LA FIESTA DE LAS CRUCES IN SPAIN

Photos taken in "El Santo Cristo del Zapato" celebration- Pinos del Valle (Granada)

La Fiesta de las Cruces (Crosses Celebration), also called Cruz de Mayo in Spain is celebrated on 3rd of May. This is a Christian tradition in which all kind of crosses are installed in the streets of many towns and little villages, the crosses mainly are made of flowers surrounded by many decorative objects which are placed with more or less success, especially floral elements, pots and plants, but in fact anything can help (even scarves, quilts, paintings, candlesticks....). Its origin is popular, as the neighbours of a street or square are who provide the materials. Then in the parties people dance around, sing allusive songs and play games.

Also it has become imperative in the habit of installing a bar and take the opportunity to do some business, usually to cover the cost of Easter brotherhoods, clubs or groups of students.

The County Hall of most places where it is celebrated every year arranges Crosses Contest and visit the award-winning cross.

Related to the religious origin, they seem to be caused by the discovery by St. Helena of the cross where Christ died (on a May 3rd), but the fact is that the popular support of the party seems to come from certain celebrations of the Romans.

It is held in many locations in Spain and Latin America as well. In Spain some of the towns where this fiesta is highly celebrated and receive a huge number of visitors are:

- Córdoba is the capital of the crosses for excellence (that they celebrate along with the beautiful festivity of the courtyards embellishments).

- Motril (Granada) is considered the second city of the crosses. It is the closest city that is next to Cordoba in the race to get the top position of City of Las Cruces. Its celebrations are of National Tourism interests.

- Granada is the third in this ranking. Since I have had the opportunity to enjoy this celebration there during the last three years and here I am enclosing some of the photos I took.

a cross at the feet of  La Alhambra

in El Albaicin (Granada)

close to official buildings

or close to your own house.........

made with any little toy by children

or made with bread by a big supermarket chain........ anything is of good use!

THE OLD "RASTRO" MARKET IN MADRID

hare krishna followers also like to go to El Rastro on Sundays ........

If you're in Madrid and it is Sunday morning you have an event you can not miss: to visit the Rastro, the outdoor largest market in Spain. It is a medieval street market. And you can find in it all kinds of objects: clothing, footwear, antiques, collectings, books and magazines, posters and picture frames, handicrafts, music, tools, flowers, new and used items, etc. It has more than a thousand stalls.

The name “Rastro” comes from the use that the main artery of this market, Tannering Street, dragging the carcasses with their skins of the animals from the slaughterhouse (which was very close) to the tanneries and in the way they left a trail of blood .... (so “rastro” means trail).

The centre of this large market is Cascorro Square, so named by a Spanish soldier named Eloy Gonzalo, who bravely fought in the war in Cuba (1895) in the city of Cascorro (in Camaguey town) and died there at age 29, of dysentery. His statue carries a rifle on his shoulder with a rope and a can of oil in their hands, which are the objects that he used to carry out their deeds.

This place is full of tourists and nationals every Sunday, with people of all ethnic groups and nationalities, to seek bargains and bits and pieces or souvenirs for family and friends, or to taste the gastronomy of Madrid or just to stroll.

this friendly French guy told me he loves playing the Spanish guitar in el Rastro

after taking this shot the guy waving offered us his lovely .... bottom for a photograph,

unluckily I didn't!

As midday approaches, people are often closer to the bars in the area, near Plaza de Cascorro, to take the appetizer, that can be a vermouth or a glass of wine or a pint of beer, accompanied by a cover (the famous Spanish ”tapas”).

I use to go to the Rastro from time to time (I live quite close to it, by the way) and so I did last Sunday with some friends. I took my camera with me and these are some of the photos I took this time…………

a "chulapo" (man in a typical madrileño suit) selling "barquillos" (sort of sweet cones)

old furniture

a short musical break

a tourist and .......... Salvador Dali?

there you can find.....anything

and anyone?

maybe you need a frame?

and of course the typical poster for tourists can't be avoided

And if you get there remember to be very careful of pickpockets who thrive, among so many people!

For those who wants to know more about this famous madrileño market, here you have this link to have a look:

El Rastro market in Madrid

TODAY'S PHOTOS OF ONE "SEMANA SANTA" PROCESSION

Finally I went this afternoon to see one of the many processions that are taking place in Madrid and in every corner of Spain, during this Easter Week and I have taken some photos of it. Do you want to see them?

The name of this one was la "Procesión del Silencio" and here you can see how it was. Just only a few things to tell you: there were two effigies this time, one of the Virgin Nuestra Señora de La Dolores and the other of the Santisimo Cristo de la Fe (Most Holy Christ of Faith). Each of them are carried by 32 women (the Virgin) and 32 men (the Christ) and the weight they have to support is about 1,500 kilograms for each of them. Has one ever tipped over?

After this little introduction, here are the photos!

Photos taken by Nieves R.

EASTER WEEK IN SPAIN CALLED AS LA SEMANA SANTA

The Easter Week is called in Spain la Semana Santa and this is not a fiesta focused on raucous celebrations but based on religious beliefs, it is time for people for ask forgiveness for their sins and do penance.

In this week you can see that many processions take place all over my country, from the biggest city till the tiniest village. In those processions groups of people (men usually) bear the weight of large stretcher-type constructions, that have effigies of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ on top of them and they are in complete silence, with the only rhythm of a slowly banging drum.

Also there are groups following the parades, with people dressed in black or purple wearing pointed hoods who, as a Mexican friend told me recently, resemble to the Ku Klux Klan, but they aren’t!, they are penitents who wants to be forgiven for their sins or to keep a promise. The hats are really replicas of the hats given to the “guilty” in the Spanish Inquisition.

Since I haven’t seen yet any procession this year (I’ll probably go to see one this afternoon with some friends), I leave here some of the photos that I took last year in one of those processions in Madrid.

Photos taken by Nieves Ranz