The Route of the Fairs and Patron Saint Day Festivities

Patron saint festivities in Andalusia come in many forms, depending on the history and customs of each town, from the Moors and Christians festivities to the processions carrying a particular venerated image.

The Seville Fair, held during the last days of April, conserves characteristics from its country origins, above all the presence of horses and carriages.

The fair ground comprises hundreds of stalls, laid out in lanes of white sand, and adorned with lights and little lamps. Built of canvass and wood and decorated with shawls and flowers, they have a stage for dancing sevillanas and a long bar inside for eating and drinking and for entertaining with generous displays of friendship.

A few days later in Jerez de la Frontera the Horse Fair takes place, where the best horses from the region can be seen.

At the end of May, the Manzanilla Sherry Fair takes place in Sanlúcar de Barrameda.

This month is important in Cordoba, since it is when the traditional May Crosses festival, the courtyards contests and the May Fair all take place

These kinds of festivity can be found in towns throughout Andalusia in the course of the spring and summer.

Other popular festivities are based around events relating to the particular image of the patron saint venerated in each town. A curious example is the Cascamorras chase, which sets out every 6 September from Guadix to Baza.

In Huelva, from San Antonio Abad in Trigueros, where all kinds of food is thrown from balconies for the people in the procession to gather, to the ritual slaughter of the Iberian pig in La Sierra, Las Cruces in Berrocal, and the 'war' of the water jars in Galaroza.