Editing Cantabria (section)

==Culture==
[[File:Techo de Altamira (replica)-Museo Arqueológico Nacional.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Altamira Cave]] paintings, made by [[Cro-Magnon]]s.<ref name="timesonline.co.uk">{{Cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/specials/artistic_spain/article5904206.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100525125935/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/specials/artistic_spain/article5904206.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=25 May 2010|work=The Times|location=London, UK|title=After Altamira all is decadence|first=Edward|last=Owen|date=14 March 2009|access-date=28 April 2010}}</ref>]]

===Language===
[[Spanish language|Spanish]] is the official language of Cantabria. The eastern part of Cantabria contributed to the origins of [[Old Spanish|Medieval Spanish]] in a significant way. {{Citation needed|date=October 2020}} In western areas, there are remnants of the [[Cantabrian dialect|Cantabrian language]], also called ''"montañés"'', and it is also somewhat preserved in parts of the Pas and Soba valleys in its eastern zone. Cantabrian can be viewed as a dialect of the wider [[Astur-Leonese language]] continuum, and is [[mutually intelligible]] with varieties in neighbouring [[Asturias]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Menéndez Pidal|first=R|title=El dialecto Leonés|orig-year=1906|year=2006|publisher=El Buho Viajero|location=León|isbn=84-933781-6-X}}</ref>

===Monuments and museums===
[[File:La Pasiega-Galeria C-panel 77.png|thumb|left|100px|One of the many paleolithic paintings in the [[Cave of La Pasiega]]]]
*'''Caves''': [[Altamira (cave)|Altamira Cave]], [[Cave of El Soplao|El Soplao]], [[Cave del Valle (Cantabria)|Del Valle]], El Pendo, [[Cueva de La Pasiega|La Pasiega Cave]], Las Monedas, El Castillo, Morín, and others.
*'''Civil architecture''': [[Palacio de la Magdalena|Magdalena palace]] in Santander; Capricho de Gaudí, [[Comillas Pontifical University|Pontifical University of Comillas]] and Sobrellano palace in Comillas; Bárcena palace in Ampuero; Castle of Argüeso in Campoo; Hornillos palace in Las Fraguas del Besaya; etc.
*'''Religious architecture''': Collegiate of Santillana del Mar, Collegiate of Santa Cruz de Castañeda, [[Santo Toribio de Liébana|Santo Toribio de Liébana Monastery]], Santa María de Lebeña, Santa María de Piasca, Santa María del Puerto, San Román del Moroso, Santa Catalina del Cintul, Santuario de Virgen de la Peña, ermita de San Cipriano, ermita de Monte Corona, etc.
*'''Museums''': Cantabrian Sea Maritime Museum, Ethnographic Museum of Cantabria, Santander Museum of Fine Arts, Regional Museum of Prehistory and Arqueology of Cantabria, Cantabrian Museum of Nature, Altamira National Museum and Investigation Centre, and others.

===Universities===
[[File:Palacio de la Magdalena.jpg|thumb|200px|'''International University Menéndez Pelayo'''. [[Palacio de la Magdalena]]. Venue for the summer courses of the UIMP (Santander). It also was a seasonal residence for kings of Spain.]]
*[[University of Cantabria]]
*[[International University Menéndez Pelayo]]
*[[Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia]]
*Campus Comillas
*CESINE
*[[European University of the Atlantic|Universidad Europea del Atlántico]]

===Fairs and festivals===
[[File:La Vijanera.jpg|thumb|200px|[[La Vijanera]] in Silió]]
Regarding the [[fair]]s, understood as big markets of products periodically celebrated, it is remarkable the ''Livestock Fair of Torrelavega'' taking place in the National Livestock Market "Jesús Collado Soto", the third biggest of Spain, that groups the buy and sell of all kinds of cattle in the region itself and the adjacent ones, being the bovine the main product. All over the region cattle and typical products fairs are celebrated weekly, monthly, or annually to gather the neighbours of the land. There are many different festivities in Cantabria, some of them limited just to small villages, but there are also festivals that attract tourism from all over the country. The most important are the following:

*''[[La Vijanera]]'' (Winter Carnival), celebrated during the first Sunday of the year in [[Silió]]. It celebrates the end of the short winter days and the arrival of the sun. The representation of a white bear hunt takes place all over this little village. The traditional dressing of the characters in the play, the trapajones and the zarramacos, is one of its main features.
*''Carnaval marinero'' (Sailor Carnival), in February in [[Santoña]]. Commonly known as "the carnivals of the North", in this carnival, started in 1934, many people of the town participate dressing themselves up as fish. The main event is the "Trial at the bottom of the ocean", where the "''[[Bream|besugo]]''" is judged before the last act, "The burning of the ''besugo''". (A ''besugo'' is a foolish person besides a type of fish).
*''La Folía'', April in [[San Vicente de la Barquera]], a parade of local fishing boats following one with a statue of the Virgin.
*''Coso Blanco'', first Friday in July in Castro Urdiales. Colorful parade with carts.
*''Cantabria Day'', second Sunday of August in [[Cabezón de la Sal]]. Traditional Cantabrian music, ceramics fair, local foods, [[bolo palma]] championships, ox dragging contests and public speeches.
*SAUGA folk music festival, celebrated the third weekend of August in [[Colindres]].
*''Floral Gala'', August en [[Torrelavega]]. A festival of international touristic importance with carts decorated with flowers.
*''Battle of Flowers'', August, in Laredo. Carts decorated with flowers and fruit. [[Fireworks]] in the evening.
*''Campoo Day'', September in [[Reinosa]]. Tourist fair of regional importance since 1977 and celebrated since the 19th century, it shows customs and traditions of the [[Campoo|Campurrians]] in their capital. [[Cattle]] shows, local products market and regional costumes are the items in this festival.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}

The following [[festival]]s are also remarkable in modern Cantabrian culture: [[Santander International Festival]]<ref>{{in lang|es}} [http://www.festivalsantander.com/index_es.html Festival Internacional de Santander website] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070710151000/http://www.festivalsantander.com/index_es.html |date=10 July 2007 }}</ref> (Arts festival), Santander Summer Festival<ref>[http://www.santandersummerfestival.com]  {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070324053339/http://www.santandersummerfestival.com/|date=24 March 2007}}</ref> (Music festival), Sotocine<ref>{{in lang|es}} [http://www.sotocine.tk/ Sotocine website] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071007081658/http://www.sotocine.tk/ |date=7 October 2007 }}</ref> (Film festival)

===Mythology===
{{Main|Cantabrian mythology}}
{{unreferenced section|date=August 2015}}
The north of the Spanish state is a rich area for [[mythology]]. From [[Galicia, Spain|Galicia]] to the [[Basque Country (autonomous community)|Basque Country]], passing by Asturias and Cantabria, there are rites, stories and imaginary or impossible beings.

Cantabrian lore turns its forests and mountains into magical places where the [[myth]]s, [[belief]]s and [[legend]]s have been present as an essential part of the [[Cantabrian culture]], either because they have been living in the popular heritage through the [[oral tradition]] transmitted from father to son, or because they have been recovered by scholars ([[Manuel Llano (scholar)|Manuel Llano]] and others) who have worried about preserving the cultural heritage.
Its mythology and [[superstition]]s present a great [[Celt]]ic influence that has diluted with the pass of time, being [[Religion in ancient Rome|romanized]] or [[Christianity|Christianized]] in many cases.

There is a heavy presence of fabulous beings of [[giant (mythology)|giant]] proportions and [[Cyclopean]] features (the ''[[ojáncanu|ojáncanos]]''), fantastic animals (''[[cuélebre|culebres]]'', ''[[caballucos del diablu]]'' (lit. horses of the devil, [[damselfly|damselflies]]), ''[[ramidreju]]s'', etc.), [[Fairy|færies]] (''anjanas'', ''ijanas'' of Aras), [[duende (mythology)|duendes]] (''nuberos, ventolines, [[trenti]]s, trasgus, trastolillos, musgosu, tentiruju''), [[anthropomorphic]] characters (the ''sirenuca'' (little mermaid), the [[fish-man]], the [[cuegle]], the wife-bear of Andara, the ''guajona''), etc.