JARRAMPLAS -EL PIORNAL-
Saint Sebastian Day was approaching and I did not have time enough to drive up to the city of San Sebastián -The Basque Country-. So, this year, instead of enjoying my beloved ‘Tamborrada‘, I decided to travel closer, to Piornal, in the Valle del Jerte (Extremadura), where the ‘JARRAMPLAS’ festival is celebrated on the same dates.
The DAY OF THE CROSS in Granada, also known as the Holy Cross festival, is held on May the 3rd.
The origin is found in 1625, when neighbours of San Lázaro set up an alabaster cross and sang and danced around it. Over the years, it became a tradition. Little by little similar crosses were placed in other old quarters. In some of them, such as ‘Albaicín’ and ‘Realejo’, it was the children who placed small altars with crosses, adding pottery and copper objects as decoration.
It was something pending on my list and I did not want to wait any longer. As the Carnival of Cádiz is one of the most famous in Spain, I had to go there and explore the entire city to experience all that was going on during Carnival.
Unlike most carnivals, focus on the showiness of the costumes, the imaginative attire is which people in Cádiz give more importance to. However, the main attraction of this carnival is the criticism, parody, and sarcasm involving the city during these days.
The ‘Zambomba Jerezana’ takes place during the month of December. It is a celebration during which flamenco style carols are sung in the streets of the town of Jerez de la Frontera, in the province of Cádiz.
