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What better way to know the Andalucians and their bright and vibrant culture than by observing their traditional customs? When fiesta time comes in Spain, rest assured that the locals will try their very best to put on a good show for everybody, locals and visitors alike.
At the start of the new year, on January 6th, the Spanish celebrate the Fiesta de los Reyes (“Feast of the Kings”). This commemorates the three kings and their biblical journey to pay homage to the newly born Christ child. Prior to this, on the evening of the 5th, three men dressed as kings make their way around town in a lively procession, throwing sweets around for children.
Forty days before Lent, the Catholic community celebrates a huge and lavish carnival. Most Andalucian towns usually have parades and processions. The carnival is the fiesta of the people, their “reaction” to prohibitions of all types. There is profuse partying in the streets and elsewhere at this time.
Among the foremost Spanish holidays in Málaga is the Semana Santa (“Holy Week”). This is the week before Easter and is a very solemn time in the whole of Spain. Among the towns and municipalities in the region, the Easter processions of Málaga rank up there with the finest. The processions are the picture of splendor.
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The Corpus Christi is another Christian tradition in Spain. This is a celebration of the divinity of the body of Christ and the presence of the Lord in the eucharistic wafer used in Catholic masses. At this time, the newly consecrated host is brought around town in a wondrous parade and procession, through streets that are strewn with fragrant cypress and flowers.
May is a month of non-stop festivities in Málaga, the first fiesta being the Crosses of May festival. This takes place on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd of May. Specifically, the 3rd of May is Santa Cruz day. The various zones of the town put up crosses and decorate them with bright flowers, each vying for the prize for the best decorated cross.
On the 24th of June, St. John’s Feast takes place. St. John, or San Juan in the native tongue, is one of Málaga’s patron saints. The celebrations for this fiesta take place right on the beach and lasts well into late at night. The festivities are marked by bonfires on the shore and splendid fireworks displays. For good luck, people dip their feet in the sea just after midnight. Some of the revelers, in their euphoria, end up in the water with their party clothes on!
In July, the “Veladilla del Carmen” takes place on the 16th of the month. This is a feast celebrating the Virgin Carmen, the guardian saint of fisherfolk. First, a special solemn mass is celebrated, and the statue of the virgin is carried in a procession through the town, down to the sea. The procession then proceeds aboard vividly decorated boats until a certain point at sea, whereupon huge fireworks are set off on the beach.
Finally, in the winter season, the first major fiesta is the Todos Los Santos (“All Saints’ Day”), observed on the 1st of November. This is a Catholic feast that commemorates the dearly beloved departed.
The last major feast of the year occurs on no other than the 25th of December, Christmas Day. Christmas Eve is the most silent of nights in normally brash and bubbly Andalucia; even most of the bars in the city and towns close at this time. This is to allow families to gather for dinner together, in preparation for Christmas morning at midnight.
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