Fiestas in and near Frigiliana

On Good Friday, at precisely 24:00 (midnight) all the women of Frigiliana gather in a processional line, starting at the San Antonio church (4 minutes walk from the apartment).

Each woman is dressed in black, wears a veil and carries a candle.

All the lights in Frigiliana are extinguished and the procession, slowly winds its way through the narrow streets, carrying the statue of the crucified Christ before it.

Its simplicity, silence and solemnity are intensely moving, and unmissable if you are in Frigiliana on this special day.

Easter Sunday celebrates the risen Christ and again involves a procession. This time all the villagers participate, men and women and even the children

Statues of the risen Christ and the Madonna are carried around Frigiliana in a huge procession.

Different groups of men and women wear different coloured robes and one group of men are dressed to resemble each of the apostles

The procession starts once again at the church near our Frigiliana holiday apartment and lasts about one hour or more, until it reaches Plaza del Ingenio.

I will not describe separately the Easter celebrations in Nerja because they are very similar.

Day of the crosses. In May (the date can vary) there is a day when local people construct crosses made out of flowers. These are paraded through Frigiliana's streets with much pride. noise and applause.

Naturally there is lots of dancing, drinking and feasting on local produce, especially the famous, intoxicating Frigiliana wine - made sweet with the Muscatel grape and tasting like a strange sherry!

There are usually bands and singing and many people don the traditional costume for the day. The local tourist office in Frigiliana (who speak English) will tell you dates. Their telephone number is 95 253 3126. (If dialling from UK preface with '00 34'.)

The Flamenco competition. The people of Frigiliana love their traditions and none more so than traditional dancing.

Each May or June (again the tourist office can supply dates) a Flamenco competition is organised.

Its purpose is to choose the best candidates to go forward into the national competition.

Frigiliana is making a great effort to re-invent itself as an artistic centre of the Axarquia.

This competition, now in its 13th year is becoming a renowned part of that artistic initiative.

Since it lasts for three or four weeks, if you are in Frigiliana in May or early June you should be able to see some of the dancing.

The fair of San Antonio. San Antonio is the local saint and this fair is an awesome celebration of the fact!

Last year I forgot all about the date, caught a late plane and drove into Frigiliana about 01:00 in the morning. A fun fair was in full swing. Children were jumping up and down on a bouncy castle, mothers and fathers were swaying gently among the stalls and the fairground rides.

I had just settled into the apartment with a cold beer when the sky above Frigiliana exploded with the sound and sight of a huge firework display. I might be exagerating but I don't think it all stopped until about 2 in the morning.

Again you will see lots of local people in traditional costume, horse riding, parades and the election of "the child queen and Mr infant". For those who are more religious a special mass is celebrated at this time.

The summer concert in Frigiliana. Every year in the summer (date to be confirmed for 2006) there is a summer concert starring Spanish groups and solo artists.

I have never attended but it is supposed to be very popular among young people all over Spain.

San Sebastian Fiesta. Every year on January 20th the festival of San Sebastian is celebrated in Frigiliana. The statues of three saints are carried, on large platforms, through the village along the narrow winding streets

Carrying these images must be hard work and requires much training; they are heavy, the cobblestones are uneven and the streets of Frigiliana have steep inclines making both ascents and descents hazardous at the best of times.

Unlike the Frigiliana Easter parades, this celebration is characterised by the constant igniting of fireworks to accompany the procession

There seems to be a strange mix of pagan and Christian tradition at work here. Whatever its origins the effect is amazing and testimony once again to the capability of Frigiliana to worship, celebrate and party, preferably all at the same time!

Fiestas in Nerja (about 5km from Frigiliana