Expect everything, apart from bars and restaurants, to be closed in Calasparra tomorrow as July 30 is the Day of the Patron Saints of the town, St Señen and St Abdon.
This year there was no procession, the Night of the Migas was cancelled, and there will be no Verbena (country dance) due to the Covid-19 crisis. But the Calasparrians will take the day off in honour of their patron saints.
The first reference to this, the most traditional of the fiestas in Calasparra, was in a document dated July 22 1579.
St Señen and St Abdon were nominated patron saints of Calasparra in the 16th century and are considered to protectors against hail and storms which threaten the harvests. Their fiestas were set for July 30 and the Saints Church was founded by Mari Ruiz at the end of the 16th century.
Nowadays there is a conspiritual silence around the origins of the Patron Saints although stories passed down through the centuries suggest that after Señen and Abdon were found stealing the fruits of the local harvest the townsfolk killed them in anger. The town then relented and turned thieves into saints. This could explain why the Patron Saints are traditionally known as the «Martyr» Saints of Calasparra, St Señen and St Abdon.
