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Fiestas of Competa

The origins of fiestas and fieras in Competa and the surrounding villages date back many 100's of years and all are based on traditions and customs honouring special events; be that regilious occasions as in Easter or Christmas, or celebrating the harvest of grapes and making wine.

At the bottom of this page we have listed an annual calendar of all fiestas and fieras that take place in and around Competa. There is something for everyone, young and old. Please check it out when planning your visit to Competa.

Santa Semanta (Holy Week)

Please enjoy this video

The Easter week, or Santa Semanta, is a very special time in Andalucia.

Each village holds its own parade in which the towns' people carry large statues of Jesus or Mary around their villages.

In the large towns the parades are absolutely spectacular and hundreds of thousands of people attend.

The first procession of Holy Week, starts on Palm Sunday (the Sunday before Easter), with a procession through the village of a flower laden float of Christ on a donkey.

The float is carried by teenagers and is extreemly heavy, as indeed are all the floats.

There are processions every day of Holy Week and all are characterised by the wearing of distinctive cloaks and hoods (capirotes)

It is most impressive to see the various Saints pass through the narrow streets accompanied by candlelight and chants. The echo of the chants can be heard all over Competa village.

Good Friday is a special day and is particularly so in Cómpeta because the whole village participates in re-enacting the Passion of Christ.

The town's Mayor, who used to be the village priest plays the part of Jesus and the villagers part take as the rest of the cast. The play is held in the main Square outside the church, after which the heavy cross is carried by the priest, to the top of the village.

During this time the spectators become part of the cast by following the cross. At the top of the village There are already two crosses erected with 2 men tied to them - no nails are used! The priest is then tied to his cross and hoisted in the middle for the final moment.

The priest is then lowered from the cross wrapped in a blanket and carried into the village.

The whole of the passion play is extremley realistic and is a very moving experience - certainly not to be missed if you are staying in the area

Holy week culminates on the evening of Good Friday, where several floats are carried through the village, led by the priest, band and followed by the villages with lighted candles. The procession ends at about midnight, outside the Church, in the main square, where the Floats are paraded.

When the final float is returned to the Church, the doors are opened up for everyone to view all the floats.

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La Noche del Vino

Competa

Competa lies high above sea level at the foothills of the impressive Tejeda and Almijara Sierras and forms part of the scenic "route of the sun and wine".

The terrain is perfect for growing grapes and in July and the beginning of August the hills and terraces surrounding Competa are green and lush with beautiful bunches of fruit.

Grapes have always been the main cash crop produced by the villagers of Competa and their importance as an economic factor has been and is to this day enormous. Grape vines define the local landscape, which reflects the true essence of the Axarquia region and its way of life, mixed with tradition and history.

Cómpeta is known throughout Spain for 2 reasons. One, because of the special muscatel wine that has been made in the area for years. And two, for the celebrations and festivities leading up to and the actual event itself of Competa's annual wine festival - "La Noche del Vino" (night of the wine).

The lead-up period to the main day is called "Preludio a la Noche" (prelude to the night) and starts on 1st of August. During this time there are special events/functions put on by local businesses and restaurants wishing to make visitors and tourists feel welcome.

If you are planning on visiting Competa during the first 2 weeks of August and would like to experience the thrill of mixing and mingle with the locals during this special festive time, please contact the Competa Tourist Office for more information about events and venues.

La Noche del Vino is celebrated annually on the 15th of August. It's a tradition that originated a very long time ago and arose out of the necessity for the winegrowers to leave their homes for several weeks to harvest their grapes.

Before they left for the harvest all the village families used to get together for a celebration feast and a party; and that is how La Noche del Vino came about.

Now days with the onset of modern transport there is no longer the need for grape growers to leave their homes for any length of time. However, some still choose to stay in their fincas - and during harvest time it is not unusual to see more campo lights burning at night.

The "ayuntamiento" or Town Hall has now officially adopted the "day of the 15th of August", with the view to encouraging and supporting tourism for Competa.

The Town Hall actually finances the fiesta and provides free wine, migas and grapes for all. Migas is a Spanish dish of fried bread crumbs served with grapes & salted cod (bacalao).

The Spanish queue for migas as the English do for fish and chips and during the festival it can be quite surprising who you run into queuing for migas.

Normally the fiesta celebrations kick off in the morning around 11.00am with a procession of local winegrowers carrying baskets of grapes, announced by Competa's band. This is followed by a demonstration of grape treading.

Visitors will have the opportunity to watch how the Muscat wine used to be made in the past and taste it, while at the same time enjoy the wide range of entertainment put on by the village.

To continue the festivities there is usually a display of local dancing by the children from the village, ranging in ages from as young as 5yrs up to their late teens. The children's activities are followed by a disco fronted by Competa's very own priest who doubles as a D.J.

The evening celebrations start at about 11pm and go on to the early hours.

At the start of the evening there is usually a prize giving ceremony along with speeches, followed by traditional flamenco dancing, singing and guitar playing. It is a wonderful way to spend a fun day and for those who have the stamina, a memorable night

Each year the town hall works with local artists to produce a poster to advertise La Noche del Vino. Some of these are collectors' items. It is possible to pick posters up from the town hall prior to festival day.

Alternately you may be able to pick one up from one of the stalls that set up on the day, just outside the Church. The stalls also sell fiesta t-shirts, caps and bandanas.

Night of the wine is one of the most important summer events in Cómpeta and to get a seat for the evening's entertainment, it is necessary to reserve one. Once again go to the Town Hall as early as possible because these seats are highly sought after - so don't dilly dally!

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Fiestas, Festivals and Local Events Calendar in and around Cómpeta

August is feria time in Andalucia, everyone is welcome to join in. Come and have fun! August is also the traditional holiday time for the Spanish.

20th January	Maro	Feria del Barrio
20th January	Competa	Feria del Barrio
20th January	Frigiliana	Fiesta San Sebastian – the Patron Saint of Frigliana. Villagers walk bare feet through the streets carrying a statue of San Sebastian and candles.
20th January	Algarrobo	Dia de San Sebastian
1st-Saturday February	Frigiliana	Carnival – Villagers parade through the village with many colourful costumes and a lively atmosphere is experienced by all.
3rd-Saturday February	Nerja	Carnival
Easter Week	Competa	Semana Santa
3rd May	Frigiliana	Dia de la Cruz is celebrated with flowers adorning village balconies and every street corner.
5th May	Almayate	Fiesta
15th May	Nerja	The Fiesta of San Isidro parade takes place from Balcón de Europa to Nerja Caves - in full traditional costumes, floats and oxen.
18th-19th May	Torre del Mar	Fiesta
18th-19th May	Vélez Málaga	Fiesta
13th June	Frigiliana	San Antonio de Padua is a fair together with local dances celebrating the Christian reconquest on 11th June 1569.
5th-7th July	Torre del Mar	Feria de Caleta de Velez
12th-14th July	Benajarafe	Benajarafe
16th July	Torrox Costa	Procession of the Virgen del Carmen
16th July	Torre del Mar	Procession of the Sea Virgen del Carmen
16th July	Benajarafe	Procession of the Sea Virgen del Carmen
24th-28th July	Torre del Mar	Feria
Weekend closest to 23rd July	Competa	Feria San Sabastian – a fiesta with live music and dancing.
28th-30th July	Almayte	Fiera
Late July	Vélez Málaga	Feria de la Veladilla del Carmen
2nd-4th Aug	Algarrobo	Fiera
4th August	Torrox Costa	Fiesta Virgen de las Nieves
15th August	Competa	Noche del Vino. Famous wine festival attracting people from far and wide.
23rd-25th	Algarrobo	Mid-summer night Fiesta
23rd-26th August	Frigiliana	Festival of Dance and Music – a traditional time of year for people who have moved away from the village to return and celebrate with friends, music and dancing. You need to check for a definite date later in the year from
1st-week September	Maro	Fiera
7th September	Competa-Compo	Noche del Fuego – a night when people celebrate with fires and fireworks
4th-7th October	Torrox Pueblo	Feria Migas
6th October	Benajarafe	Fiera
9th-12th October	Nerja	Feria
25th-29th October	Vélez Málaga	Real Feria de San Miguel
Last-Sunday before Christmas	Torrox Pueblo	It is tradition that this Festival is held on the last Sunday before Christmas. Migas and wine are given to visitors to the village. Hundreds of people descend on Torrox Pueblo for a day of eating and drinking.

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