Totana traditions: 25th April Day of San Marcos

A curious ritual in Totana to mark the feast day of Saint Mark

April 25 is the Día de San Marcos (the feast day of Saint Mark), the protector saint of harvests, a date which is celebrated in the crop fields and mountains of the municipality of Totana and other locations of the Region of Murcia.

The ritual by which the Día de San Marcos is traditionally celebrated in Totana consists of the eating of a "garabazo" (a sweet bun containing a boiled egg, similar to the "mona de Pascua" which is found at Easter in many parts of Murcia), and the recital of the rhyme "San Marqueo queo, tiro la piedra y no la veo". This rhyme is accompanied by the throwing of a stone over the shoulder without looking to see where it lands and the making of a wish, and the rite is meant to bring good luck to those who perform it!

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