Nature is the protagonist of the celebrations with which the city welcomes spring: the Os Maios festival, which has been declared a Festival of Tourist Interest in Galicia. During the morning of the first Sunday in May, the streets of the historic center of Ourense are filled with color and joy with the appearance of the maios, unique handmade vegetal sculptures created especially for this day.

The most traditional creations exceed one and a half meters in height and can be conical or pyramidal, evoking the silhouettes of the mountains, although there are also cruceiros that give a Christian air to these figures of pagan origin. Nowadays, more artistic maios can be found, with free themes ranging from traditional characters and scenes to monuments or even current topics.