Wednesday, May 4, 2016

May Festivals in Spain

Remember dancing around a Maypole on May 1st?  Or giving May baskets of flowers and candy in school?  Breaking piñatas on May 5th, Cinco de Mayo?  I'm revisiting many of these festivities this week.  I learned that in most of Europe, May 1st is a holiday called International Worker's Day, begun under communism.  How it proliferated into Western Europe is anyone's guess. Another excuse for a holiday off from work, I suspect. Anyway,   I saw  no evidence of worker's  dancing around a Maypole.



May 3rd in Spain is Dia de la Cruz, the Day of the Cross.  I Googled it and discovered that this is the day that Constantine found the cross on which Jesus was crucified.  So, to commemorate this day the Spanish decorate crosses with flowers and display them around the village.  In the evening musicians and dancers visit each cross and perform and then receive food and drink afterwards.  So, I spent Tuesday night following several groups through Frigiliana.  It was quite festive and many locals came out to celebrate. 




Singing Spanish folk songs

Dancing the Sevillana--like Flamenco




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1 comment:

  1. Ron and ClaudiaMay 4, 2016 at 5:48 PM

    I remember May 1st! As a child we took flowers to neighbors in milk cartons, rang the bell then ran away to hide and watch the reaction. So fun. The May Pole at school was a tradition, too. So sad to see that celebration of Spring go by the wayside. Glad you experienced it in Spain.

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