Why are the Celta de Vigo players called 'olívicos'?

The history books of the Galician city of Vigo state that it was long known as the ‘city of the olive’. The reason behind the name is an olive tree that the knight-monks of the Templar planted, as a symbol of peace and hormony, in the atrium of the church of the Colegiata de Santa Maria.

Over the course of the years the olive tree dissapeared, along with the demolition of the church as part of plans for its reconstruction. Manuel Angel Pereira, a the customs officer, planted a cutting of the tree in the garden of his house. That remnant of the old olive tree grew and was eventually transplanted in the Paseo de Alfonso XII. Thus, it was converted into one of the most recognised symbols of any spanish city.

The coat of arms of Vigo features olive brances amongst its heraldic symbols. Nowadays a plaque alongside the actual tree reads the promise Vigo citizens made to their city in 1932 of "love, loyalty and self-sacrifice for our city" Both fans and players of Celta de Vigo are thus known as 'olivicos' in honour of the fact that it Vigo was once known as the ‘city of the olive’, a legacy that linked the city to the olive tree for so many centuries.

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