The Aste Nagusia ("Semana Grande" in Spanish and "Big Week" in English) festival of Bilbao is a 9 day event held at the end of August. The festival begins on Saturday when crowds gather at the iconic Arriaga Theatre on the banks of the Nervion River.
The cult of Our Lady of Begoña (Nuestra Señora de Begoña, la Madre de Dios de Begoña) celebrates an apparition of the Virgin Mary at the site of the Basilica of Begoña, in Bilbao, Spain. Affectionately called "Amatxu" (meaning "little mother" in Basque), she is said to have appeared to local people in the early 16th century.
