Spain's biggest party starts next month in
Seville,
while medieval
 knights
do battle in Alicante and that most
Andalusian of traditions, the romeria, gets underway. In his regular
travel column, Ben Jones suggests where to go in April.One of Spain’s
biggest parties, probably the largest after Pamplona’s San Fermins, is the
Feria de Abril in the southern city Seville, which this year runs from 12-17
April.
Celebrating the most important things in life to an Andalusian – wine,
women, song and horses – the fair begins with El Alumbrado or 'the lighting'
when half a million lights illuminating the fairground are switched on at
once.
Inside the fairgrounds are hundreds of casetas, gaily-decorated little
houses made of canvas and wood.
Each caseta is operated by neighbours’ associations, fraternal groups,
trades unions and companies to entertain members and friends with non-stop
drinking, eating and dancing.
During the day, men dressed in Spanish riding outfits and women in
flamenco dresses parade through the streets of the fairgrounds on handsome
steeds or in horse-drawn carriages.
When they rein-in at the caseta of a friend, the host rushes out with
glasses of beer or sherry and a plate of tapas to welcome the riders.
By the time evening rolls around, everyone is pretty well foxed and loose
enough to join in the impromptu flamenco dancing.
For the visitor, getting invited into the private casetas can be a
problem, but political parties and the city hall sponsor casetas open to the
public.
During the feria, the first bullfights of the season are held in
Seville’s famed Maestranza bullring each afternoon and there is a mammoth
funfair at the fairgrounds to occupy the little ones.
San Jordi and Montblanc's Medieval Week
The Catalans celebrate el Día de San Jordi (the Day of St. George,
Catalonia’s patron saint) on 23 April, most notably with the exchange
between lovers of a rose and book.
 But
they are much more ambitious in the town of Montblanc, in Tarragona
province, about two hours south of Barcelona, where residents and visitors
celebrate the Medieval Week of the Legend of San Jordi from 22 April to 1
May.
Parades of knights and damsels, medieval markets, children’s craft
workshops, banquets from the Middle Ages, troubadour and minstrel
performances and mock battles are scheduled throughout the week with the
closing act a re-enactment of a 14th century meeting between King Jaume II
and Catalan nobles in the Church of St Michael on 1 May.
Moors and Christians do battle in Alicante
St George appears again, this time to save the day at the Moros y
Cristianos, or Moors and Christians, festival in Alcoy in Alicante province
from 21-24 April, one of many such re-enactments of the battles which took
place for centuries across the Iberian peninsula.
 Celebrating
the most important things in life to an Andalusian – wine, women, song and
horses – the fair begins with El Alumbrado or 'the lighting' when half a
million lights illuminating the fairground are switched on at once.
But this one is recognized as the biggest and best. For two days, the
Moorish forces decked out in plumed turbans and elaborate robes and waving
the green crescent of Islam parade about the town along with the armoured
Christian soldiers from as far away as the Basque region and Asturias as
bands play, citizens cheer and horsemen prance.
On the third day, battle is joined as cannons roar, blunderbusses boom,
and the two mighty armies clash amidst the ring of steel swords on metal
breastplates.
Spain's best party, the feria de abril
After fierce fighting, the Moors conquer the Alcoy castle but their
triumph is brief as the Christians rally, led by St George himself, to carry
the day, rout the invaders and declare victory.
The pageant dates back to the 13th century when the actual battle took
place. Modern-day participants divided into 28 Christian or Moorish armies,
known as filaes, spend the entire year between festivals raising funds,
attending feasts, designing their costumes and planning for the event, one
of the most important in the Spanish fiesta calendar.
By
the time evening rolls around, everyone is pretty well foxed and loose
enough to join in the impromptu flamenco dancing.
Another Spanish religious tradition, especially common in Andalusia, is
the romeria, when devotees on horseback, in carriages and on foot accompany
a gaily-decorated image of the locally-revered Virgin from a church or
shrine to another in a gala procession with singing, dancing and picnicking
along the way.
One of the oldest in the country is in Andújar in the southern province
of Jaen which began after the Virgen de la Cabeza appeared after the city
was reconquered by the Christians in 1227.
This year the romeria takes place Sunday, 24 April, following three weeks
of church masses, floral offerings to the image and other celebrations. |
