Fiestas, Romerias and Other Dates for 2009

Here is a list of some of the most accessible and fun Fairs, Pilgrimages, Fiestas and processions in the Sierra de Aracena.
Times mentioned are driving times from Finca Buenvino.



March 6th-9th FICAR (International hunting and shooting fair) Rosal de la Frontera (40 mins)

March 20th&21st Fiestas de la Encarnación, Carboneras (15 mins)

March 22nd Romeria de Nuestra Señora del Prado Higuera de la Sierra (25 mins)

April 1st-5th April Iberian Pig and Hunting/Shooting fair Santa Olalla del Cala (40 mins)

April 3rd Good Friday

April 5th Palm Sunday The Borriqita procession 6pm Aracena (10 mins)

April 3rd - April 5th The horse and mule fair Puerto Moral (25 Mins)

April 5th- 12th Holy Week. There are processions most days/nights in Aracena (10 mins) The most beautiful and moving are on the night and early morning of Thursday to Friday.

12th April-19th The Virgen de las Flores is carried from her chapel and returns 19th. All week is fiesta (Encinasola - 50 mins)

30th April-3rd May Fiesta de la Virgen de la Tortola in Hinojales (45 mins) Here, on the 1st May you will see the men of the town assemble to dance the extraordinary Danza de la Lanza



May 2nd & 3rd Fiesta de Las Cruzes Almonaster la Real (35 mins)

May 6th-8th VIth International Congress on Jamón Aracena (10 Mins)

May 10th Romeria de Nuestra Señora de la Coronada Cortelazor (20 Mins) If the weather is fine, this is a beautiful romeria in spectacular scenery.

May 15th-17th Spring Livestock Fair Aracena (10Mins)

May 23rd-24th Romeria de San Mamés Aroche (30 Mins) very fine route through dehesa. A day and a night of roistering.

May 31st Our own Romeria de la Virgen de Gracia Los Marines (2 Mins) the best(see former blogs)

June 7th Romeria de Nuestra Señora del Prado Higuera de la Sierra (25 Mins) the chapel is set amidst beautiful countryside.

June 13th Fiesta del Chopo Los Marines (2 Mins) the young men of our village go out to the countryside, fell a huge poplar tree and carry it back to the main square of the village, where it is erected with some difficulty. Much drink taken.

June 13th Fiesta del Carro Fuenteheridos (4 Mins) only for the young and well-oiled.


June 19th-20th Velá del Cercado de Reyes Aracena (10 mins) Night time street party.

June 26th - 28th Fiestas de San Juan Bautista Linares de la Sierra (Bullfight on 27th) (20 Mins)

June 26th-28th Velá de San Pedro Aracena (10 mins) night time street party on thr saturday. exhibitions of art and handicrafts..

June 27th Velá de Poesia Erótica Galaroza (15 mins) Readings and discussions of Erotic Poetry.

June 28th - 30th Fiestas de San Pedro Castaño del Robledo (15 mins)

July 10th- 12th Cultural and Environmental Days "Amigos del Castillo" Cortegana (25 mins)

July 20th - 26th IIIrd Music Week Zufre (30 mins)

July 24th-26th Velá de Santa Lucia Aracena (10 mins)

August 1st-3rd Fiestas de Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza Castañuelo (20 mins)

August 1st National open-air painting competition and meeting Cortelazor (20 mins)

August 6th-9th Mediaeval fair Cortegana (30 mins)

15th August Romeria de Nuestra Señora de Esperanza Castañuelo and Corterangel. (20 mins)

15th August- 18th August Fiestas e la Virgen de la Fuente Fuenteheridos (3 mins)

15th - 17th August Fiestas de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios Cortelazor (20 mins) "el toro de fuego" runs about on saturday night....a man with horns and covered in fireworks.

20th August-24th August Feria de Agosto Aracena (10 mins)

22nd August-23rd August Romeria de San Bartolomé Alajar (10 mins)

6th September Los Jarritos Galaroza (15 mins) water is thrown about all morning so wear bathers and bring a bucket.

8th September Romeria de la Reina de los Angeles Alajar (10 mins) Spectacular romeria to a mountainside hermitage. (Fireworks the night before the romeria)

18th September Fiestas y Feria de la Virgen de Gracia Los Marines (2 mins) Fireworks on the Saturday.

18th- 20th September FEGAR Livestock fair Aroche (30 mins)

Preparing for the 2009 season

This week in spite of being officially closed until April, we ran our first newlyweds cookery course, which was huge fun, Andrew and Kelly Benitz of Titan Properties came up from El Rompido, along with Sarah and Robert Barclay from Seville, and Polly Wibberly and Jesus Revaliente, who are planning to get married at Finca Buenvino in July.

We baked wholemeal bread, and sundried tomato bread, and pumpkin seed loaf; then cooked a three-course lunch of grilled aubergine, goat's cheese and tomato pesto followed by chicken, saffron, lemon and olive tajine then we prepared a bitter orange marmalade soufflé and almond praline to go on top.

When the weekend is over we will return to our noisy hammering and thumping as the builders get back to work: this year we have closed for three months, which gives us time to make some improvements.

Our old hot water cylinders and solar panels were removed, and an entirely new system of high temperature vacuum tube solar panels installed.....today was our second day of operation and the water cylinder showed 50ºC at 7pm, which is one in the eye for the electricity board. New shower and steam cabinets are going into some of the bathrooms. Now we have two rooms with tubs and two with steam showers in the main house. and the pool room also has a steam shower unit.

Bedrooms have better reading lights, and new 90% goose-down pillows, 398 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets, both from Mitre Hall and Letts.

With econonomic gloom forecast for the year ahead, we decided to drop our prices back to our 2002-2006 level, and keep our fingers crossed that some guests will come and stay. Come on, you out there! It is only 70 Euros per night per person for bed and a delicious breakfast. If you stay three nights or more, then it drops to 60 euros per person per night. VAT is a mere 7%

A bulldozer and a roller have been spreading stones and gravel on the drive, so now the cottages are accessed down a kilometre and a half of smooth track. Let's hope this lasts, as we cannot lay tarmac in the nature reserve.

The cottages will each be getting solar panels next week, as well as new mini Hifi centres with i-pod docks, MP3 connection and cd players. Pepe has built a wonderful high stone wall along the edge of the walking trail, and he will be putting in permanent stone-built barbecues for each cottage. These will make it safe to barbecue even in high summer, as they are on brick floored terraces where sparks should not escape into dry undergrowth (as long as holidaymakers are careful).
In order to be even more eco-friendly, cottages will be supplied with composters, so that all vegetable waste will be returned as fertiliser to the organic orchards and veggie patch. Summer tenants are welcome to pick their own tomatoes, courgettes, aubergines, peppers and beans.

We open again on the first of April.

A rush through 2008

It's unbelievable, but two whole years have gone speeding by since I last touched this blog. We have been so busy with cookery courses, visits to the Rio Tinto Mines, tours of the Sanchez Romero Carvajal Jamon secadero and wine tasting at Gonzalez Byass that I have hardly had time to sit in front of the computer.

This year kicked off to an auspicious start when were given the chance to host a two day seminar workshop for Phyllis Krystal. It was an enormous privilege to see her working and bringing encouragement and advice to some 30 students from all over Spain. Phyllis is life-affirming, encouraging, mentally sharp and full of energy, even in her mid 90's. Workshops were held up at the pool house, and Ernestine Lüdeke of the Fundación Monte Mediterraneo translated simultaneously from English into Spanish.

Jim Lyman helped us coordinate everything, and was instrumental in bringing this group to Finca Buenvino. He also runs our Reiki healing weeks and flute master classes for professional musicians, using play and neuro-linguistic programming techniques to overcome perceived obstacles to perfect interpretation. This year we held the classes in May, and we had a dozen musicians attending from all over Spain.

Liz Walker came out to visit us in March; rather earlier than her usual summer visit so we had a quick burst of fashion gossip to make us feel less like country cousins. As usual, there was plenty to do on the farm and in the greenhouse, and the sun shone, perhaps a little too relentlessly until spring rains, after which we were able to plant out the vegetables which we are now harvesting.

Melanie Denny who's new funky boutique hotel, La Casa Noble, in Aracena was too full to accommodate her own mother, sent her to us for a few days for R&R. The peace was shattered when the whole group walked over (8Kms) for lunch and a swim, arriving about 2 hours late as they simply had to stop and talk to every Iberian pig or donkey and photograph every wildflower on the way. This was entirely the fault of the irresistibly enthusiastic Peter Ott, who was leading the group.

We had a quick visit to London in July when we caught up with Vanessa de Lisle and enjoyed a Mediterranean lunch in her garden in Balham, where we met fellow food-blogger Renée Finch, from Rome. We then tore down to Eastbourne for Christo Pyemont's surprise 60th b'day weekend; two days of sea-air, walking on Beachy Head, and delicious food, including organic vegetables from Pinkie's allotment garden. We toured St. Bede's Prep School where he was headmaster for many years and now teaches maths.

A summer visit from Johnny Grey and his family allowed me to catch up on 30 years! He designed my insane Gothick kitchen (quirky, rustic and made from cherry wood, plane, beech and oak) back in the mid 70's in London, but now has an entirely different spin on Kitchen design, delving profoundly into ergonomics and neuro science.....don't ask me, ask him; I'm only a cook. Johnny is currently working on Dexter's kitchen in Gramercy Park New York City

Sarah Gellately-Smith, our public relations guru was married last week to Rob Barclay her mother and God/stepfather threw a great party in Oxfordshire last week-end at the bride's parents' house in North Moreton, so we have been recovering gently over a glass or two of fino and working up to the Los Marines fiesta which starts tonight! It's the last village party of the season and marks the beginning of the autumn weather.....Indian summer is on the way; perfect for walking and mushroom hunting.

Romeria Arrival at the Ermita

Jairo y Aurelio







La Mesa de los Guiris

Anne, Jeannie, Nick, Candy, Janet











Jeannie, Jackie, Penna, and Hughie












About halfway there.














Arriving at the Ermita

La Romeria. El camino

Aurelio plays his guitar for the singing and dancing. Later he and his wife will direct the choir at the ermita.

Sanchez Sanchez en buena forma y mas joven cada año























Rockets are launched as we turn onto the Cortelazor road.








¡Olé olé Judith!



















The mules tow the cart with the sin pecado banner.

The Romeria

Every vehicle carries a trailer of supplies; beer, wine, tortilla, jamón and sausages of various kinds.


Jeannie and Fidel











Estéban with Cruzcampo













Tengo un Tractor no Amarillo














Grania, Eli and Angel










Los Tonto-er-Culos

Romeria de Los Marines 2006

Every year, on the last Sunday of the month of May, we celebrate the Romeria (pilgrimage) of Our Lady of Grace.

She is the patroness of the village and her image is kept above the altar of the village church, on the gilded and carved baroque reredos.

Once a year, however she is taken out to the countryside to spend the day among her people.









Fabian and Jeannie
















The main entrance to the village is thronged with romeros










The statue of Our Lady of Grace is carried through the village square.



















Fernando and Fabián













The national anthem is played when she comes out onto the street.














The bells are rung.














Everyone is waiting to follow Nuestra Señora de Gracia as she is carried out of the church, through the streets of the village, to the little country chapel, about three kilometres distant.

Another year, another Romeria

¡Viva la patrona de Los Marines!

¡Viva la Virgen de Gracia!

The Benefits of Computer Translation

We had lunch today with our cookery students, on the banks of the Guadalquivir by the Triana market. One of the best things about the restaurant is the English translation of what is most probably not on offer.

Roses

The hot weather arrived early, bringing temperatures of 30ºC to the mountains. The cork trees are shedding their old leaves as well as drifts of yellow pollen which are driving us all mad with hay fever. The patios need constant sweeping; however the roses have never been so prolific as they are this year.

Sunday Lunch in Losma

It's Sunday 7th May and Jeannie deserves a rest from the kitchen so we went into Los Marines to Bar Carlos with the family.

Carlos Jr. was frantic, with the place full, so Judith kindly set up a table for us in the street. Carlos lent me a hat, courtesy of Legendario Rum, and Jago ordered Solomillo de Cerdo Ibérico for us, which was delicious as usual, but after a minute or two of blazing sunshine we had to move into the shade of the palm tree in the main square.

Liza's Birthday

Manolo and Millie are getting married in July!















Liza was 19 on the 6th May. It fell on a Saturday so it was a great excuse to celebrate with a gang of our friends from Sevilla and the UK. Jago baked a chocolate cake and filled it with raspberries and cream.

Paddy, Jeannie and Rob. Teaser, the dog is trying to get in on the act!

Broad Bean Slavery

The first tiny broad beans came up from the huerta a couple of days ago. Jeannie, Bertie, Dorelia, Lucy, Liza, Grania and Sarah all dug in to the task.

Nobody is looking quite so smiley on day three!

Half of the beans are picked small, and the plants are pulled out to make way for the tomatoes, aubergines, peppers, and courgettes which have to go in soon. The rest of the beans will be left in the ground to swell to full size.


Recipe for Tender Broad Bean Stew

The bean pods for this must be the the very youngest,about as thick as your small finger. Take about 1Kg of these, and snap of the tops and tails.

Slice 4 or 5 cloves of garlic into a large pan with a lid. Tip in 20-30cl of virgin olive oil. Add a glass of water, a finely sliced onion and the broad beans.

Turn the heat up until the liquid begins to simmer, add salt and pepper to taste, and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Turn down the heat and allow to cook gently for about 30 minutes.

Check that there is enough water from time to time. When the beanpods have changed colour to a sort of grey-green, add one small can of tomato puree, and two teaspoonfuls of sugar. Stir around with a wooden spoon until well amalgamated. Reduce liquid until you have an oily, shiny appearance, and then turn off heat.

Taste again for seasoning. Eat tepid.

At Buenvino we serve this for a spring lunch, perhaps along with tomato and almond salad, local cheeses, chicken schnitzels with turmeric and sesame, and a rocket salad.

La Danza de la Lanza

On the last night of April, Jeannie and I had been to Sergio's Christening party in Los Marines, where we hatched a plan with Mariano and Juli to drive up through the hills to the beautiful and remote little village of Hinojales.



On the first of May, the young men of the village perform a dance with castanets, in front of their patroness La Virgen de La Tórtola.





The 7 young men wear a strange costume with embroidered cummerbunds and head-dresses, and pleated starched broderie Anglaise petticoats to their shirts. The dance and the costumes are thought to be Celtic in origin, and were brought here after the villages were repopulated with families from Galicia and Leon after the reconquista.


Everyone puts on their best clothes and the image of Our Lady is carried around the village



A young girl throws rose petals.





We drove north through a blaze of euphorbias, pink phlomis, poppies, blue pimpernels and arrived just in time to see the Virgin being carried from the church of La Consolación. We followed the processions, and when the Virgin was placed once more in front of the altar of the church, all the men who when young had danced in the church (those of them who were fit enough!, removed their jackets and joined in the dance, which turned into a fantastic rout. It was very moving to see people who had left the village to find work in the cities, returning to join in with the festivities.

Spring has arrived!

Spring has Sprung in the Sierra de Aracena, and the meadows of the dehesa by the lake are purple and blue with Viper's Bugloss.





It's only 20 minutes or so from Finca Buenvino, where we live, so today we drove there and picnicked on goat's cheese from Aracena, and Serpa sheep's cheese (from just over the border in Portugal) and home-cured jamón and salchichón, homemade sourdough bread, and home grown salad leaves with lemon mayonnaise. Our owns eggs too, but I wish we had made the wine! As yet, we have no vines on the farm except for some eating grapes down in the orchards.

Afterwards, Grania, our daughter, and Liza, who is wwoofing here, braved the cold water, whilst we lay in the long grass beside Willy and Anne who were staying with us, and snoozed as the bees droned around the flowers.




On the way home we stopped to pick some wild peonies which grew in a field where cattle were grazing.