Grupo Folklórico Virgen de las Viñas

More than half a century of Manchegan folk traditions

Grupo Folklórico Virgen de las Viñas is a folk music and dance association founded in Tomelloso, Ciudad Real, in 1965 to preserve and share the traditions of La Mancha. It has remained active since then and hosts three folk festivals.

Its history in numbers

The group marked its 50th anniversary in 2015. Its own published figures record 547 performances and 9,986 jotas danced. In 2017, Jesús Cañas Parra published the 190-page book Medio siglo de Jotas, tracing the association’s history from 1965 to 2015.

Dancers, musicians, and schools

More than 50 people participate in adult and children’s ensembles. The association also has a dance school and a school for plucked-string instruments, which help bring in new performers. Its repertoire includes jotas, fandangos, mayos, seguidillas, jerigonzas, Christmas carols, meloneras, and songs associated with communal gatherings and farm work.

Three annual festivals

• Festival de Mayos, honoring the town’s patron saint, held annually in late May since 2002
• A Christmas folk festival, held each year since 1997
• A pilgrimage folk festival, held annually since 2015 on Tomelloso’s pilgrimage Saturday in Pinilla

Performances and exchange

The association exchanges performances with folk groups elsewhere in Spain and has appeared in France, Belgium, and Portugal, as well as at trade fairs such as FITUR. Its 2026 calendar included the Festival Aires del Tajo on July 11, Cultural Provincial on July 18, the 47th Festival Seguidilla on August 1, and the 31st Festival Nacional de Almagro on August 15.

A book about the group

The association sells Jesús Cañas Parra’s Medio siglo de Jotas directly and by mail. Mercedes and Carolina are listed as contacts for orders.