Fiestas in Alhama de Murcia
Alhama de Murcia, calendar of fiestas and celebrations
Throughout the year Alhama de Murcia celebrates a number of fiestas, as well as enjoying a busy cultural programme of artesan markets, guided tours, exhibitions and concerts.
The most important fiestas of the year are Los Mayos, which are held to celebrate May Day, and the October fiestas patronales. Semana Santa is also of great importance in Alhama, and the Romería of the Virgen del Candelaria is a popular event in February.
October: the fiestas patronales in honour of Nuestra Señora la Virgen del Rosario
The feast day of the Patron of Alhama, Our Lady the Virgen del Rosario, falls on 7th October, and during the week-long fiestas, apart from Holy Masses, there are open-air dances and cultural activities including theatre, music festivals, folklore events and various exhibitions.
May: Los Mayos
The Fiesta de los Mayos was declared an event of National Tourist Interest in 2019, and is a festival of pagan origin associated with rites of the fertility of the land. Traditionally, the Alhameños make cloth dolls called "mayos" which they display in the streets, set amidst other props to make small scenarios, often as a means of making some kind of social comment, as happens in the "fallas" of Valencia.
Locals known as "corremayos" dress up as harlequin jesters, complete with bells on their caps, and visit the Mayos en masse before a parade around town the night before May Day in which hundreds of runners participate, all dressed as Corremayos. The evening ends with a folk music concert.
The "Cruces de Mayo" are floral tableaux which represent the Christianised version of the pagan festivity. The colourful floral displays are also visited during May week, as the townspeople compete for the best floral displays, and the best Mayos.
March/April: Semana Santa
Semana Santa (or Easter Week) in Alhama is a sentimental and emotional time. Five "Cofradías"or brotherhoods parade their religious statues and tableaux through the streets, decorated with flowers: the Archicofradía de Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno, who dress in purple tunics, the Hermandad de La Santa Mujer Verónica (red), the Cofradía de Santa María Magdalena (blue), the Cofradía de San Juan Evangelista (white) and the Hermandad de Nuestra Señora de Los Dolores y de la Soledad (black).
Alhama has gained a reputation for particularly attractive floral displays during their processions, the best known of which is on Easter Sunday, or Resurrection Sunday. All of the brotherhoods join together in what is known as an "encuentro", their massive tableaux bobbing to each other as white doves are released into the sky in an act of celebration.
February: the Romería of the Candelaria, Alhama de Murcia
The Feast Day of the Virgen de la Candelaria is celebrated on 2nd February, with a Romería to the Collado to commemorate the purification of the Virgin Mary and the presentation of Jesus in the temple.
On this day, thousands of local residents will the figure of the Virgin on her journey, gathering at the Collado afterwards to enjoy a day of open-air celebrations and picknicking, sharing a barbecue with friends and family. Click for further details.
Local fiestas in the outlying districts of Alhama de Murcia
El Berro in the mountains of Sierra Espuña:
6th January: the Auto de Los Reyes Magos is the performance of a traditional play which charts the journey of the Three Kings and their arrival at the cradle of the baby Jesus.
Fiestas Patronales are held in honour of the Virgen de los Dolores at the end of the summer, in August. Due to the volumes of visitors visiting the camping in the Sierra Espuña, these are well attended and popular events including a foam party and a "cucaña", a game in which residents climb a greasy pole to obtain a ham!
Gebas in the foothills of Sierra Espuña
The Fiestas Patronales in Gebas take place from the 11th to 15th August in honour of the Virgen de la Purísima Concepción.
El Cañarico celebrates its fiestas in honour of San Antonio de Padua in June, and the zone of La Puebla holds fiestas during August.
Las Cañadas holds its annual fiestas in honour of the Virgen de la Cabeza.
La Costera holds its annual fiestas in honour of San Pedro Apóstol, during June.
For more local information, including news and forthcoming events, visit the home page of Alhama Today.
