Behind The Scenes Of DalÃas Fiesta
September 19th, 2008 - Chris Marshall
Jerónimo, Sands & Salvador with ‘the Boss’ as Jerónimo calls him!
Got a phone call earlier in the week asking if we would like to go and meet Jerónimo Robles Aguado, the very young and exceptionally pleasant mayor of DalÃas, to discuss the forthcoming Fiesta (21st September), and get some behind the scenes photos and interview.
The fiesta has a very good reputation as a party with amazing fire works i.e. rockets, but talking to Jerónimo you realise just how much more there is to the fiesta. Primarily it is a religious pilgrimage of sorts with thousands attending (the population of 3,000 will swell to 25,000 for the fiesta), with thousands walking (many barefoot) from as far and wide as Berja, Roquetas, Almeria, Almerimar, El Ejido etc. to attend.
If you drive out of El Ejido you will see that one side of the road has been conned off for the walkers. As I came back from Beja yesterday there was already a steady stream of walkers, although not too many barefoot.
Statue In DalÃas Square
In the centre of Dalìas you will see the above statue, or a man with his hands held above his head paying homage to SantÃsimo Cristo de la Luz. People stand trance like for a long time such is the religious belief and fervour of the event.
DalÃas Rockets
The fiesta is famous for its rockets, which are made especially locally in Berja. Jerónimo would’t confirm the actual cost (estimate c300,000€) of the rockets, partly because no one actually knows as people make dontaions throughout the year to fund the rockets, but he did claim that as far as a ‘rocket display’ went it was the largest in the world, with perhaps only the US on 4th July getting close.
Both Sands and I cane away with a deep impression of how religious the fiesta is and how much it means to the inhabitants of DalÃas. The whole town was helping out, and many people were sitting and watching the construction of the stage, blocking of the roads, setting up of the bars and restaurants in the streets.
Many thanks to Jerónimo for taking the time to talk to us and show us around his office. He was happy for us to take pictures as you will see, and it was particularly good to see the children’s drawings in his office from a local competition:
Child’s Portrait of Jerónimo
He was exceptionally passionate about the fiesta and took time to show us plans, pictures and prepartion, all very impressive:
Official Photos
For official portrait pictures he insists of being photographed next to the large picture of The Boss, which was a sure sign of his own personal beliefs.
All in all a very impressive and interesting day.
The Event
The main event starts at 1am on Saturday (21st) with a series of Mass celebrations, and carries on for at least 24 hours with the main celebration, the Salida De La Imagen Del Stmo. Cristo De La Luz Del Templo, starting at 8.30pm.
Forget about driving though as there is no where to park at all!
Photos
Casino
Square From Town Hall Balcony
Church
Preparations
Cultural Center
Check out more photos on Flickr
Video
Some footage of DalÃas preparing for its big night.
Reader Giveaway
Jerónimo kindly gave us a couple of DVD’s of the 2006 and 2007 festivities to give away, so if you want a copy this is all you need to do. Leave a comment on this post and next week I will pick a number at random from the number of comments and that person gets the first DVD (so state your year of preference) and then ditto for the second. I will post them to you wherever you live if necessary.
Enjoy the fiesta!!!
About Almerimar
Almerimar is located in the region of Andalucia, Spain. The nearest airport is 30km away in Almeria. Other airports that are within 3 hours include Malaga, Murcia, Granada, and Alicanti. Other holiday resorts in the region include Mojacar , Aguadulce and Roquetas de Mar
Almerimar is a great place to live as an expat amongst the expats, or to work amongst the Spanish. There are all kinds of properties including villas, apartments and town houses for rent or sale. It is a very traditional part of Spain, with traditional Spanish foods so if you plan to travel to Spain either to look for jobs, for your company to trade with companies in Spain, or to learn Spanish and enjoy the Spanish weather then come and take a look.
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Almerimar is also one of the largest marinas in Spain with over 2,000 births and excellent boatyard facilities.
