Fiestas in Águilas during the month of December
Christmas and unusual traditions in the outlying villages of El Garrobillo and Cuesta de Gos
Of course Christmas takes pride of place among the December celebrations in Águilas, as it does in the whole of Spain, but there are other events during the month, some of them related and others not.
On 8th December there is a celebration in the village of El Garrobillo to coincide with the national holiday on the feast day of La Virgen de la Inmaculada Concepción. Mass is held during the morning, and is followed by a procession and a fiesta with traditional music and dancing.
As well as the annual Christmas program throughout the municipality there is another party in the hamlet of Cuesta de Gos on Christmas Day. Again this begins with Mass at 12.00, followed by music and dancing.
On 28th December, back in El Garrobillo, another celebration is held to commemorate the day of the Innocent Saints, a date on which there are traditions in Spain similar to those of April Fool’s Day.
After Mass benches are taken out into the street and a “baile subastado” takes place, in which attendees bid for the honour of dancing with the person of their choice or pay to make somebody else dance. The “victim” is forced to wear a big straw hat with coloured ribbons while dancing.
As with all of these local fiestas, music is provided by a Cuadrilla, a festive local group of musicians, who perform traditional music of the Murcia countryside, singing to the accompaniment of string instruments and percussion.
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