May Cross (Cruces de Mayo)

Category / Domain: Social practices, rituals and festive events, Traditional craftsmanship

Location: Autonomous Community: Andalusia; Provinces: Granada / Córdoba (and other); Regions: Comarca Metropolitana de Granada / Córdoba / Los Pedroches; Municipalities: Granada, Córdoba

Country: Spain

Period: 3rd May. Although the main day is the third of May it must also be pointed out the importance of the previous days on this occasion dedicated to preparing the ornamentation of the crosses.

Keyword: Cross of May / Cruz de Mayo / Holy Cross / Spring festivals

Website

Origins:

There are several hypotheses on the origin of this celebration. One of them says it was born from pagan festivals celebrated during the month of May to commemorate the arrival of spring, where a young woman dressed in white and crowned with flowers was the “Maya”, in allusion to the month of flowers.

However, other historians place the origin of the celebration of the Cross in Roman festivities, since on the 3rd May, Saint Helen, mother of the Emperor Constantine, found the Holy Cross, and to verify that it was the real one, she placed it on sick people, healing them. On the day of her death, St. Helena begged all those who believed in Christ to celebrate the commemoration of the day it was found.

Granada

This festival has deep roots and tradition in the city of Granada, where the first celebrations of the Day of the Cross, as they are known today, date back to the 17th century. In 1625 an alabaster cross was built in the district of San Lázaro, much celebrated by the neighbours, and this tradition was later transferred to other popular districts, such as Albayzin and Realejo.

It is one of the most important celebrations in Granada due to its integrating and festive nature. Each neighbourhood, association or brotherhood makes its own cross to be visited throughout the day. The decorative elements that stand out in these crosses are the cross, normally lined with red carnations, Granada ceramics, copper objects, shawls, the pero (variety of apple) and the tray for money contributions.

Nowadays, the town council prepares different prize categories: courtyards; streets and squares; shop windows; and school section. Throughout the day there are performances by dance groups, exhibitions and horse-drawn carriage competitions, concerts, etc. There are crosses practically all over the city, the Realejo and Albayzin neighbourhoods being the most popular.

Córdoba

The first contest on Crosses of May organised by Cordoba City Council was held in 1953. During 1953 and 1954, the May Crosses were held together with the Patios, as most of them were located inside them. In 1955, two different competitions were created: crosses and patios. The peñas (clubs) joined the festivities around this time, acquiring great prominence. In 1974, the Brotherhood of Jesús Nazareno was the first religious community to set up their own May Cross. Nowadays, the Easter brotherhoods are the main participants in this event. In the 1970s, neighbourhood associations joined the festival.

Special mention should be made of Añora, a village in the north of the province of Córdoba. Its origins may date back to the 16th century. The staging and beauty of the ornamentation used to exalt the Cross confers this festivity a special singularity and aesthetics. Two types of crosses are dressed in this ritual: indoor crosses (“dressed” or carried out inside homes or buildings), in which the brightest whiteness of the materials normally predominates, and outdoor crosses (dressed granite crosses). Both are decorated with a baroque and painstaking workmanship that involves the work of a team, mostly formed by women, for two or three months before the celebration of the Velá (first Sunday of May)

This ritual is deeply rooted not only in the village, but also in the whole region of Los Pedroches, and its continuity is guaranteed.

Other Andalusian towns and villages where the festivity of the Cross of May is particularly significant are, among others:

Córdoba: Aguilar de la Frontera, Cañete de las Torres

Cádiz: Ubrique

Granada: Zafarraya, Cortes de Baza, Baza, Dólar, Santa Cruz del Comercio

Huelva: Alosno, Almonaster la real, Berrocal, Bonares, La Palma del Condado, Lucena del Puerto

Málaga: Torrox

Almería: Alhama de Almería, Almería

Sevilla: Lebrija, EL Madroño, Alcores (Carmona)

Cruces de Mayo. Granada. Photo: Ana Belén García Muñoz. © Instituto Andaluz del Patrimonio Histórico

IAPH image under the conditions established under license cc-by 3.0 de Creative Common. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/

IAPH image under the conditions established under license cc-by 3.0 de Creative Common. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/

IAPH image under the conditions established under license cc-by 3.0 de Creative Common. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/

IAPH image under the conditions established under license cc-by 3.0 de Creative Common. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/

Ahora Granada. Granada vuelve a celebrar su tradicional día de la Cruz. [Video File].

Cruces de Añora 2022. COPE Pozoblanco.

Reference:
Instituto Andaluz del Patrimonio Histórico. Ana Belén García Muñoz, Atlas del Patrimonio Inmaterial de Andalucía. Fase 3. Zona 5.Fiesta del Día de la Cruz en Granada, 2014.