Look at a calendar in Spain and you will find that there are a multitude of local and national festivals for each region, city, and town throughout the year. Festivals in Spain can be either religious or culture-based. Celebrated with passion and dedication, both kinds are considered to be big parts of life and involve plenty of eating, drinking, and festivities. Some of the more renowned festivals are Semana Santa in Andalucia, the great April Fair in Seville, the spectacular fires of Las Fallas in Valencia, the battle reenactments of Moros y Cristianos in Alcoy, and the running of the bulls in Pamplona.
　　 The larger southern region of Andalucia has more characteristic celebrations, such as bullfighting, flamenco, music, and wine festivals. In smaller towns, the festivals are somewhat more specific, such as the Snail Festival in Lleida and the Sueca Paella Festival.
　　 From September to November, most festivals in Spain revolve around the harvest, and the Fiestas de Otono, or Autumn Festivals, pays tribute to grapes. The start of the spring brings about more celebration. In February and March, Carnival is celebrated all over Spain as masses of people dress up in masks and extravagant costumes and parade down the streets. Movie festivals can be found in San Sebastian, Malaga, and Sitges. Music festivals include the FIB, Festimad, Primavera Sound, Bilbao BBK Live, and many others. With monthly celebrations happening throughout the country, a visit to Spain at any time of the year guarantees travelers a glimpse into the wonderful world of festivals.

1. multitude n. 眾多；群眾
a multitude of...　　許多的……，大量的……
= plenty of...
例: The singer received a multitude of requests to perform live.
（那名歌手接獲大量現場演出的要求。）

2. dedication n. 專心致力；奉獻
例: Peter's dedication made up for his lack of experience.
（彼得的認真投入彌補了經驗的不足。）

3. involve vt. 包含；牽涉
例: This project involves a lot of time and hard work.
（這項企劃案需要付出許多時間和努力。）

4. renowned a. 有名的
be renowned for sth　　以某事物聞名
= be famous for sth
be renowned as + 身分　　以某身分聞名
= be famous as + 身分
例: This restaurant is renowned for its award-winning steaks and ribs.
（這家餐廳以它獲獎的牛排和肋排出名。）
例: Harry is renowned as a fabulous pianist.
（哈利以琴藝高超的鋼琴家身分而聞名。）

5. characteristic a. 獨特的；特有的 & n. 特色
be characteristic of...　　是……的特色／特有的
例: Dry air is characteristic of desert climates.
（空氣乾燥是沙漠氣候的特色。）

6. somewhat adv. 有點，稍微
somehow adv. 不知怎地
例: Mrs. Lin is somewhat puzzled by her daughter's recent behavior.
（林太太對她女兒近來的行為感到有些不解。）
例: Nick's degree is in architecture. Somehow, he ended up working in our company's advertising department.
（尼克拿的是建築學位，但不知怎麼回事，他最後卻是在我們公司的廣告部門做事。）

7. specific a. 特定的
例: Johnny was wandering around town without a specific destination in mind.
（強尼漫無目的地在市區閒晃。）

8. revolve vi. 旋轉；環繞
revolve around...　　繞著……轉；以……為中心
例: Sally's life revolves around taking care of her children.
（莎莉的生活重心就是照顧小孩。）

9. tribute n. 敬意；尊崇
pay tribute to...　　向……表示敬意
例: We'll pay tribute to our boss at his retirement dinner tonight.
（我們將在今晚老闆的退休晚宴上向他致敬。）

10. bring about...　　帶來……；導致……
例: The government hopes the luxury tax policy will bring about sweeping economic changes.
（政府希望奢侈稅的政策能帶來重大的經濟改變。）

11. dress up　　盛裝打扮
例: It's a formal party, so you'll have to dress up.
（那是正式的派對，因此你必須盛裝打扮。）

12. extravagant a. 奢華的；奢侈的
例: I think it is very extravagant to spend NT$20,000 on a hat.
（我認為花 2 萬塊買 1 頂帽子非常奢侈。）

13. parade vi. & n. 遊行
on parade　　列隊行進
例: The protestors held signs and paraded in front of the courthouse.
（抗議群眾在法院前舉牌遊行。）
例: Those soldiers were on parade in front of the presidential building.
（那些士兵在總統府前列隊行進。）

14. guarantee vt. 保證，擔保
例: The director guaranteed that the movie would be a success.
（該片的導演保證電影會大賣。）

15. glimpse n.（有助於了解某事物的）短暫經歷（其後常與介詞 into 並用）；瞥見
catch a glimpse of...　　瞥見……
例: Scuba diving gave me a fascinating glimpse into ocean life.
（深海潛水讓我對海洋生態有了很棒的體驗。）
例: The fans waited hours just to catch a glimpse of their idol.
（那些影迷等了數小時只為了一睹偶像的風采。)

西班牙：少不了節慶狂歡的國度
造訪西班牙的理由之一就是去參加它每年的諸多節慶。

　　看看西班牙的日曆，你會發現各個地區、城市、鄉鎮在一整年裡有許多地區性或是全國性的節日。西班牙的節日不是有宗教意涵就是和文化背景有關。人們熱情且全心投入地慶祝這 2 類節日，而這些節日被認為是生活中非常重要的部分，充滿了佳餚美酒與慶祝活動。其中一些較為知名的節日包括安達魯西亞的聖週、塞維亞的 4 月春會、瓦倫西亞法雅節的壯麗火光、阿科伊的摩爾人與基督徒日的模擬戰爭，以及潘普隆納的奔牛活動。
　　 在安達魯西亞較廣大的南部地區還有更多獨具特色的慶典，例如鬥牛、佛朗明哥舞、音樂以及葡萄酒節。在較小的城鎮裡，舉行的節慶則有點針對某一特定目標，像是列里達的蝸牛節以及蘇維卡海鮮飯節。
　　 從 9 月到 11 月，西班牙大多數節慶的主題都圍繞著收成，而秋日節則是頌揚葡萄的。春天的來臨會帶來更多的慶祝活動。從 2 月到 3 月，整個西班牙都在慶祝嘉年華會，眾人以面具及華麗的服裝精心打扮在街上遊行。電影節在聖賽巴斯帝安、馬拉加、錫切斯等地舉行。音樂節則包括了 FIB、Festimad、Primavera Sound、Bilbao BBK Live 等。這個國家每個月都有節慶活動，因此無論在 1 年當中的哪個時候造訪西班牙，都保證能讓遊客一窺節慶的美妙世界。