Festivals - February Guide

February is the month to celebrate the Carnival in Andalucia © Michelle Chaplow
February is the month to celebrate the Carnival in Andalucia

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Festivals - February Guide

Traditional Events - month by month - February

Andalucia is filled with fascinating cultural events throughout the year. Whilst many of these festivals take place on the date indicated each year, others move slightly in relation to the day of the week or the religious calendar or occasionally weather.

In order to confirm, the villages town hall website (www.villagename.es) or Facebook page may publish the date or a poster in the few week preceding the festival.

 

 

CARNIVAL

Various dates in February,
Most towns around Andalucía

The Carnival centres around Shrove Tuesday. Most towns celebrate the carnival with processions either the weekend before or after Shrove Tuesday. Cities and larger towns have festivities lasting all week or longer. Check our guide to see the dates for upcoming carnivals.

La Candelaria

1-2 February,
Towns across Andalucía

Fiesta of bonfires (lumbres or luminarias) – competitions to see which neighbourhood in each town can build the biggest, and sardines and chorizo (spicy sausage) are grilled on the fires. Songs are sung as townsfolk hold hands in a circle around the fire, and wine is drunk. Sometimes a figure, like a guy, is strapped to a post and burned. In Almonte, newborn babies are presented to the “Paloma Blanca”, the Virgin of the nearby town El Rocio where the pilgrimage is every May.The next day there may be processions with the town's saint and party featuring the towns local disk.

VIRGEN DE LUNA

2 February,
Pozoblanco, Córdoba

Romeria and Fiesta dedicated to the moon in this village north of Córdoba.

JUEVES LARDERO

Traditionally 7 February (Thursday before Ash Wednesday) ,
Fuentes de Andalucía, Sevilla

This festival is celebrated every year on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday, It originates form the feast before lent takes place Parque Rural "Molino del Viento" It is celebrated with a meal in the countryside with "Entornao" a typical sweet. Lately it has taken place at the Parque Rural “Molino de Viento”.

JUEVES GORDO

Traditionally 7 February (Thursday before Ash Wednesday) ,
Cullar Vega, Granada

This festival is celebrated every year on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday, just before Carnival. In other villages it is know as Maundy Thursday or Merendicas Day. It is an ancient custom with farmers celebrating the end of the tobacco harvest. Picnic lunch is eaten near the town football field. Typical food eaten is Hornazo de aceite and hard boiled eggs.

FIESTA DEL MOSTO Y DE LA ACEITUNO DEL ALJARAFE

6/13 February,
Umbrete, Sevilla

This fiesta in Umbrete, a town in the Aljarafe area to the west of Seville, celebrates mosto, a very young locally-produced wine. The fiesta takes place on the first or second Sunday of February, date still to be confirmed. Often tourist stands are added to the main fiesta, with as many as 60 producers and other local businesses attending. Last year this fiesta was cancelled for economic reasons (cuts to local and regional government funding), so it’s good news that it’s back again for 2011.

Dia de la vieja

Thursday of Mid Lent,
Cuevas de Almanzora, Almeria
Arriate, Málaga

Festival dating back to the seventeenth century. Originally a religious fellowship it was promoted by the Franciscan community of the church of San Diego on Calvary to help soften the rigor of lent. It takes place on a Thursday in the middle of lent Lent and the villagers go out and have a picnic in the countryside of typical local produce such as omelets, cod, small cakes, rice pudding, hornazos, etc. Other activities take place at the ‘Canal de Remo y Piragüismo’ where kites are made and flown in a competition. The 'old women' scarecrows are made in competition teams from bright coloured paper placed on a cane frame. Completed with dress and apron and headscarf. There face is exaggerated make up. Children then throw stones at the ‘old woman’ until they knock their heads off and collect sweets from inside the fallen heads.

Dia de Andalucia

28 February ,
Towns and cities around Andalucía

This modern festival and holiday commemorates the 1980 referendum which gave Andalucia its autonomous status. The green-and-white flag is much in evidence on Andalucia Day, hanging from balconies, waving from flagposts on town halls, even painted on people’s faces. Many Andalucians have far stronger loyalty to their region than to their country Children celebrate in their schools on the previous Friday with special parties, eating a regional breakfast (orange juice and toast with olive oil), learning about local history and singing the Andalucian hymn. A ceremony takes place in the morning in the main square of many towns. The main ceremony takes place just outside Sevilla at the monument to Blas Infante located at km4 of the Seville - Carmona highway.

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