During the last week of July there is a frenzy of activity leading up to the official day of the Patron Saints of Calasparra, July 30.
There will be special masses held every evening at 8pm in the Saints Church from July 21 to July 29. On Sunday July 24 the traditional “Ofrenda Floral Huertano” is spectacular as the church is crammed with flowers and the local priest receives individual flower arrangements donated by associations and individual parishioners, all in traditional costumes. However, take a fan and water as the church can get very hot!
The colourful dresses, white aprons, stockings and headdresses of the Murcian “huertano” costumes will be on full display during the celebrations and on Sunday, after the floral offering mass, the King and Queen of the Vega will be elected .
Radio Calasparra will host the Grand Migas Competition and there will be novelties such as “Throwing a grain of Rice” or “Throwing a grape” with cases of beer and bags of rice as prizes.
There are three processions, one on Thursday with the “charanga” (band); another on Friday evening preceding the Verbena (country dance) and the light hearted procession on the Saturday morning after the early morning mass with the Gran Traca (firecrackers) and which ends at the Saints Church with an “Almuerzo Popular” (basically a public breakfast).
Editors note: The word “huerta” in Spanish literally means vegetable garden and the region of Murcia is generally known as the “vegetable garden of Spain.” The Patron Saints of Calasparra are also the patrons of local agriculture and the harvest. This fiesta is typically Calasparrian and underlines the importance of agriculture to the local economy from the production of fruit and vegetables to the famous ecological rice. There are special costumes, songs and dances of the local “huerta” which form an important part of this fiesta.
Here are the full diary dates:
SUNDAY JULY 24
11am Procession Huertano at the Monument to the farmer in the Saints Church square
11.30am Huertano Floral Offering and Mass, Saints Church
12.15am Traditional “kissing the feet” of the Saints
12.30am Election of this year´s King and Queen of Vega
THURSDAY JULY 28
9pm Pasacalles (small procession) with the band “Los Cumbancheros”
10pm In the Calle Madre Carmen del Niño Jésus the band will play while participants prepare the Migas for the competition
VI Grand Migas Competition with prizes
III Competition Throwing Grain or Rice and Grape with prizes
FRIDAY JULY 29
8am Mass at the Saints Church with the Calasparra Choir
8.30am Solemn Procession – Route: Váquez, Lavador, Dr Fleming, Corredera, Salzillo, Vásquez, Los Santos, Placeta de los Santos and the Church.
11pm Verbena Popular (Country dance with live music group) in the Saints Square
During the evening there will be prizes presented to the young people´s clubs (peñas)
SATURDAY JULY 30
8am Mass at the Saints Church
8.30am Grand Procession – Route: from church, Vázquéz, Lavador, Tte. Flomesta, Juan Ramón Jimenez, Corredera, Salzillo, Mayor, Pastor Rubira, Los Santos square and back to the church.
On arrival firecrackers and Almuerzo Popular (breakfast)
