|
|
Murcia is outgoing by nature, with strong Mediterranean roots. The people have always prided themselves on their use of social gatherings as the ideal way of giving thanks for the marvellous climate and the generous fertility of the land, which gives shelter and hospitality to both inhabitants and strangers.
Throughout the year it is possible to attend a plethora of events in the Region in which passion alternates with colour, joy with restraint, vitality with History and fervour with popular exaltation. The festivities of the Region of Murcia are full of spectacularity and profoundly felt sentiment.
From January to December festivals move between pageantry and participation. From Carnival to Easter Week, from the Spring Festival -culminating in the spectacular Burial of the Sardine- to the Romans and Carthaginians pageants, from the Moors and Christians and the smell of gunpowder and blunderbusses to the Wine Horses, from the festival of the Grape Harvest to the Immaculate Conception and Christmas Eve, from the masterly Epiphany mystery play to the May Crosses, from the marine processions in honour of Our Lady of Carmen to the Romerías (local pilgrimages) inland, from the ever colourful Huerta (Farming) Festival to the profound, heart-rending flamenco-style Mine Song Festival.
Carnavales del Cabezo de Torres
For three days this Murcia district becomes a centre of attraction, with four parades and fancy-dress competitions between the different carnival groups (comparsas) that bring life to the fiesta.
Semana Santa
Easter kicks off on the Friday before with the procession of the Most Holy Christ our Refuge (Santísimo Cristo del Amparo), one of the youngest confraternities in the city. Of note are the processions on Holy Monday, with the confraternity of Christ of Forgiveness (Cristo del Perdón); Holy Wednesday, with the popular procession of the coloraos and their Christ of the Blood, and Good Friday morning, when the unmistakeable sculptures of Francisco Salzillo take to the streets. Murcia¿s Holy Week is marked by its baroque character, the huertano-style attire of its penitents, and the traditional custom during the processions of handing out sweets to friends and acquaintances.
Certamen Internacional de Tunas Costa Cálida
This contest has been held since 1988, with the participation of tunas (student music groups) from such diverse places as Colombia, Holland, Puerto Rico and, of course, Spain. Night performances and parallel activities such as street concerts, serenading, etc. which give the city a student atmosphere.
Bando de la Huerta
The big day of the city's Spring Festival. The day begins early, with a floral offering to Our Lady of the Fuensanta, the patron saint of the city, before the baroque façade of the Cathedral. Thousands and thousands of Murcianos and visitors, dressed in typical huertano costume, accompany the Virgin after a short visit of the city centre; in the afternoon these same crowds will bring life to the grand cavalcade, through the city's streets, of ox-drawn carts, floats from which broad beans, black puddings and bread rolls are thrown to the spectators, and folk bands from each and every one of the huertano associations.
Entierro de la Sardina
The Burial of the Sardine, the climax of the Spring Festival, is Murcia's wackiest night of the year. On this April Saturday, a crazy cavalcade of "giants" and "big-heads" (gigantes and cabezudos), torch-bearers and entertainers, demons and Brazilian samba groups will escort a fleet of some twenty floats, one for each Sardinero association, which, in honour of the most diverse Gods of Olympus, will throw hundreds of thousands of euros worth of toys to the crowd in the space of just a few hours. Over the days previously, these same associations march through the streets with their brass bands. On the night of the eve of the Burial, the Testament of Doña Sardina (Ms Sardine) is read from the balcony of the Town Hall. The fiesta ends in the early hours of the morning, when, once the last float has finished its round, a papier-mâché effigy of the Lenten sardine is burnt in Plano de San Francisco amid public rejoicing.
Festival Internacional del Folklore
The city's September Fair includes a classic among Murcian festivals, the Folk Festival, with performances by groups from all over the world.
Fiestas de Moros y Cristianos
The Moorish and Christian camps and the parades by the two armies and their brass bands lend a note of historical colour during these festivities, which culminate in the Bullfighting Festival, where corridas in the Condomina bullring by top Spanish fighters are always a sell-out. |
|
|