Galicians speak Galego — a Romance language descended from medieval Galician-Portuguese, distinct from Castilian Spanish. It's co-official with Spanish throughout the region, and you'll hear it everywhere outside the cities. Locals identify strongly with their Celtic heritage: bagpipes (gaitas) are played at festivals, Celtic symbols appear on tourist merchandise, and there's genuine pride in the connection to Brittany, Ireland, and Wales.
Galicia has its own folklore traditions, including the meiga — a benign healer-witch figure that appears in folk stories, literature, and the ceramic figures sold in markets. The queimada is the signature ritual: aguardiente (orujo, a grape spirit) is poured into a clay bowl with sugar and lemon, set alight until it burns blue, and served while the person lighting it recites a spell called a conxuro, invoking and banishing spirits. It's part theatre, part tradition, and universally enjoyed.
Gallegos are also known for their characteristic ambiguity — the saying goes that a Galician in a stairwell can't tell you whether they're going up or down. It's said affectionately, mostly by Galicians themselves.