Throughout Spain, at the beginning of May, the arrival of Spring is celebrated with the festival of Las Cruces de Mayo. Here, in Southern Andalucia, Spring has been with us for some while but this is no excuse for not celebrating the fiesta of Las Cruces.
In Granada and large towns like Motril, this is a major fiesta which lasts 3 days. Garages and empty shops are converted by the neighbours into temporary tapas bars, often with live music to which girls and women of all ages, resplendent in their flamenco dresses and embroidered shawls, dance the sevillana. The centrepiece of the celebration is a cross bedecked with flowers.
In the little village of Guagar Alto, our Cruz de Mayo was a humbler affair. The cross of flowers was erected in the square outside the church, and on Sunday afternoon the villagers congregated to enjoy food prepared on the spot and distributed free. Migas was cooked in a large cauldron and flavoured with sausages, fried peppers and bacalao. A barrel of beer, to which the villagers could help themselves, was also set up. The sun was warm and the village streets were saturated with the scents of jasmine, citrus blossom and roses.
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