Corpus Christi is one of the largest festivals in the province of Granada, Andalucía. Granada's Corpus Christi celebration originates from the reconquest of Granada city by the Catholic Kings, Ferdinand and Isabella, and is one of the main annual celebrations. It is normally held during June; however, with the dates being determined by Easter, they can vary enormously.
In the Costa Tropical, Motril always has a full programme of activities arranged, including a children's funfair, temporary bars, music and dancing.
The origins of the 'Feast of the Cross', also known as the 'Invention of the Cross', date back to the seventh century under the rule of Emperor Constantine I the Great.
The Christian Church use March 21 as the date of the equinox; therefore, in Western Christianity, Easter always falls on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25. Holy Week in Spain runs from Palm Sunday through to Easter Sunday, with schools in Andalucía returning on, what is known in the UK, as Easter Monday.
Whilst the festival in Alcoy, Alicante is probably the most well documented, the town of Vélez de Benaudalla, in the Costa Tropical de Granada, is renowned locally for celebrating this annual event in style. Each year detailed preparations are made for the celebration which is held over 4 days straddling the 13th June.
Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi is a Christian feast day, or solemnity, commemorating the supreme gift of the institution by Jesus Christ of the Holy Eucharist.Occasionally Corpus Christi week will fall in May. Corpus Thursday, when the main events are staged, occurs on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, which itself occurs eitht weeks after Easter Sunday.
The festivities last a week, and each night the city comes alive as Andalucíans, young and old, take to the streets to enjoy a variety of activities and entertainment, including a fairground, bullfights, music and dancing, flamenco, parades and religious processions, as well as the obligatory sensational firework displays.
On Corpus Thursday Corpus Christi is celebrated with an early morning mass and a religious parade, with statues of Jesus and Mary being slowly carried through the city to the cathedral. Walking the procession, to the accompaniment of brass bands, are the civilian, military, and religious authorities bearing the flag of the Catholic Kings and the royal shield and arms.
Elegant riders on horses and gaily decorated floats march alongside the religious fraternities, snaking their way through the crowded city streets in the hope of winning one of the varierty of prizes on offer.
The plethora of sights, sounds and smells of fiesta time in this historic part of Southern Spain bombard one's senses, creating a vibrant and electric atmosphere that is hard to match. The fiesta ends on the Sunday after Corpus Thursday with a smaller procession and Mass, known as the 'Eighth Corpus'. Late on Sunday night the city bids farewell to the celebrations with a firework display; however, many revellers will continue the party way into the small hours.
