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What's on in Cordoba

Easter in CordobaEaster in Cordoba

Come and share one of the most important and deep-rooted of Spanish celebrations with us in Cordoba, one that endures with centuries of history and tradition. Come and take part in these unique festivities - and take away memories that will last forever.

Easter celebrations in Spain are very important. They bring art and religion together and Cordoba's Easter processions (afternoon and evening), with the streets thronged with people, and are among the most spectacular in Spain. The streets of Cordoba are the stage for religious fervour and devotion, combining grief and meditation in memory of Christ's death.

Music, art and colour come together in magical processions - solemn parades in which crowds of people accompany religious images on their route through the town. The inextricable links with art can be seen, for example, in the many images of Christ and the Virgin Mary, masterfully sculpted with incredible realism by the likes of Juan de Mesa or Martín Cerrillo, among others.

These exceptional works of Spanish religious art (many of which are more than 500 years old) are paraded through the streets to be devoutly and respectfully admired by thousands of people.

We recommend you to get a programme with information about times and routes of the numerous processions. Programmes are available in kiosks, in newsagent's and you will also find information online.

Romeria de Santo Domingo

The Romería, or local pilgrimage, takes place on April 13. The pilgrims' floats are decorated for the occasion, and set off on the way up to Santo Domingo de Scala-Coeli, a Dominican monastery founded by San Alvaro de Córdoba.

People from Cordoba and the surroundings travel from the city to the sanctuary of Santo Domingo to sing, eat, dance and pay homage to the Virgen de las Angustias and to the Cristo de San Alvaro.

Most of these pilgrims wear traditional clothes (pictured, right), women in bright, gypsy-inspired flamenco dresses and men in the wide-brimmed "bolero" hats and short-cropped jackets associated with Andalusia.

Batalla de Flores

April 23 The Batalla de Flores is a real battle in which people standing on decorated floats throw out thousand of flowers to the pedestrians who throw them back. It takes place during the last Sunday morning of April.

May Crosses

April 30-May 4 The entertainment starts with the festival of the "May Crosses", a tradition across much of Andalucia. Here in Cordoba, associations, religious brotherhoods, students or neighbours' associations set up about 70 to 80 crosses made up with flowers (carnations) and positioned in attractive places in the city. These crosses take part in a competition organised by the Town Hall, and at the same time, are meeting places where you can have a drink or a dance.

Romeria de Linares

May 4 The Romería of Linares is on the first Sunday of May to celebrate the city's conquest by Fernando, according to the tradition that states that the king carried an image of the Virgen de Linares with him on his horse when he arrived at Cordoba. The sanctuary that houses the image of the Virgin - a mannerist work from the 16th century - is a hermitage inside a medieval turret, where the Virgin has been worshipped since the 13th century.

PatiosCorboda patios

May 7-18, 2008
During Cordoba's "Festival de los Patios", local people open the doors of their houses to allow visitors access to their patios (pictured, right), with their traditional but widely varying architecture and superb floral displays. In some parts of the city, notably in the Alzacar Viejo and San Basilio districts, this is a pretext for a lively street festival, lasting until the early hours of the morning.

Wine tasting festival

May 7-11
The Wine Tasting Festival is for those who like to taste wine and get to know the great variety of wines of the province of Cordoba (Montilla Moriles) are promoted.

The Fair of Nuestra Señora de la Salud

End of May
The next important event in May is the Fair of Nuestra Señora de la Salud, which includes bullfights, flamenco dancing competitions, exhibitions, theatre, flamenco singing and more.

The Fair is open to all. There are lots of enclosures; those belonging to the religious brotherhoods are specially lively, the first to open and the last to close, although there are areas to suit everybody's tastes, from those for all the family to those for the young.

The Fair of la Salud, has a bullfighting element too, as Cordoba has in Los Califas a bullring of the highest category, where the year's events are concentrated over these few days, with appearances by the most outstanding bullfighters of the day.

Cordoba Guitar Festival

July 4-18, 2008
One of the most famous guitar festivals takes place every summer in Cordoba. In this year's program, musicians including Carles Trepat, Stefano Grondona, Grondona y Mondiello and Hopkinson Smith play over two weeks in emblematic squares such as the Plaza de la Corredera.

There is also a training programme for those who love the instrument, with courses on guitar building classical, Flamenco, contemporary and modern guitar; composition courses for guitar; and Flamenco dancing and singing courses.

More information on the guitar festival website.


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