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Culture on the Costa del Sol
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There is no better way to get to know the Andalucians than through their many and fascinating feast days. The local fiesta is the moment when every town and village strives to put on a splendid show, not only for themselves but also for those who come from afar to admire and enjoy. Over 3,000 fiestas are celebrated every year in Andalucia, including fairs, pilgrimages, carnivals, mock battles between Moors and Christians and religious processions, throughout the some 800 communities of the region.
In fact, there is scarcely a day in the year without its fiesta, with special emphasis on the periods before and after the autumn harvests. Each town has its own patron saint and yearly procession.
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In the Mediterranean, sacrificing bulls is a practice dating back to pre-historic times. In Greece for example, killing the minotaur is symbolic of a bullfight.
Bullfighting as we know it today, started in the village squares, and became formalised, with the building of the bullring in Ronda in the late 18th century. From that time, it began to follow a particular sequence of events: the entrance of the bull, the picador, the banderilleros, and finally the matador (bullfighter). Many of the picadors' horses were injured in the early days, so these heavy horses now wear protection.
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Flamenco is an individualistic, yet structured folk art from Andalusia, which is often improvised and spontaneous. The song, dance and guitar are blended together by the passionate rhythms of southern Spain which is flamenco's geographical birthplace.
Gypsies say it's in the blood, but Spain's famous poet and writer Fredrico Garcia Lorca, called flamenco one of the greatest inventions of the Spanish people. Some dare to disagree. Yet the tragic lyrics and tones of flamenco clearly reflect the sufferings of the gypsy people.
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When tourists arrive on the Costa del Sol for their summer holidays or mid-winter break they soon discover that some of their fellow countrymen are so enamoured with the place that they stayed behind when their group went home or organised a move, lock, stock and barrel, or made elaborate plans to retire here when the time came. Immediately the visitors start wondering, "what is life like for foreigners who settle on the Costa del Sol?" The answer is they love every minute of it and wouldn't dream of going home or moving elsewhere after experiencing the lifestyle.
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Thousands of British and other English speaking people live or spend a lot of time in Andalucia. When first setting up home in this paradise under the sun, the temptation is to make friends with fellow English speakers, rather than make an effort with the Spanish language. This is understandable at first, but taking the proverbial bull by the horns and studying Spanish is ultimately the best way forward.
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Food and Drink
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Coming SOON .....
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Customs
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Coming SOON .....
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