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Festivals
are the expression of the character of a culture. Mediterranean vitality
is exhibited in the folklore, music and traditional clothes of the
people from the Costa del Sol. Each year in the middle of August, the
city of Málaga has the week long festival called the 'Feria Grande'.
During the night people celebrate in the 'Real', a place in the open air
filled with traditional Andalusian tents and stalls, where there is
dancing, drinking and general festivities (free public entrance). There
is also a similar festival called 'Feria del Centro', which is
held in the historic centre of the city and goes on from the morning to
the evening. They erect large canopies and every main porch is converted
into a market stall, where they play loud popular music.
Other
festivals in main holiday destinations:
- Marbella : San Bernabé, June 11th.
- San Pedro de Alcántara : October 19th.
- Estepona : Virgen del Rosario, first week of September. The
Feira del Cristo is a few days later.
- Benahavís : Includes the Romería (religious procession).
Between the 11th and 15th of August
- Fuengirola : First week of October.
- Torremolinos : The Romería of San Miguel, at the end of
September.
The
most popular festival is probably the Semana Santa which occurs
from the Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday) to the Viernes Santo (Good
Friday) and then the Domingo de Resurrección (Easter Sunday). In almost
every town they celebrate this event by carrying religious icons across
the streets to dramatise the passion and death of Jesus Christ. In the
city of Málaga itself, it is a very impressive affair because hundreds
of men parade through the streets carrying very heavy thrones in huge
processions of penitence. The passage of these thrones through the very
narrow streets of the old town, past religious statues and traditional
corners coupled with the high number of people, can sometimes provoke
intense emotions in some of the local people.
In
some villages, the Santa Semana has peculiar interpretations: The Pueblo
de Riogordo dramatises the story of Christ with an eucharistic play
called El Paso, which is performed by members of the community; and in Iznate,
on Easter Sunday someone buries the image of Christ in the cemetery and
others have to find it.
The
extremely religious nature of the Andalusians is closely connected with
the many festivals of the towns and villages of the Costa del Sol. There
are many 'romerías', processions to the statue or monument to
the patron saint of the locality. In May and September there are lots of
these festivals and it is quite common for the people to wear
traditional dress for the occasion. In May Marbella celebrates the 'Cruz
del Juanar', a procession up to the mountain. Also in May is the 'Fiesta
de las Cruces', where people use flowers to decorate their houses
and terraces with religious images. It's recommended to see these same
festivals in the cities of Granada and Córdoba, and the villages Nerja,
Tolox and Coín which surround Málaga also put on quite an interesting
display.
In
almost every town they celebrate the Corpus Christi. People will
usually decorate the balconies and walls of the houses of the streets in
which the procession of the Custodia will take place. Another
spectacular traditional celebration is the 'Virgen del Carmen',
held on the 16th of July. She is the patron saint of the sailors and so
this occasion is celebrated by most of the towns and villages along the
coast. The celebration starts with a procession of an image of the
virgin in a boat decorated with flowers through the streets. The
procession ends with the virgin being slowly submerged into the sea.
The
carnival is another important occasion for each town and is
usually celebrated between February and March, just before Lent.
Unfortunately these festivities at one point were temporarily suspended
in most places due to excessive partying and rowdiness, but the
tradition still remains in places like Ronda or Torox. In the city of Málaga
they organise competitions of processions, street bands and jokes (sung
in a satirical fashion) and carnival displays. The theatre and the
streets are usually full of people in costume.
During
Lent there are other 'fiestas' like the 'Amarrar al Diablillo' in El
Burgo and Cuevas de San Marcos or the 'Partir la Vieja' in Cuevas del
Becerro or Arriate, where they organise the burning of an effigy. The night
of 'San Juan' is usually the biggest pagan celebration of the year
and is linked to the tradition of the solstice. At midnight on the 23rd
of June, they light a series of bonfires very close to one another,
called 'juas'. These fires are accompanied by music and fireworks on the
beach. Fire is also the central element in the 'fiestas de la
Candelaria', which are held on the 2nd of February, but is followed
mainly by the villages and farms from the interior of the province.
In
the Spanish Mediterranean the 'fiestas de moros y cristianos' (the Arabs
and the Christians) represents the period of coexistence and conflict
during the Medieval Ages. In Málaga this celebration is particularly
relevant in Alfarnate, a town in the interior, where Arabs stole
the image of the Virgen de Monsalud that was then later recovered by the
Christians. This celebration occurs in the middle of September and
earlier in August in Benalmádena and Benadalid.
There
are numerous celebrations related to the annual cycle of agriculture,
especially some of the older traditional festivals. These normally
coincide with the harvest period which is between the end of August and
the first half of September. Some towns and villages have taken
advantage of these occasions to promote their local produce, like they
do in Periana for their delicious peaches. The day of the 'Pescaíto'
on the beach of La Carihuela (Torremolinos) or the night of the 'Vino
de Competa' attract many hundreds of people.
Sherry
is the main focus of the celebration on the 28th of December, when they
celebrate the 'Fiesta de los Verdiales' in Málaga. They have
traditional music from the Montes (National Park close to the city) and
the bands wear hats of Arabic influences. This celebration has moved in
recent years, to a farmhouse close to the city of Málaga where
thousands of people congregate to drink the local wine and walk
listening to the various groups from different towns. They are
enormously popular celebrations, which are always very friendly enjoyed
by visitors and locals alike.
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