In Andalucia, there's a party every day - whether it's to celebrate a harvest (mostly in the autumn - grapes, olives, chestnuts, mushrooms) - a saint's day, or the town's own annual feria, when every town and village puts on a show, with casetas, sherry and dancing. Over 3,000 fiestas are celebrated every year in Andalucia, including fairs, pilgrimages, carnivals, mock battles between Moors and Christians.
In most wine-growing districts of Andalucia and Spain, the vintage or grape harves begins on the feast of St Matthew (21st September). In Jerez it starts officially on 8th September, the feast of the Nativity of Our Lady. The first grapes may be picked a week or two early, especially if the weather has been very dry and sunny. The harvest lasts about a month.
Every town and village in Andalucia has its own feria or fair, and it would be possible, if one had superhuman powers of endurance, to spend the whole summer following them about the region. The summer annual feria originated in the middle ages, and was the principal means of interchange of local products within the kingdom.
Certain festivals seem to summarise life in Spain, with its love of having a good time in the company of friends and loved ones. The Night of San Juan is definitely one of these events. It is a celebration that is usually held on the beach with roaring bonfires, drink, food, and friends. It is a memorable, almost surreal scene and one that needs to be experienced.
Andalucia is famous for its pilgrimages or "romerías" - so called because pilgrims traditionally walked to Rome, and therefore became known as "romeros" - to popular shrines, around which fiestas are held.
This festival is more popular in the east of Andalucia in the mainly provinces of Granada and Almeria, It takes place on different many days through out the year depending on the locality.
The annual Malaga city fair in August is an exuberant week-long street party with plenty of flamenco and 'fino' (sherry). The fair commemorates the re-conquest of the city by Isabella and Ferdinand in 1487 and traditionally runs for a week from Saturday to Sunday (inclusive) over the third week in August.
The May Crosses Festival (Cruces de Mayo) is celebrated in many parts of the world, especially in Latin America and Spain. And in Spain, the festival holds special importance in many parts of Andalucia, but especially Córdoba, which has the most famous celebration.
The Jerez Horse Fair, known as the Feria del Caballo, is traditionally held during the first or second week in May. It is an exciting and lively event that brings the entire city to the González Hontoria fairground, which covers an area of 52,000 square meters, giving ample space for the finest horses of Jerez, as synonymous with the city as sherry and flamenco, to show off to the crowds.
Corpus Christi feast is the Catholic solemnity in honour of the presence of the body of Christ in the holy water. It is celebrated throughout Spain and is held in either May or June depending on when Easter occurs.
Christmas brings great cheer across Spain as families prepare to spend the Season together over one elaborate meal after another. Every year Andalucia.com brings you a special look at Christmas and this year it is no different.
Spain is a country with a well known Catholic tradition. The carnival is, therefore, celebrated before the 40 days of Lent as a way to let loose before the prohibitions of the upcoming religious holidays. Most Andalucian towns stage a parade, and a dance and a "Carnival Queen" and other singing contests.
Spring in Seville has a special atmosphere, garlanded with the sweet scent of orange blossom and jasmine, and a frisson of excited anticipation, as the city's two most important events take place - first Semana Santa and then the Spring Fair, the Feria de Abril.
The Patio contests is sponsored by the Córdoba City Hall and began in 1918. But to really understand why a contest of this type was created in Córdoba you must know something about the local architecture.
The "Saca de las Yeguas" is an ancient tradition dating back to 1504, where over 1,500 semi-wild mares and foals are herded from Doñana's marshes to Almonte, Spain. This unique spectacle, held annually on June 26th, draws thousands as "yegüerizos" (breeders) guide the "troops" of horses through a scenic, marshy path.
In 1993, a young woman from the village of Luque in Cordoba had the idea of creating an hermandad (church brotherhood which goes out in a procession in Holy Week) specifically for women. The woman confided her idea to a group of friends, and one year later in 1994, the project of the first female brotherhood was founded - Nuestra Señora del Mayor Dolor. Spanish does not have a female equivalent of the word brotherhood, for women (sisterhood might be hermanadad).
The “Romería Nacional de los Gitanos”, or National Gypsy Pilgrimage” traditionally takes place the third Sunday in June and attracts not only gypsies, but also “gachos” (non-gypsies). In fact, this event which was founded in 1969 by Jose Córdoba Reyes, draws participants from across Andalucia.
Every year the beaches of Sanlucar de Barrameda in the province of Cádiz come alive with the pounding of hooves as the famous horse races take over the coast. Traditionally, the races take place the second and fourth weeks of August from Friday to Sunday. The schedule also depends on the tide times so they might come foward a week.
On 1 November, Tosantos (a contraction of todos los santos, or "all the saints") is celebrated throughout Andalucia, particularly in the villages of Cadiz and Malaga. It is traditional to visit the cemetery and place flowers or light candles on the graves of departed loved ones.
Religious icons are hugely popular in Andalucia; they are normally handcrafted from wood and porcelain and spend 99.9 per cent of the year in glass-covered alcoves at the local church. Most are dusted down and placed on flower-decked thrones at Easter-time when they are lovingly and solemnly borne through the streets. The Virgen del Carmen, however, has her own special day.
