The Cruces de Mayo festival in Estepona - Fiestas, Semana Santa, parades and tapas trails in Estepona - Estepona forum - Costa del Sol forum in the Malaga province of Spain
Travel Caddy Costa del sol
ASSSA Insurance
Private Yoga Shiatsu  Reflexology RLD

Join the Estepona forum

Join the Estepona forumMy name's Alex and this is my website all about Estepona in Spain. Register now for free to talk about Fiestas, Semana Santa, parades and tapas trails in Estepona and much more!

The Cruces de Mayo festival in Estepona

Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2018 9:01pm
1 reply50 views1 member subscribed
JenniferL

Posts: 55

30 helpful points

Location: Estepona

Joined: 23 Jan 2018


Las Cruces de Mayo - the Crosses of the month of May. A wonderful occasion held in May in beautiful Estepona, usually on the first weekend, but it varies. Not to be missed! N.B. in other towns the date is either actually 3 May, or the nearest weekend to that.  In Estepona the date is decreed by the Town Council Ayuntamiento a couple of months before.

It is a very old tradition.  Various groups of people - usually linked to the Hermandades, the religious Brotherhoods who organise the Easter Week processions, get together and decorate a tall cross with flowers.

They choose a pretty square (there are loads of pretty squares to choose!) and also decorate the area around the cross with typical and traditional items. A guitar. An embroidered shawl. Old earthenware pots. Even an old-fashioned sewing machine! For the cross of the Hermandad de Nuestra Señora del Carmen, Queen of the Sea, they use fishing nets and tackle. For San Isidro the Ploughman Saint, they have crops and traditional foodstuff. One cross one year even had a bullfighter's "Traje de Luces" outfit on display as a part of traditional Spain. In 2017 onr cross was decorated entirely with fruits and vegetables instead of flowers. Spectacular!

They set out these beautiful items, redolent of the past and of the traditions of the town, making an artistic display that everyone comes to admire. Although it is normally one of the Brotherhoods decorating the crosses, it can also be a group of friends and neighbours, a youth group, even the customers of one of the butcher's have got together to produce these lovely events.

The Ayuntamiento (Town Council) awards prizes for the best-decorated square and cross - €400 for the first prize. The idea is to go and visit them all and see if you agree with the judges!

As well as the decoration, there is music, dancing (can you do flamenco?), barbecues, bars, giant paellas and general merriment all day long around each cross.

All these crosses and celebrations in the lovely old town of Estepona, a wonderful sight and experience. There are a dozen or so, scattered all round the Centro Histórico.

Here are some of the places where you'll find them, and they are all places that are worth visiting in their own right, even without the crosses. Look on Google Maps to find where everything is. Plaza = square, Calle = street

* Plaza Pozo Prados: Grupo PASE (a local faith group)

* Plaza Begines: Hermandad de Los Remedios (a Brotherhood)

* Calle Salvador Dalí (at the bottom, next to the Orchid House, 2017 winner) : Hermandad del Amor (a Brotherhood)

* Plaza Juan Bazán: Vecinos del casco antiguo (group of neighbours and customers of the butcher's)

* Plaza del Rocío: Hermandad del Cautivo (a Brotherhood)

* Calle Veracruz: Hermandad de la Veracruz (a Brotherhood)

* Plaza Marques de Valterra, in the Fisherman's Quarter): Hermandad de la Virgen del Carmen (a Brotherhood) (The 2016 winners)

* Calle Jesús Cautivo: Hermandad del Cautivo (a Brotherhood)

* Plaza San Fernando - in front of the San Fernando Football ground.

These are just some of them - there are more as you wander around. You will also see decorated crosses in some shop windows. A FABULOUS occasion, with more crosses than ever each year! You must come and see this!

.

JenniferL

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2018 12:03pm

JenniferL

Original Poster

Posts: 55

30 helpful points

Location: Estepona

Joined: 23 Jan 2018

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2018 12:03pm

.

Here are the finalized details for 2018 - it's this coming Saturday, 5th May.

*** Hermandad Nuestra Sra. Del Carmen: Plaza Marqués de Valterra, in the Fisherman's Quarter

*** Grupo Pase (a charity) in Plaza Pozo Prado off Calle Sevilla

*** Ampa Los Altos de Estepona (a school Parents' Association): Jardín de los Poetas Andaluces, just off Calle Terraza, entrance in Calle Huerto

*** Hermandad de la Vera-Cruz: Calle Vera-Cruz, off Calle Terraza

*** Vecinos Casco Antiguo, (a group of friends and neighbours): Plaza Juan Bazán, at the top of Calle San Miguel

*** Hermandad de los Remedios en Plaza Begines,

*** Hermandad del Cautivo: Plaza del Rocío, on Calle Terraza

*** Asoc. Fibromialgia (Charity) : Avda. Mar y Sierra 10.

(Hmn. Is this correct? This address is a modest residential area up behind the large Mercadona. There isn't room there for a display, surely, and it's so out of the way it won't get many visitors. This is the Town Hall list, I'm going to query this address!)

*** Hermandad del Amor: Casa Hermandad (their Headquarters). The HQ is in the street Pasaje Cristo del Amor y Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza, (long name!) which is parallel to the street that runs along the RH side of the Orquidario.

The last few years they have had their cross by the Orchid House - I would look there first!


Sign up for free or login to reply to this topic

Want to reply to this topic? Login or register for free to post your message:

Find more Fiestas topics from a particular area:


Register for free!

Login to your account

Travel Caddy Costa del sol
ASSSA Insurance
Private Yoga Shiatsu  Reflexology RLD
Advertise your business here
Advertise your property
Help with my computer