051 may torrevieja outlook 1

Torrevieja Outlook

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051 May 2018

May calendar – Alicante Province fiestas – San Isidro – Torrevieja May Fair – Moors & Christians in several towns - /Salinas, Elda, Biar, Petrer, - Caravaca de la Cruz – Labour Day – Mothers’ Day – May Crosses – Madrid fiestas in Torrevieja – Montforte del Cid – Norwegians celebrate – Spanish Red Cross International Day 1st Aid courses in English – International Museum Day – Alimentos Solidarios – Getting a Head of Hair – You Don’t See My Pain – Symphony Opera concert – Birdie talk – Salt walks – Fishing trips – Chronic pain frozen – Springtime in Yecla – What’s On – La Zenia Open on Sunday’s Listing. aormi@icloud.com

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Mothers’ Day in Spain is on 6th May, the first Sunday of May; an indication of the respect the people have for the mother of Jesus, Mary, whose name graces the month. On the 1st is the St. Joseph the Worker or Labour Day and is a public holiday; so if both dates are close to each other then often you will have a long holiday weekend. It’s Labour Day so trade unionists and others turn out n the thousands to protest against government cuts, actions and inactions. No doubt this year Catalan independents will turn out to manifest the imprisonment of political leaders for rebellion and sedition charges.

MAY CALENDAR OF FIESTAS IN ALICANTE PROVINCE First Days of May: Continuation of Javea Fiestas which included the controversial demonstration of bravery in front of heifers and bulls in a special arena of metal cages and wooden barriers at the start of these fiestas.Certain nights offer the spectacle of the 'toro embolado' - the "flaming bull" - in which special clamps are attached to the horns on which flammable material is wrapped and then set alight to add a certain edge to the event. aormi@icloud.com

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On 15th October 1767 the town was presented with an image of Jesús Nazareno by the Duchess of Medinaceli as thanks for the town's tribute on the birth of her son.

The image was carried to the church of San Bartolomé where it remained until the small Calvario chapel was completed to house the new statue three years later.

When cholera swept the area in 1834, the population prayed to the image for salvation and there no more deaths that year and ever since. In gratitude, improvements were made to the chapel including the building of the Arabic-style blue tiled dome. In 1967, to mark the bicentennial of the arrival of the image, it was named as perpetual mayor and to this day the baton of office is carried at its feet.

The original image was destroyed by the Communists during the Spanish Civil War but a replacement was created from a surviving photograph; this is the image we see today. In October 1967, to mark the bicentennial of the supposed gesture of the Duchess of Medinaceli, the mayor of Jávea, Don José Llidó Vicente, proposed that the image of Jesús Nazareno be named perpetual mayor and be given the baton of office "for eternity" which meant that for all religious activities involving it, no mayor would ever lead with the baton. The proposal was unanimously agreed and, to this day, the image carries the baton of office at his feet. The appointment was welcomed with great joy by the people of Jávea. There were great celebrations as the streets was decorated with flowers, flags and lanterns. There were bulls, musical performances, dancing in the streets and parades, essentially similar festivities that take place today, the largest religious celebrations in Jávea. The celebrations begin on the third Sunday of Lent when the image of Jesús Nazareno is brought down

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from the chapel of Calvario in solemn procession to the church of San Bartolomé, where it will stay until the end of the festivities. On Good Friday - el viernes santos the image is carried through the streets of Jávea in another emotional cavalcade to mark this significant event in the Christian calendar. And then, at the end of April, the festivities begin.

Throughout the month there are choir concerts each day in Alicante in honour of the Virgen del Remedio.

First two weeks of May Fiestas in Cabanes in honour of La Virgen del Buen Suceso: emphasis on bull events.

1st May Bank Holiday in Spain.

Nearest Sunday is Mother’s Day. 1st May Xàbia holds the procession of the Virgen del Loreto.

1 - 3 May Fiestas of the Crosses of May. Crosses are adorned with flowers and displayed in the streets. Santa Cruz district in Alicante, L’Alfàs del Pi (3 days), Benidorm, Muchamiel, Xàbia and Redován - all hold special events.

2nd May or on the nearest Sunday, Aspe has fiesta del Cruz.

2nd May Competition of the Crosses in Xàbia. On the 3rd the town has the fiestas de Jesús Nazareno.

3rd May Beniferri has a romería: Orihuela holds the Cruces de Mayo.

Callosa de Segura has festival.

4th - 5th May Jávea holds romería in honour of the Virgen del Rocío.

4th - 5th May Castellfort has the Romería A Sant Pere de Castelfort with origins in 1321: noted for bells.

First Weekend Novelda has fiestas in the Cruz district of the town.

First Sunday The Fiesta de la Rosa in El Poble Nou de Benitatzell.

First week from Wednesday to Sunday the Feria de Mayo in Torrevieja.

First Sunday, Monday and Tuesday of the month, fiestas in Senija.

8th May Villajoyosa holds a festival on the first weekend of the month.

9th May Torremanzas holds bread fiestas of ‘Pà Beneït’ (Blessed bread). th 9 May European Day in many towns with civil services, flag raising to the European anthem by Beethoven. Torrevieja, Guardamar del Segura and Orihuela Costa are among the towns that hold special entertainment events.

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9th May is also the feast of the legendary St. Christopher and patron saint of travelers and each year the Taxi Drivers associations of the Vega Baja organize a three-day event that now includes the Spanish Armed Forces and British exservicemen.

10 - 13th May 12th May 12th May 13 - 15th May 14th May

Moors & Christians in Biar.

Albatera celebrates San Pancracio.

San Isidro romería in Pilar de la Horadada.

Patronal fiestas in San Isidro.

Moors & Christians in Petrer.

15th May

San Isidro in Albatera. This day is celebrated in many towns with processions and romerías either on the actual date or the following weekend.

Similarly at Benejama, Castalla, Salinas, Honón de los Frailes, Hondón de las Nieves, la Romana, Cox, Orihuela, Pilar de la Horadada and Rojales WHERE THIS PILGRIMAGE HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR 37 YEARS. On the Sunday nearest to San Isidro’s fiesta a romeriá takes place in Daya Nueva.

2nd Weekend Moors and Christian in Banyares de Mariola for the fiesta of Ntra. Sra. de los Desamparados.

Dénia holds the festival of Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados.

Second weekend of the month Orba holds fiestas. aormi@icloud.com

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Second weekend of May the Moors & Christians of El Campello hold the Mig Any. Second weekend of May Ibi holds the L’Avís de Festa.

17th May 17th May

San Pascual Bailón is celebrated in Elche.

San Pascual Bailón fiestas in Albatera.

The famous Romería de Orito is held in Montforte del Cid. 17th May the Friday and Saturday nearest to the date a romería in Castalla.

18th May on nearest Saturday to this date a romería in Ibi. 18 - 27th May Fiestas in Novelda in la Estación area.

24th May to 9th June in the district of María Auxiliadora fiestas are also held in Novelda.

26th May Patronal fiestas in Ondara.

Last weekend of month fiestas held in Ibi and in Formentera del Segura.

Last Weekend of May, lasting for five days, Moors & Christians in Elda, dependent on the date on which Corpus Christi feastday falls.

Last weekend of May Moors & Christians in Salinas.

Last Sunday of May in Albatera the fiesta of Santiaguico is held.

Last Sunday of May a romería in honour of the Virgen de Fatima is held in Pinoso.

At the end of May going into June the patronal fiestas of Dénia are held. aormi@icloud.com

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Madrid celebrates San Isidro

15th May is one of the biggest fiestas in Madrid being the day of the city’s patron saint, San Isidro Labrador; usually includes five days of bull-fights. A rather unusual person as patron saint for a capital city such as Madrid; he was a pious farmer, married to a woman who became known as Saint Mary de la Cabeza. Their son died young; convincing them it was the will of God that they not have children, and they lived together celibately the rest of their lives, doing good works.

He was accused by fellow workers of shirking his duties by attending Mass each day, taking time out for prayers, etc., Isidore claimed he had no choice but to follow the highest Master. One tale says that when his work master came in the morning to chastise him for skipping work for church, he found angels plowing the fields in place of Isidro. Miracles and cures reported at his grave, in which his body remains incorruptible

Nearer Torrevieja is the village of San Isidro which celebrates on a less grand scale but with processions and other events. This small town received its independence from Albacete in 1992. The feast of San Isidro is the main fiesta held in the small town near Orihuela. This is a farming community and each year there is a Romeria (pilgrimage) in honour of San Isidro with a special act in honour of the other saintly town patron, the Virgen of Fatima, when the oxen, which have been pulling the aormi@icloud.com

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gaily coloured caravans, go down on their knees in front of the image of the virgin This takes place in April but from the 13th - 15th May the town is a hive of activity as the old and young celebrate with a variety of sporting and cultural events including motoring rallies.

This is also a popular month for romerias or pilgrimages on this day (or the following Sunday) many are held in Alicante towns such as, Cox, Orihuela, Rojales, San Fulgencio and La Romana. This saint is the protector of agriculture and harvests, so is important in the lives of farming districts.

In Orihuela San Isidro is celebrated in the district of that name but there is another celebration that of La Virgen del Rocio and this small image is carried on a bier of flowers accompanied by people wearing typical Andalusian clothes. A highlight is the horses and carriages, the guitar playing and songs in Andalusian style. The procession begins at the sanctuary situated in the palace of the Maruesa of Rubalcaba and wends its way to the recinto of Los Huertos. This is a foretaste of the main Rocio a bit later in the year.

St. Isidro has a special place in the springtime festivals at Villar de Olmos, near Requena. This small village reached its lowest population level a few years ago when just one elderly couple lived there as most of the younger families had moved to larger towns to make a living. Nowadays, it has become a bit more popular as aormi@icloud.com

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people build holiday and weekend retreats there.

However, the tradition of making a special bread in honour of St. Isidro has never ceased. His statue is kept in a small hermitage in the village and the bread is made from flour, eggs and olive oil with a generous sprinkling of anise seeds in rainbow colours on top.

These are large loaves - about 90 centimetres in diameter - adorned with 10cm long canes, folded paper ribbons, and little heart and animal shapes, and they are carried by two pilgrims walking abreast. The loaves are individually blessed outdoors by the local priest and the meadows at this time of the year are usually blooming with the red of poppies and the white of daisies. The pilgrimage, carrying the statue and loaves, goes through untilled fields and, after a midday banquet, dancing takes place, the start to a full day of fun and games.

Rojales

pilgrimage

to

C.Quesada On the same weekend there is a romeria from Rojales up to the small hermitage at El Recorral park, behind the Cuidad Quesada urbanisation, with picnicking all day

long as carriages carry a statue of the saint up the hill to this area for a weekend of fun. This is a weekend affair with a great deal of music on the Saturday and on the Sunday many different activities including a paella competition, choir singing, folklore music, traditional local games and a traditional homage to the labourers who work in the fields all year round.

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May Fair in Torrevieja One of the biggest and most popular events in Torrevieja is the Feria del Mayo that has been in existence for over twenty years. This is normally held at the end of April or the first couple of weeks of May, but this year is later from 23rd to 27th May. It is held in the fairground area on the port zone with a proposed budget of of 99.000. In April there was Pre-Feria event that was a Misa Rociera en la Ermita del Sagrado Corazón followed by a Flower Offering at the monolith dedicated to la Inmaculada near the playa del Cura. which meant a parade of people suitably dressed in Seville's costumes accompanied by horses and traps. There was also the election and coronation of the Queen of the Fair later in la Casa de Andalucía.

The annual May Fair usually starts in the evening with the official lighting of the thousands of coloured electric lights followed by ‘La noche del Pescaíto’ when small fish are cooked and consumed by the vast crowd that turns up for these occasions.

Although in reality it is the associations of the various cases that have priority.

It has been re-instated in its former site in the recent next to the fairground, which has also returned. Both have attracted a lot of criticism in the past couple of years as aormi@icloud.com

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the mayor decided to put he may Fair in October, which created a lot of ridicule. The fair fell under a Valencian ruling that they could only bee n the same site for three months that could be extended to six months. So dozens of people who have made their home in Torrevieja and have successfully run the smaller attractions of years were technically denied to carry out their normal work. Some politicians have nothing better to do than think up petty rulings.

Back to Torrevieja’s May Fair- around 60 casetas are set up, brightly bedecked with an Andalucian ambience; wide streets separating them, so that the crowds can mingle freely and, at certain times, the horses and carages parade . People stroll around the casetas, stopping to visit and chat, have a drink and watch impromptu dancing en route. Sherry is the traditional tipple, but anything goes. All the prices are fixed throughout the casetas for food and drink.

It is a celebration based on the famous April Seville Feria which dates back to the 19th century. These Torrevieja ones last for six days and started as a street party in 1987 in calle Seville, which was so successful it was repeated the following year. It attracted crowds of people from the Vega Baja towns and on the third year it was decided to make it a more official feria and moved to its present site.

The streets of today’s feria are more widely spaced so that it is easier to move along them, visiting each caseta on the way. The casetas vie with each other as there is a prize for the best dressed caseta.

It is an opportunity for the ladies to dress up in colourful Sevillana dresses and the menfolk to don traditional riding costume with broad Cordoban sombreros, white frilly shirts, dark Eton jackets, and spurred half boots. Inside the casetas people, eat, drink, sing, play the guitar and dance the wild sevilliana dance and in recent the years many foreigners have actively taken part in the celebrations (many taking dance lessons Then during the day there are other events held. An important feature of these days is the parades of horses and horse drawn carriages, with events such as a romeria and various equestrian events and competitions in dressage.

It is a very colourful event and the area is dominated by a large stage which is used for professional and amateur sevillana dancing competitions and typical Andalusian aormi@icloud.com

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entertainment. But don't let this deter you, just join in the dancing in the various cases if you have a fancy. If you are a visitor then this is an added treat for your holiday - don’t forget your camera.

Colourful Pilgrimage On 20th May the romeria of La Virgen del Rocio takes place in Torrevieja. This pilgrimage has been going since the early 1990’s and grows larger each year as women, wearing gaily coloured flouncy Andalucian style dresses, carry the small statue of the Virgen through the streets. They are accompanied by horse riders dressed in Cordoban suits. A small sanctuary dedicated to the Virgen del Rocio is being constructed in the Parque de Europa in the Cala Blancas area and is where the pilgrims stay overnight.

A similar Rocio is held in La Camàreta district of Orihuela where the image of the Virgen del Rocio is carried, the work of Torrevejense sculptor Victor Garcia Villagordo, who is also responsible for the Torrevieja statue of the same title.

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M O O R S A N D CHRISTIANS For those who have never seen Moors & Christian parades and battles then there are several during this month. Granja del Rocamora celebrates from 1st - 3rd May; Muro de Alcoy (8th - 11th); Biar (10th - 13th). Petrer (14th 18th); Villena has a special attraction on the 12th with the arrival of Mahoma, a figure of dispute as the Vatican advised that it not be used in case it offended the Muslim population.

A QUARTER OF THE TOWN PLAYS The small town of Salinas celebrated the 250th anniversary of the Reconstruction of the town in 2001. There are only 1.300 inhabitants, but more than 400 dress up and turn out for the Moors & Christian festivities held from 24th May to 28th May under the patronage of the Virgen del Rosario. They begin on the evening of the 24th and each day there is a full programme of events.

Elda’s Moors & Christians Perhaps not on the tourist map as it is a fairly industrialised city, Elda still has something to offer tourists. At the end of May and into the first week of June, Elda celebrates with Moors & Christian festivities in honour of San Anton. Nine comparsas, bands of Moors and Christians, wearing brightly coloured costumes and brandishing arms, once more take to the streets of the town centre in a tradition that is recorded as far back as 1863 and 1864.

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Over 7,000 people take part in these fiestas which were declared of National Touristic Interest in 1981. The feasting ends on the day of San Anton on the 4th June.

Here you can see Christians, Pirates, Musselmen, Morrocans and many other groups represented in the magnificent parades.

Biar’s castle fought over From 10th to 13th May Moors and Christian festivals are held at Biar.

These are among the oldest parades in the area and are held in commemoration of the battles between the Almodades Moors and the troops of Jaime I in 1245.

Included in these fiestas is the Bajada de la Virgen when the statue is taken down from the sanctuary where the image is venerated the rest of the year, then taken out on the night of the 10th May. The whole town is full of bonfires on this night.

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On 11th May another spectacle is the ‘Balls dels espies’ which is mixture of folklore and play acting. The enormous dummy ‘La Mahoma’ is used to represent the Prophet. If you go here do visit the castle which dominates the town and the hilltop on which it stands. The castle is a good example of Arab craftsmanship in the interior, with wonderful views across the valleys from the tower.

Petrer’s Moors & Christians Petrer has a small but imposing castle that was declared a National Historic Monument in 1983. Over the last forty years or so this town has seen a tremendous change from being a mainly agricultural centre to an important place for the manufacture of shoes.

The actual origin of Petrer was in the time of the Almohad arabs at the end of the 12th century with a fortified town complete with mezquitas, baths and rambling streets. After the

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Reconquest Petrer passed into the Loayasa family and in 1609 the moriscos were expelled and replaced by Christian families from neighbouring towns.

The castle was an important element in the line of fortresses dividing Aragón and Castilla. It is situated on a rocky hill and controlled the Valle del Vinapopó and from its vantage point could visually see other similiar fortresses. From the 16th century it formed part of the Count of Elda’s lands until the abolition of the señoríos in the19th century. The old Arab mezquita gave way to the church dedicated to St. Bartholomew the Apostle, work begun in April, 1779. During the 14th and 15th centuries there were several reforms and today one can see the restoration work on the castle begun in 1974 until the 1980’s by the Town Hall. Petrer has an interesting archeological museum and there is a well defined route of monuments in the immediate area.

The town’s Moors and Christian fiestas are held in May around the 14th - 18th.

Petrer holds one of the most impresive Moors & Christian fiestas this month in honour of the patron saint, San Bonifacio Mártir. This particular canonised saint spent a wild youth, and remained a confirmed bachelor all his life. He was converted to Christianity, brought to the Faith by a wealthy Roman lady named aormi@icloud.com

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Algae during a journey to the East to search for relics of previous saints. Finally he was martyred for defending Christians put to torture for their beliefs. He was beheaded in 306; relics brought back by Algae and entombed at the Church of Saint Alexius and Saint Boniface at Rome. He is patron saint of bachelors and converts.

The Petrer fiestas take place from 16th to 20th May and have been declared as of Touristic Interest. They have their origins in the 17th and 18th centuries when citizens let off their arquebusses in the air in honour of their saint. Petrer has several comparsas which are over 100 years old - Moros Viejos, Tercio de Flandes and Marinos.

In Petrer no-one need feel that they are strangers, everyone is welcome in what is a celebration of gunpowder and smoke, noise and music, spectacle and joy. These are five days of intense fun as the townspeople set about the aormi@icloud.com

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work of enjoying themselves and offering a spectacular fiesta to the world that everyone can enjoy. As in similar fiestas the meeting of the Ambassadors of the Moors and Christians is an important aspect of the week.

Women have a prime part to play; the first woman to appear was in 1905. Each group has its own cuartelillo where they live together; eating and changing costumes there. Music is another important aspect to the fiestas in Petrer and several musical bands back up the ten comparsas.

The Christian comparsas are - Tercio de Flandes, Marinos, VizcaĂ­nos, Estudiantes, Labradores.

The Moors put five comparsas into the files with Moros Viejos, Moros Nuevos, Moros Beduinos, Moros Fronterizos and Berberiscos.

The fiestas of this town are well known throughout Spain and have the recognition of being of National Touristic Interest from 1st to 5th May. The Greeks founded this town in 333 AD, but little is known about it until 1243.

The town is dominated by its fortress surmounted by its Torre Chacona, which dates to the 12th century. In the sancutary of the Vera Cruz the sacred reliquary is venerated. It is a splinter of the True Cross of Jesus, encased in a cross embellished with gold and silver. It is supposed to have appeared during the celebration of a Mass on 3rd May, 1231. Among the congregation was the Almohad warrior, Zeit Abuzei, king of Valencia, who converted to Christianity when he was amazed to see the cross supported by four archangels, surrounded by a wonderful light. The cross has been a symbol of this town for centuries as it was a frontier town with the Moorish kingdom of Granada and was the scene of many skirmishes and battles

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In 1998 the Vatican approved that every seventh year would be considered to be a Holy Year in the small Murcian town of Caravaca de la Cruz. This is the sixth time that this honour has been given to a town; so now Caravaca ranks alongside Jerusalem, Rome, Santiago de la Compostela, and the Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana in Potes (Cantabria). The next Jubilee Year of Caravacas will be held in 2010.

This is a fiesta that has been going on for over seven centuries. In the 16th century the Buen Suceso Hospital was founded to assist the many pilgrims who visited the town.

The beginning of May is when the annual “Race of the Horse” is held, commemorating the relief of the town during a siege by the Moors when a dash was made by horsemen to bring water into the besieged town. The wells of the town were contaminated and people were dying. The group of horsemen rode quickly to where el Templete is today, which was a small reservoir, but the Arabs had left the carcasses of dead horses in the water, so this too was contaminated. The horsemen then rode in the direction of Lorca to El Campillo, chased by the Moors fighting all the way, slaying many of the enemy without any loss among themselves. The water here too was contaminated and the men, supposed to be Templars, filled their casks with wine from nearby bodegas and returned to the Caravaca amid great rejoicing.

The foot of the Cross was dipped in the wine and the sick who drank of the wine recovered. The horsemen were enriched with many priceless objects and the horses too were covered with richly ornamented blankets.

The wonderful accoutrements that are put on the horses today are examples of the skillful art of the sewing needle. Delicate pictures seem to be actual photos and the mantle covering the horses depicts the story of the race. These can be seen in the local museum, but, on the 2nd May, they are ritually put on the horses piece by aormi@icloud.com

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Caravaca de la Cruz - 3rd May

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piece in preparation for the race on the morning of the 3rd May. In this region there are many schools of embroidery, handing on skills from generation to generation and which in recent years has seen a revival of interest.

Once the race of horses is finished there are activities held throughout the rest of the day, so it is pretty tiring just being an observer. After a procession from the plaza del Arco to the Templete where Mass acts as a reminder of the Apparition. Later the procession goes on towards the castle, stopping on the way at the Carmelite convent to receive a gift of flowers from the Mother Superioress who has been custodian of the reliquary. She offers a cake to the chief of the cofradia which is presented at the sanctuary along with a flower offering. A barrage of rockets announces the start of the day and musicians escort the various groups of Christians and Moors on to the streets for the spectacular festivities.

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There is a spectacular parade of the various bands of Christians and Moors on 3rd May. The local church, El Salvador, is worth a visit as it was built between 1534 and 1600 on the site of an old Templar hospital.

Another jewel in the crown of Caravacas is the church of San José founded in 1568

by Saint John of the Cross. The Castle has many interesting rooms to visit, including the chapel of the Apparition, The Mirador de la Reina, the Torre Chacona, the clock tower, the room of Cabildos, the Vera Cruz chapel and a museum where costumes of the Moors and Christians can be viewed. It is a town oozing history and legend in every part. Later, on 14th September, the patronal fiestas are held.

Murcia region is notable for its embroidery and this is displayed to good effect in these fiestas.

May 1st is a public holiday in Spain and falls under different titles depending on your religious, or otherwise, point of view. From a secular point of view it is Labour Day and marked by numerous demonstrations by workers, unions and often making a point about wages, labour conditions etc. This year the emphasis is likely to be on pensions as this year the average rise for a pension was one euro per month, which in anybody’s language is derisory. But it is a day when minorities of all sorts gt together just to demonstrate their right to demonstrate.

For others it is the feast of St. Joseph the Worker as he represents the working class and was honest and brave enough to accept the child Jesus as his own.

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May is a month traditionally dedicated to the Virgen Mary, so many fiestas revolve around her. Notably the first Sunday of May, 6th May this year, is dedicated to mothers whom she represents as the mother of Jesus and therefore Christianity. So if you forgot English Mothers Day you now have a chance to redeem yourself with a bunch of flowers.

May 6th - Mothers’ Day.

Mary has many devotions and titles, including Our Lady of Europe with a feast day on 5th May. The entrance to Europe could be defined as Gibraltar as the gateway from Africa and there is a shrine there at the Europa Point. Conversely across the Straits we have Our Lady of Africa with a shrine in Ceuta an a neobyzantine basilica in Algiers and celebrated on 5th August. These feasts are celebrated with colorful processions and you will find many girls bearing the name of Africa.

Probably the most spectacular procession dedicated to the mother of Jesus is the Rocio in Huelva with pilgrims on foot, horseback or in caravans and tending to wear typical Andalusian costumes. The other rocios tend to have their roots in this one which has been about since 1653.

This year it falls as usual on Pentecost which in 2018 is the weekend of 20th May. The Romería de El Rocío is a procession/pilgrimage on the second day of the Pentecost to the Hermitage of El Rocío in the countryside of Almonte, Province of Huelva, Andalucia, Spain, in honor of the Virgin of El Rocío. In recent years the Romería has brought together roughly a million pilgrims each year. Pilgrims come from throughout Andalusia (and, nowadays, from throughout Spain and beyond), and typically travel an additional one to seven days beforehand, either on foot, on aormi@icloud.com

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Looking ahead to June Moors Christians here are a few dates.

&

7 - 10 June Moors & Christians in Alicante in the San Blas district.

Third weekend of June the Moors & Christians in Teulada.

22 - 24th June C a t r a l p a t r o n a l fiestas with Moors & Christians.

27th - 28th June M o o r s Christians in Pego.

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June is also when the feast of St. John the Baptist falls and of worthwhile note if you are planning holidays is to coincide with the Hogueras of San Juan. Here,

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horseback or in horse-drawn carriages (or, nowadays, in some cases, modern modes of transport such as all terrain vehicles), generally sleeping outdoors. They are divided into confraternities each with their own standard, from different directions but arriving at their destination, El Real del RocĂ­o. It is a joyful, colorful occasion and the pilgrims usually wear traditional Andalusian costume. All wear boots. The men wear short jackets and suitable for riding tight pants. Women carry a good flamenco costumes or rociera bata '(similar, but more practical for walking or riding), or a skirt rociera' (a frilly skirt)

Early May is associated with crosses, particularly made of flowers and many districts in towns have aficionados who spend hours making l a r g e crosses of fl o w e r s and of m a n y designs.

One of the m o s t colorful places is the Santa Cruz district, which perches on the hillside of the Santa Barbara Castle in Alicante. It is a very steep climb along a narrow pavement with house son either side jutting into the pedestrian area. Each of the inhabitants vies with each other as to who has the best flower decorations with emphasis on crosses made from flowers. If you are fit enough it is well worth the experience. aormi@icloud.com

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1 - 3 May is a highlight on the calendar of Caravaca de la Cruz in Murcia Region with a centuries old tradition combing history, embroidery and horses.

The fiestas of this town held on and around 3rd May are well known throughout Spain and have the recognition of being of National Touristic Interest.

Normally things start on 30th April.

The Greeks founded Caravaca in 333 AD, but little is known about it until 1243. Its fortress surmounted by its Torre Chacona, which dates to the 12th century, dominates the town. In the sanctuary of the Vera Cruz the sacred reliquary is venerated. It is yet another splinter of the True Cross of Jesus, encased in a cross embellished with gold and silver and a slice of it was sent with the Conquistadores to South America where they founded the city of Veracruz (the True Cross).

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The Caravaca cross is supposed to have appeared during the celebration of a Mass on 3rd May, 1231 and at the same time disappeared mysteriously from

Jerusalem. Among the congregation was the Almohad warrior, Zeit Abuzei, king of Valencia, who converted to Christianity when he was amazed to see the cross, supported by four archangels, surrounded by a wonderful light. The cross has been a symbol of this town for centuries as it was a frontier town with the Moorish kingdom of Granada and was the scene of many skirmishes and battles.

In 1998 the Vatican approved that every seventh year would be considered to be a Holy Year in Caravaca de la Cruz. This is the sixth time that this honour has been given to a town; so now Caravaca ranks alongside Jerusalem, Rome, Santiago de la Compostela, and the Monastery of Santo Toribio de LiĂŠbana in Potes (Cantabria).!

This is a fiesta that has been going on for over seven centuries. In the aormi@icloud.com

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16th century the Buen Suceso Hospital was founded to assist the many pilgrims who visited the town.

The beginning of May is when the annual “Race of the Horse� is held, commemorating the relief of the town during a siege by the Moors, when a dash was made by horsemen to bring water into the besieged town. The wells of the town were contaminated and people were dying. The group of horsemen rode quickly to where el Templete is today, which was a small reservoir, but the Arabs had left the carcasses of dead horses in the water, so this too was contaminated. The horsemen then rode in the direction of Lorca to El Campillo, chased by the Moors and fighting all the way, slaying many of the enemy without any loss among themselves. The water here too was contaminated and the men, supposed to be Templars, filled their casks with wine from nearby bodegas and returned to the Caravaca amid great rejoicing. The foot of the Cross was dipped in the wine and the sick who drank of the wine recovered. The horsemen were enriched with many priceless objects and the horses too were covered with richly ornamented blankets. The wonderful accoutrements that are put on the horses today are examples of the skillful art of the sewing needle. Delicate pictures seem to be actual photos and the mantle covering the horses depicts the story of the race. These can be seen in the local museum, but, on the 2nd May, they are ritually put on the horses piece by horses today are examples of the skillful art of the sewing needle. Delicate pictures seem to be actual photos and the mantle covering the horses depicts the story of the race. These can aormi@icloud.com

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be seen in the local museum, but, on the 2nd May, they are ritually put on the horses piece by piece in preparation for the race on the morning of the 3rd May. In this there are many schools of embroidery, handing on skills from generation to generation and which in recent years has seen a revival of interest.

Once the horse race is finished there are activities held throughout the rest of the day, so it is pretty tiring just being an observer. A procession goes from the plaza del Arco to the Templete then later goes on towards the castle, stopping on the way at the Carmelite convent to receive a gift of flowers from the Mother Superioress who is custodian of the reliquary.

There is a spectacular parade of the various bands of Christians and Moors on 3rd May.

Places to visit in Caravaca!

The local church, El Salvador, is worth a visit as it was built between 1534 and 1600 on the site of an old Templar hospital. Another jewel in the crown of Caravacas is the church of San JosĂŠ founded in 1568 by Saint John of the Cross, then, of course, is the basilica. The Castle has many interesting rooms to visit, including the chapel of the Apparition, The Mirador de la Reina, the Torre Chacona, the clock tower, the room of Cabildos, the Vera Cruz chapel and a museum where costumes of the Moors and Christians can be viewed. It is a town oozing history and legend in every part. Later, on 14th September, the patronal fiestas are held. Nearby is Callasparrras where rice is grown and also the wine producing are around Jumilla.

In Torrevieja there many residents San Isidro Agricultural Saint of Madrid are from other parts of Spain and, fortunately, they have brought some of their own customs and fiestas, enriching the culture of the town. The salt city now has several fiestas reflecting Spanish culture making it a mini-Spain aormi@icloud.com

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where celebrations peculiar to various regions can be enjoyed throughout the year. There is a very strong Madrid presence in Torrevieja and each year they turn out for their patron saint in traditional garb.

15th May is one of the biggest fiestas in Madrid being the day of the city’s patron saint, San Isidro Labrador; usually includes five days of bullfights, the praderas, concerts, theatre plays, dances, fairs of art and pottery, cultural programs in the districts of Madrid, the special Titirimundi through all the city of Madrid. A rather unusual person as patron saint for a capital city such as Madrid; Isidro was a pious farmer, married to a woman who became known as Saint Mary de la Cabeza. Their son died young; convincing them it was the will of God that they not have children, and they lived together celibately the rest of their lives, doing good works. He was accused by fellow workers of shirking his duties by attending Mass each day, taking time out for prayers, etc., Isidore claimed he had no choice but to follow the highest Master. One tale says that when his work master came in the morning to chastise him for skipping work for church, he found angels plowing the fields in place of Isidro. Miracles and cures reported at his grave, in which his body remains incorruptible. He is a popular saint in the Vega Baja area and most agricultural towns have some sort celebration.

In Torrevieja the Madrilenes have a parade wearing typical clothing, the men with their waistcoats and flat bonnets and the women in flouncy dresses with a large flower in their hair. Reminds me rather of the pearly kings of London. They also have a particular dance - Chulapos -which is reminiscent of the Lambeth Walk.

Nearer Torrevieja is the village of San Isidro which celebrates this feast day on a less grand scale, but with processions and other events. This small town received its independence from Albacete in 1992. The feast of San Isidro is the main fiesta held in this small town near Orihuela.

This is a farming community and each year there is a Romeria (pilgrimage) in honour of San Isidro with a special act in honour of the other saintly town patron, the Virgen of Fatima, when the oxen, which have been pulling the gaily coloured caravans, go down on their knees in front of the image of the virgin. This takes place in April but from the aormi@icloud.com

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13th - 15th May the town is a hive of activity as the old and young celebrate with a variety of sporting and cultural events including motoring rallies.

On 17th May the feast of San Pascual Bailรณn takes place in Montforte del Cid, near Elche.

This small town is famous for its grapes and production of wine; the bunches of grapes can be seen enclosed in plastic and paper bags to protect them from the ravages of insects and disease, but also gives them their own distinguishing flavour when producing the regional wine. These grapes are very popular at the end of the year when the custom is to eat twelve grapes for good luck in time to the chimes of the midnight bells. Actually this custom was a result of good advertising as almost an hundred years ago there was a glut of grapes and some bright spark came up with the idea of 12 grapes for good luck in the coming year. aormi@icloud.com

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17th May Norwegian Day

Torrevieja and the Vega Baja has a large Norwegian population who have their own clubs, a school and their own church and cultural centre in La Siesta.

Each year they celebrate then national day with a parade along the Torrevieja promenade and usually end up at the Parque of the Nations for typical food and drink, entertainment and speeches. .

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Spanish Red Cross

The Spanish Red Cross is well known for its life saving work on the large coastline of Spain and 8th of May is the International Red Cross Day, so if you are asked to become a socio (associate) or donate then please do so.

Each year of 320 people die in swimming accidents in Spain. Almost half of them in Galicia, Andalusia and Canaries.

August has been the most tragic month, with an average of almost two drownings each day. Over half of the deaths were in the sea off beaches

(170). 18,4 % was in rivers (59), 7,2 % in swimming pools (23). The rest, two in every 10, took place in rivers, ports, marshes, rafting and reservoirs. The majority of the events were between the 12.00 and the 20.00.

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Pedro Dominguez of Cruz Roja on right, Andy Ormiston, and Davey of Reach Out

These figures do not count those would be immigrants who have died trying to reach Spain The heat, the dehydration and anything associated with the beach and with the sea, can unleash cardiac sudden problems like hearts attacks or arrhythmias.

In summertime many beaches have lifeguard Systems organised by municipal authorities. But most of them begin work around 11:00 as in Torrevieja, but those most at risk are elderly people who tend to be down on the beach at eight o’clock. Many of those who have died are just going for a dip, rather than a swim and even the sting of a jellyfish can be the cause of a heart attack in the water.At the time of writing there is red alert for Altea and San Juan beaches as the bad weather has brought in Portuguese Ma of War. It is essential that in these cases time is of the importance for resuscitation procedures and the lifeguards informed or if not on duty phone 112. Most lifeguards will have access to a desfillibrator.

More than half of the children who died last year were in swimming pools, 10% in municipal pools and only 2% in the sea. Drownings are the third highest cause of infantile death in the world especially small ones under four years as a child can die in a puddle or 20 centimetres of water in less than two minutes.

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Children should be taught to float first before actually learning swimming strokes. Care should be taken with floating items, especially waterbeds where children can be caught underneath out of sight. If children are in the pool someone should be checking them every ten seconds according to the lifesaving experts. If it is a community pool a telephone should be close to phone for assistance if required.

The Red Cross urge adults and children to learn Basic first aid procedures and resuscitation. Nine out of ten accidents related with water might be avoided as simple cramps can cause a death. In conjunction with local charity associations full time Red Cross worker, Pedro Dominguez is origination First Aid Courses in English. Contact Pedro on 678 501 586.

It is recommended that a person should wait two hours after eating to allow the digestive system to do its work. If a person has odd feelings such as nausea, fatigue, headache, cramps etc. they should get out of the water immediately. Â aormi@icloud.com

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Ask about future courses in English

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Since 1977 the International Day of Museums has been celebrated throughout the world.

The theme chosen for 2018 is "Hyperconnected museums: New approaches, new publics".

The objective of International Museum Day is to raise awareness of the fact that, “Museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.”Each year the organising body chooses a theme and in many towns’ museums are open all day free to the public. In 2014, International Museum Day garnered record-breaking participation with more than 35,000 museums hosting events in some 145 countries. It is normally held on the third weekend of May, so this year on the 18th May. It is an excellent opportunity to many people to visit a museum and discover at first hand some aormi@icloud.com

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of the wonderful pieces of history, art and general culture that these buildings, This year’s theme for the event will be Museums for Hyperconnected museums: New approaches, new publics". The objective of International Museum Day is to raise awareness of the fact that, “Museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.” It highlights the role of museums in raising public awareness about the need for a society that is less wasteful, more cooperative and that uses resources in a way that respects living systems.

Museums must be able to guarantee their role in safeguarding cultural heritage,

given the increasing precariousness of ecosystems, situations of political instability, and the associated natural and man-made challenges that may arise. Museum work, through education and exhibitions for example, should strive to create a sustainable society. This year those Natural museums, agricultural museums, maritime museums, animal and sea themed parks, science centers. All have a part to play with the theme sustainability.

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Alimentos Solidarios

A huge problem in all the world is that of the homeless and those stuck in the poverty trap, with parents often unable to feed their children because their income does not stretch that far with so many necessary expenses such as electricity and water. Fortunately many people have stepped up to the mark to fill the gap for many others.

In Torrevieja one of the first was a group that started Alimentos Solidaria providing hot meals for around 110 families every day for a toke 3 euros with the idea being that the families do not feel that they are getting a hand out.

Alimentos also gives out food bags of basics. Fortunately they are supported in many ways by the local community and businesses. The Alicante Food Bank delivers regularly, as it does to many other charities in the area - Caritas in different parishes, 5 Continentes, ASILA, who all provide for to those in need.

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Last Christmas Alimentos was able to donate 850 Christmas baskets to families thanks to the donations of so many others. Ailments has their kitchens and office in the corner of calle Apolo and calle San Pascual in the former Guardia Civil station. Volunteers provide a range of Spanish recipes, each having his or her own place in the myriad of jobs whether it be preparation, cooking or washing up.

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In Torrevieja we are fortunate to have many volunteers who dedicate their time to caring for those suffering from cancer.

For some time AFECANCER has been providing hair pieces to those who have lost their hair because of the intensive cancer treatment which causes this side effect.

Recently the president of AFECANCER received some more wigs from TuPelicula.com Factory that produces and specializes in making wigs and have donated some to AFECANCER for their patients.

This is a big psychological boost to those patients, especially women, who have lost their hair, and with the help of a hairpiece can regain their confidence to go out in public. Well done to the girls, especially Monica, of the Wig Factory.

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You Don’t See My Pain

One of the Spanish NGO’s that does a lot of work is that of ASIMEPP (Asociación de Salud Integral, Mejoras Psicofísicas y Psicosociales en Torrevieja) that is preparing the 3rd Fibromaliagia Days of workshops and seminars from 7 - 13 May. The International Day of this infirmity is actually on 12th May. The cause of fibromyalgia is unknown; however, it is believed to involve a combination of genetic and environmental factors, with half the risk attributed to each.

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a medical condition characterised by chronic widespread pain and a heightened pain response to pressure. Other symptoms include tiredness to a degree that normal activities are affected, sleep problems and troubles with memory.

Some people also report restless legs syndrome, bowel or bladder problems, numbness and tingling and sensitivity to noise, lights or temperature. Fibromyalgia is frequently associated with depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder. Other types of chronic pain are also frequently present.

The program for the seminars include yoga and taichi with a demonstration at the statue of the Hombre del Mar at 11:00 on 12th May. There will be a visit to the indoor market with a talk about healthy eating. Maite Miralles and Juncal Macho are president and secretary of this association. The association impart distinct activities in their centre in calle Concordia 9.

Anyone interested in information can contact the association there rom Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 13:00 and on Monday afternoon from !7:00 to 20:00.

Or telephone 966 927 140 or 650 041 560.

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Torrevieja Tourist Office has still to verify dates for guided tours around the salt workings. The salt company has experience of this with similar tours in other workings in Spain and France. Be sure to take your camera with you if you ever have the opportunity to board the little train.

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Torrevieja has a long history of fishing. In fact the original settlers had a franchise agreement from the Orihuela Council to fish in what was then the bay, on condition they kept it clean of seaweed. Over the centuries this industry has served as the second main one after the salt harvesting.

An hundred years ago Torrevieja had the largest fishing fleet in the Spanish Mediterranean, but in recent decades has seen marked decline, even though it continues to be an important part of the local commerce.

Now thanks to a new initiative it is possible to join one of these fishing vessels to actually see what a fisherman’s day/night is by selected guided sailings. At the end of the day you can participate in the daily auctioning of the catch.

There are two sailings. One of around two hours and a longer one of 10 hours. More information on 34 672 413 370 or visit the Fishermen’s Wharf where you will be pointed in the right direction.

You need to book two days in advance so that the fishermen can make the arrangements.

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Chronic pain controlled by swimming

Today there are many young people suffering from a variety of rare diseases. This means that because of their rarity pharmaceutical companies are unlikely to fund research into curing them.

At Easter one young lady was part of a swimming team who came to train at Santa Pola and Tabarca Island. She is Laura Ormiston who has suffered since she was 12 with gastroparesis.

Gastroparesis is a medical condition consisting of a paresis (partial paralysis) of the stomach, resulting in food remaining in the stomach for an abnormally long time. Normally, the stomach contracts to move food down into the small intestine for additional digestion. The vagus nerve controls these contractions. Gastroparesis may occur when the vagus nerve is damaged and the muscles of the stomach and intestines do not properly function. Food then moves slowly or stops moving through the digestive tract. It took doctors four years to diagnose Laura’s condition, meanwhile she was vomiting. Laura, a keen swimmer, first noticed pain in her stomach during a lifesaving class - and mistakenly believed she was suffering from cramp.Laura said: 'I thought it was cramp at first, but I quickly realised it was worse than that. As a swimmer, I'm used to aches and pains, but this did seem worse. 'It was as if somebody was standing with 10 knives stabbing me. 'The pain subsided eventually, but kept coming back every few days - and when it came back, it got worse.'

Along with dozens of other gastroparesis sufferers, Laura was angry at Easter when a breakfast television show interviewed a doctor who was advocating freezing the vagus aormi@icloud.com

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The grass is green, the grass is ris, I wonder where all the birdies is.

The little birds are on the wing, Why that’s absurd, the wing is on the little birds.

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Spring is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the varied wildlife that lives in Spain, either all

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nerve so that it stopped the urge to eat food and, thus, lose weight. The Vagus nerve, also called X cranial nerve or 10th cranial nerve, longest and most complex of the cranial nerves. The vagus nerve runs from the brain through the face and thorax to the abdomen.

It is a mixed nerve that contains parasympathetic fibres. So it is an important feature in our bodies.

Although Laura has lost her teenage years because of this condition, she is making up for it as she checks of a wish list. When she was 19 doctors suggested fitting a pacemaker to control her bowel movements, and once the money was available, she became the youngest person in Britain to have a pacemaker fitted to her stomach. One of her slogans is “I have Gastroparesis…Gastroparesis does not have me!” When 24 year old Laura Ormiston was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, she knew that would result in a life of chronic pain.

However after missing out on many years as a teenager, Laura found her medicine for the chronic pain she would face - Wild Swimming.

Today Laura is a very positive young woman who uses her WILD swimming to overcome the almost constant pain. Laura, who works in a nursery supporting children with complex needs, is determined to go wild swimming in every continent in the world.

Her coach, Robert Hamilton, 50, of Vigour Sports, describes Laura as an “incredible athlete” and said: “An ordinary person would be lucky to survive for just two minutes.“Your system shuts down. Cold water shock sets in. It can kill you. The survival rate is just one minute per degree of temperature. The coldest tap water is 16C. A aormi@icloud.com

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swimming pool is 28C. Loch Rannoch was less than 2C today,” after Laura swam in a freezing Loch Rannoch surrounded by snow covered mountains. He says wild swimming is taking over from marathon running as the latest “must do” adventure sport.

Laura takes her swimming seriously and is gradually building up safety rules for people who participate in this sport, such as a bright coloured swimming cap so that the can be seen easily in the water. Having realized that being in the water, even freezing water, controls her chronic pain she has decided there is no going back to the non-life of sitting in a wheelchair with constant pain in her joints.

While at Santa Pola, she swam the length of Benidorm beach, swam round the Tabaraca Island over two days, in waters that were almost tropical for her. She still has to be careful with her gastric pacemaker and her feeding tube.

One of her big challenges coming up in August is to swim the length of Loch Lomond, a full 36 kilometers. Then in September Loch Earn 10.5 kms.

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Spring in Yecla

Yecla is in the Murcia region and trying to attract tourism and is no too far from Torrevieja for day visit. According to locals this is based on two businesses - locally made wine and an active furniture manufacturing i n d u s t r y.

Traditionally this town in a hilly area is agriculturally based on grain, oil, wine, fruit. But for me other things Yecla has going for it is the friendliness of the people and some rather unique fiestas.

The origin of the term Yecla comes from the Arabic Yakka, which was the name of a fortress located in the place that is now called Cerro del CastĂ­llo. This toponym, however, is not from Arabic origin and it is very likely that it derives from the preRoman terms Iko or Ika. The most important mountains of the locality are Sierra de Salinas (1,238 m), Monte aormi@icloud.com

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Arabí (1,065 m), Sierra de la Magdalena (1,038 m), and others. The chief buildings are a half-ruined citadel, a modern parish church with a pillared Corinthian facade and a town hall standing in a fine arcaded plaza. Yecla has some rather unique sights, such as the Church of La Purísima or the Plaza Mayor; others of great beauty, like the Church of

El Salvador, the Marketplace and the Clock Tower.

The town is almost 100 kilometres from the regional capital Murcia City and with neighboring Jumilla, (also noted for its wines) is one of the primary r e g i o n s f o r development of the Murcia and Granadina breeds of dairy goats.

Yecla is in the area of transition between the coastal zone and the plains of La Mancha. Preceded by the fame of its inhabitants, it is naturally a town of enormous character which has impressed such writers as Azorín or Pío Baroja.

The Castle and the Sanctuary of La Purísima looks over the town and locals troop up to every 7th December 'the day of the Alborada' firing volleys of gunpowder with aormi@icloud.com

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their ancient harquebuses.

This area offers a number of hiking, cycling and potholing alternatives.

Take a bike along the track that leads to Monte Arabí (a mountain propitious for fables and legends) to see the Neolithic rock paintings that decorate the caves of the Canto de la Visera and Mediodía. A longdistance hiking trail (the GR7), which comes down from the North of Spain to the Levant, passes through the region.

Yecla has a vibrant all-year round cultural cycle with workshops, courses, exhibitions and the Fine Arts Municipal School continues the tradition of painting and sculpture.

The Teatro Concha Segura offers a wide variety of events throughout the year. This is augmented by the Music School backed up by two very active groups - “El Grupo de Coros y Danzas Francisco Salzillo” y el “Grupo Folclórico Arabí”. Two film festivals are annual events dedicated to a week of Spanish cinematographer and another week of European films.

An important element in the Yecla citizens’ cultural life are the clubs of literature, poetry, photography, and fiestas that provide a rich and dynamic social agenda.

Two of the local colleges are dedicated to two famous writers "Azorin" José Martínez Ruiz and José Luis Casillo Puche, both of whom wrote about and lived in Yecla.

Yecla has several museums -

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- M u s e o Arqueológico “Cayetano de Mergelina” - Mu s e o d e réplicas de “El Greco" - Museo Mariano "Virgen del Castillo" - Mu s e o d e Semana Santa - Museo Taurino

Yecla has a very intense economic activity, based mainly on the local wines, which have their own Denominación de Origen and have won numerous awards in competitions both in Spain and abroad.

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San Blas and blessed bread

FIESTAS San Anton in January with a procession of animals and their blessing.

This is soon followed by the blessing of San Blas with blessed bread and jumping over a a hoguera FIRE. What is a Spanish town without a Carnival and Yecla’s fiestas have theatre and parades.

Semana Santa in Yecla has been declared to be of Interés Turístico. Dating from the times of King Felipe II these fiestas feature various processions, such as that of the Seven Last Words, the Festival of Bands, the procession of Pardon and Holy Blood, of course Palm Sunday, The parade of the Lamps and the Penitential Procession of the Rosary.

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San Blas and blessed bread

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Spring brings its own celebrations and there is a romeria pilgrimage in honour of San Marcos on the Sunday nearest his feastday.

The first of May is time to poke fun at political and social events and people with satirical posters known as Judas, the name of this fiesta.

This goes back over 200 years to the French occupation.

Recently there has been an artisanal market and theatrical productions.

May 15th: - San Isidro is patron of agriculture and is a really big event in Yecla with a couple of marvellous parades. As with most celebrations it begins with the selection of the adult and child Queens and their maids of honour.

This feast began in Yecla in the middle of the 19th century around the well of San Isidro and after the civil war an image of the saint was placed in the basilica. A couple of years later the great Ca b a l g a t a o f Carriages started aormi@icloud.com

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and is one of the main festival attractions of the town.

What makes these particular floats in the parade so outstanding is that although they make look as if they are flowers, they are actually small rolls of paper, some as small as seven centimetres square and painstakingly glued to the main structures of floats as large as six metres. There are two categories, one is for children and the other for adults which usually have some sort of agriculture theme.

Throughout the year peñas or clubs organize the floats and dress in traditional costumes as well as attend fiestas in other towns.

In June there is the procession of Corpus Christi September brings more fiestas with a month that is busy with a large fair and multiple concerts of visiting artists, fun run.

There are also the patronal fiestas on 15th December dedicated to Ntra. Sra. de la Encarnación - Our Lady of the Incarnation. a memorial march of soldiers who heard the call of the King to fight in the War of Cataluña on 1642 under the leadership of Capitán Martín Soriano Zaplana.

The town's traditional gastronomy is alive and well, offering tourists the opportunity to taste peasant food of Mother earth including Gachasmigas, gazpachos and fried cheese with tomato offering enough calories for a day tilling the soil.

Gachasmigas probably have Arabic origins using flour, garlic,oil and water and look a bit like a tortilla with a crust best accompanied by a local wine. aormi@icloud.com

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Another Arabic-style dish is Gazpacho, not the cold Andalusian one, but a robust dish with small bits of corral raised hens or wildfowl, Serrano snails, although it may also feature tuna, mushrooms, peppers etc. most important of most gazpachos ingredients is bread, in this case very thin slices. As always supported by local wine, but also onion slices in vinegar.

Libricos are only a part of a wide range of pastries of Yecla.

In the past couple off decades Fried Brie became part of restaurant menus, but this type of recipe has been around for a long time in this neck of the woods using goat's cheese with a tomato frito sauce. Nice with a chilled white or rose wine.

TORTAS FRITAS This is common along the coast and basically a pastry like a puff one, but fried in deep oil. It can be accompanied by various things, sweet rolled in sugar, honey or salt or even anchovies. As always a nice glass of rose or white wine.

PELOTAS or balls to you

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These are tennis sized balls made with minced meat, pine seeds, parsley and spices, including breadcrumbs soaked in water and milk. These balls are cooked in a stock such as chicken known as cocido. Very popular here at Christmas with some shell shaped pasta in the stock (caldo).

Annual Furniture Fair At present, the municipality of Yecla is an important industrial heartland, whose main activity is focussed on wood and furniture sector. There are almost 500 companies dedicated to the manufacture of furniture and upholstery, and occasional furniture in wood and upholstery.

The entrepreneurial spirit of the people from Yecla, dates back from the XVII and XVIII centuries with the presence of a large number of professionals, such as carpenters, foremen and coopers in Yecla, attached to the activities related to artisan woodwork. In the XIX century, there was an increase in the number of mechanical sawmills and as a result the creation of chair and table workshops, whose commercialization was carried out in the adjacent provinces. These workshops were aormi@icloud.com

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the starting point of the industrialization process in Yecla. In the 1920's, with the availability of more modern machines, cabinetmaking began in earnest.

Small family companies gave birth to the industrial base that holds the economic structure of the local economy nowadays, with very skilled furniture designers and workers. The first great crisis occurred in the XXth Century, which ruined these small workshops with a certain degree of industrialization introduced. At that time, the archpriest of Yecla, Don José Esteban Díaz, launched the workers' Cooperative "Cooperativa de Obrera de Muebles, Comed", which employed 150 workers from all the surrounding areas.

In 1961, it was decided to establish the Local Furniture Fair, situating it in the premises of the Piarists, the Order of Poor Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools of Yecla. In that Furniture Fair, there were 15 furniture factories, 2 upholstery workshops and one veneered- furniture manufacturer. The Furniture Fair was a great success in terms of visitors, hence an immense satisfaction for the exhibitors.

In 1962, the Fair was renamed "Feria Provincial del Mueble e Industrias Afines", and at the same time achieved an official recognition. At that exhibition, there was a participation of 24 exhibitors and 700 square metres of space. The Exhibition in Yecla was established as the principal Furniture Fair in Spain.

In 1968 the present-day exhibition building was built, which has gone through remodeling and enlargements. At present, the exhibition building occupies 16,500 square metres of space with a total of 120 exhibitors.

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ITV Changes to Start in May Posted on 25/04/2018 Author of N332

Changes to the mandatory ITV vehicle safety testing procedure will come into force in May. Users of vehicles who suffer a failure or negative result will be able to go to a different test centre for the retest, as long as the faults have been rectified.

ITV test centres will be obliged to have diagnostic reading tools that can be connected to the on-board computers of the vehicles. This way it will be possible to detect if malicious software has been installed that alters the operation of the Airbag, the catalysts, or the particle filters.

Likewise, reviews should also be made in greater depth on the security elements. In the past, this would involve physical tests of the seat belts, but from now on the electronic elements that are accessed through the computer on board the vehicle will also be checked.

These changes will result in many improvements to the system, but this is not the end of the proposed reforms, with many more expected to be implemented soon.

The DGT announced the creation and propagation of a database of vehicle movements and history, which will then be checkable by future interested parties.

The technology behind this scheme would see cameras installed around the road network, and at the entrances and exits of towns and cities, which will record the registration number of vehicles as they pass.

The infrastructure for this technology is already in place in some towns.

However, in the future, the database will also link to the ITV test reports, recording faults or issues, and will collate information from traffic incidents, crashes and repairs.

The maintenance schedule will not initially be mandatory, but will be based on a technological platform that will collect the digitized workshop sheets that record all the operations that are done on the vehicle. Because not all workshops have the appropriate computer technology, a deadline will be given for them to adapt.

In addition, to make drivers aware of the need to pass the ITV (between 1.5 and 2 million vehicles are currently believed to be on the roads without a valid certificate), the DGT will deploy intensive campaigns which will be repeated periodically.

At the moment, when speed detecting radars detect a vehicle that exceeds the speed limits, it automatically checks if the ITV has been passed and if it has mandatory insurance in place.

Now, according to Gregorio Serrano, the Director General of the DGT, it is a matter of taking one step further and will not only be controlled through the radars, but also with the licence plate readers that are installed in the vicinity of the roads and other points of the road network.

When they detect that the vehicle has not passed the ITV or if it went for an inspection and failed, the DGT will automatically send a warning. If, on the second occasion, appropriate action has not been taken, the DGT will automatically issue a fine.

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From a a Jack to a King

Stagestruck Theatre Group will be performing a Musical Comedy show on May 17th, 18th and 19th May 2018 at the Cardenal Beluga Theatre in San Fulgencio. 'From a Jack to a King' is an original script that will have you laughing from start to finish. The show is set in a pub in 1960s East London and features a comical mix of characters who interact with hilarious consequences. Proceeds from ticket sales go to charity, mainly the Alzheimer's Association but also other local charities. See poster for details of where to buy tickets. Alternatively call Leigh on679679584 or email leigh.humphries58@gmail.com

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