02 May Day of the Cross
DAY OF THE CROSS 2023
Every 3rd of May, one of the most popular festivities in Andalusia takes place in Granada: The Day of the Cross.
On this day the streets, squares, patios and even shop windows of the city are decorated and filled with marvellous altars in honour of the Holy Cross.
It seems that the first celebrations in Granada of the Day of the Cross as we know it today date back to the 17th century.
In 1625 an alabaster cross was made in the neighbourhood of San Lázaro and all the locals celebrated by singing and dancing around it.
Nowadays, the crosses are still decorated with symbolic elements such as the placement of a “but” (that is how apples are called in Granada) with a pair of scissors nailed to it, so that no “but” is placed on the cross. In this way, it warns that no criticism should be made of the decoration of the Cross.
Copper pieces are also widely used for the decoration of crosses.
The origin of copper work in al-Andalus has its first major manifestations since the arrival of the Almoravids.
The copper pieces were lent by the locals who asked the cross to be used so that they would not be empty for the rest of the year, as the May cross is the pre-harvest festival.
And as no…. the most characteristic product is the raw broad beans with salaíllas. Here is the link to help you organise your route of the crosses this year.