The festival of the Topito Cross, held in Tinizara, is also know as the celebration of the Roasted Potatoes. It marks the end of summer, as it traditionally takes place during the first weekend of August. Originally, the festival was held at the square of the hermitage “Sagrado Corazón de Tinizara”, in honour to the Holy Cross. The most important day of the festival is the day of the roast potatoes, which consists of a community lunch held in the open air at El Topito. There, the locals roast potatoes, which are then distributed among the visitors. The roasting used to be done by burying the potatoes with smoldering pine needles and vine trunks. Nowadays, special containers are being used, to avoid posible forest fires. The ones doing the roasting, a small group of neighbours that has been doing this for the last 50 years, are the true souls of this celebration. As with all small, local celebrations, this one is organized and prepared entirely by the local population. Many of the neighbours donate part of their harvest of local products, like potatoes, cheese, grilled pork, gofio flower and wine, while others take care of the preparations of the area. Although the festivals has been expanded with other cultural events, the Day of the Roasted Potatoes is an ideal outing for the whole family.
