As Neves

Municipality in Galicia, Spain

Coat of arms

Motto:

Muy noble

Location of As Neves within Galicia

42°05′17″N 8°24′54″W / 42.088°N 8.415°W / 42.088; -8.415CountrySpainAutonomous CommunityGaliciaProvincePontevedraComarcaO CondadoGovernment

• TypeMayor–council • BodyConcello das Neves • MayorXosé Rodríguez (BNG) • Council

List

• María del Carmen Gil Álvarez
• Carlos Manuel González Rodríguez
• María Cristina Gil Barbeitos
• José Blearmino Méndez Álvarez
• Antonio Ricón Ubeira
• Daniel Tienda Castro
• Xosé Manuel Rodríguez Méndez
• Santiago Marino González
• María Asunción Cuntín Limeres
• Benito Diz Quinteiro

Area

• Total65.99 km² (25.48 sq mi)Population

(2018)^[1]

• Total3,892 • Density59/km² (150/sq mi)DemonymnevenseWebsitewww.asneves.com

As Neves (Galician for the snows) is a municipality in Galicia, Spain in the province of Pontevedra. It has 4,429 people (2010). Until 1904 it was called Setados.

Geography

As Neves has four elements that make up its geography: the Xuliana river's valley in the western part, the Minho river's valley in the south, along the border with Portugal, the Termes river's valley in the east and the Mountains of Paradanta in the north.

Economy

The town's main economy sources are the forest, wood, and "Condado" wine, one the kinds of wine under protected designation of origin Rías Baixas.

There are also tourist services based in countrysides and natural products for eating such as lamprea (lamprey eel, see recipe for the Galician dish[1]) and requeixón/requesón, a type of cheese curd (see a recipe for cheesecake made with requesón [2]).

Pilgrimage

It is the site of an annual pilgrimage on 29 July in which those who have experienced a near-death experience express their gratitude by visiting the church Santa Marta de Ribarteme^{[permanent dead link]}, the patron saint of resurrection.

Thousands of people descend on As Neves from 10 am on the day of Santa Marta. It is usually impossible to get a seat in the church but those who cannot get into the packed church can listen to the service relayed over loudspeakers.

Those who have passed through a near-death experience use coffins as their emblems; they either carry them or place themselves in the coffins and are carried by friends or family. After noon mass, the pilgrims walk to the town cemetery and then return to make a procession throughout the town.

As in many pilgrimages, there is a mix of solemnity and celebration. While pilgrims chant "Virgin Saint Martha, star of the North, we bring you those who saw death", Roma play instruments and vendors sell food, especially the local delicacy of cooked octopus. During the day, and even more so at night, fireworks are set off by those in the procession to mark their progress through the town.