicolored ribbons. He plays the drum as he crosses the streets and endures the impacts. Embodying it is a local honour that requires physical preparation, protection and years of waiting.
Origin and interpretations
The origin is not conclusively documented. The most widespread popular explanation identifies Jarramplas with a cattle thief punished by the neighbors. There are also mythological and religious readings. Institutional sources present these versions as theories, not as proven facts.
The festival symbolically unites the punishment of the character with the Christian cult of Saint Sebastian. This double dimension explains why the rain of turnips coexists with masses, processions, offerings and ritual songs.
Ritos principales
- Request for offerings for Saint Sebastian through the streets of Piornal.
- Several departures from Jarramplas, to the sound of the drum and under the throwing of turnips.
- Dressing the Saint, rejoicing and petitioning for the bars.
- Night song of the Alborás before the cross.
- High mass, procession of Saint Sebastian and song of the Rosca.
- Community distribution of crumbs and products contributed by neighbors and collaborators.
- Besapiés, ascension of the Saint to the throne and symbolic delivery of the clothes to the incoming butler.
Organisation and participation
Butlers assume an essential part of the organisation and expenses. Along with them, those who embody Jarramplas, the singers of the Rosca and the Alborás, the child who repeats the verses, the fifths, the clubs, families and numerous volunteers intervene. Neighbors and visitors participate in the turnip throwing under safety instructions.
Jarramplas Recognition and Museum
Jarramplas is declared a Festival of National Tourist Interest. The Jarramplas Museum, in Piornal, preserves masks, costumes, drums, clubs and other elements, and explains the different theories about the origin and phases of the ritual through interactive resources.