Fiestas in Illora, Granada

You will find fiestas pilgrimages, fairs and processions being celebrated throughout the year in the Poniente Granadino.

The Granadinos take their Holy Week (Semana Santa) very seriously, and the Granada processions are quite spectacular. If you've never seen a Holy Week procession before, it can be quite breath-taking. Each hermandad (literally "brotherhood") has their own procession and is understandably extremely proud of their figures of Christ and the Virgin Mary. Everyone is involved and a lot of time and effort is spent making the figures as beautiful as possible.

During the processions, the floats ("pasos") with the figures are carried on the shoulders of the "costaleros" (traditionally men and boys), and are followed by processions of "nazarenos" in long, hooded gowns, the penitents (carrying figures of the cross on their shoulders), and women and girls dressed in black traditional Spanish costumes carrying candles and crosses. They are accompanied by brass bands playing soulful marching tunes which mark the step that the carriers must follow.

There are less well known customs, such as that of Montefrio's "four fools" who, bizarrely dressed, announce the fiestas in honour of Saint Sebastian.

The Candlemas fiesta has fire as its main element and the May Crosses is another picturesque popular celebration.

In Moclin on the day of St Anton a young piglet is slaughtered while during the Wine Pilgrimage of Alhama de Granada local wine and olla jamena, a type of stew, is offered. In Montefrio the day of "Our Lord of the Brea Rings" is celebrated when bread rings are consumed after they have been blessed.

There are several other fiestas and annual events such as the annual "Va de Calle" theatre festival in Loja, the "Parapanda Folk Festival" in Illora and the descent of the river genil by canoe in Huetor-Tajar.