January 16 to 19 Annual fiestas in the Caravaca village of Benablón
The feast day of San Antonio Abad falls on January 17
Like their near neighbours in Navares, the residents of the village of Benablón in the municipality of Caravaca de la Cruz celebrate the feast day of their patron saint, San Antonio Abad (or San Antón) on and around January 17, and the program for this year’s festivities is as follows:
Thursday January 16
21.00: Dinner, all those attending bring their own food to share with others, with music by the Cuadrillas de Barranda.
Friday January 17
20.00: Hot chocolate and buns for all.
23.00: Live music for the first big night of the fiestas.
Saturday January 18
8.00: The residents rise early to collect firewood.
14.00: Lunch for all after the firewood collectors return!
15.30: Music and drinks for all the local community.
20.00: The lighting of the traditional San Antón bonfire as neighbours enjoy potatoes with garlic mayonnaise together.
23.00: Hippie-themed party, with music and memories from the 1960s!
Sunday January 19
10.00: Holy Mass and the blessing of cakes.
11.00: The San Antón cake raffle!
14.00: Paella for all.
17.00: Procession of the figure of the patron saint through the village.
For more local information, including news and what’s on, go to the home page of Caravaca Today.
Address
Calle De Las Monjas, 19, 30400 CARAVACA DE LA CRUZTel: 968 702424 / 968 701003
Oficina de Turismo de Caravaca de la Cruz
More information about the places of interest which can be visited in the municipality of Caravaca de la Cruz, along with what's on and local news can be found in the Caravaca Today.
Caravaca de la Cruz, in the north-west of the Region of Murcia, is one of only 5 Holy Cities in the Roman Catholic world, a centre of pilgrimage, along with Rome, Jerusalem, Santiago de Compostela and Santo Toribio de Liebana, and is home to the Cross of Caravaca, the Vera Cruz.
The status of Holy City was bestowed by Pope John Paul II in 1998, granting the City a Permanent Jubilee year every 7 years for perpetuity, the first one held in 2003 and the next in 2024.
The strategic and natural advantages of Caravaca de la Cruz have attracted the attention of settlers for more than 800,000 years, the Cueva Negra yielding remains of Homo Heidelbergensis, forbears of the Neanderthals and the municipality also houses important archaeological remains from the Argaric, Iberian and Roman cultures. many of these can be seen in the Municipal Archaeological Museum.
As a border town caught between the Catholic forces of Castille and the last remaining Moorish stronghold in Spain, Granada, Caravaca had a turbulent medieval history, but it was during this period that the legend of the Cross of Caravaca was born, bringing the religious orders which shaped the structure of Caravaca today, with its impressive hilltop castle and eclectic collection of churches and monasteries, religious tourism today being a backbone of the town´s economy.
Caravaca de la Cruz is a municipality with important natural resources, including extensive forests, part of which have protected status due to their wealth of flora and fauna, and due to the abundant water supplies is also a major area for canned fruit production, apricots in particular being an important crop.
Caravaca is renown for its important May Fiestas, held in honour of the Vera Cruz, which also incorporate the Moors and Christians celebrations and the Running of the Wine Horses.
Caravaca de la Cruz is also the home of Europe´s largest collection of ethnic instruments at Barranda, the Museo de Música Étnica Barranda and is the location of the Barranda festival de Cuadrillas, which celebrates the Region's ethnic music traditions.
The municipality is home to around 26,000 inhabitants and sahres boundaries with Moratalla, Cehegín, Lorca, Puebla de Don Fadrique in the province of Granada and Vélez-Blanco in the province of Almería.
Opening times:
Weekdays: 10.00 to 14.00 and 16.30 to 19.30
Saturdays: 10.30 to 14.00 and 16.30 to 19.30
Sundays and public holidays: 10.30 to 14.00
Click for map, Caravaca de la Cruz Tourist Office
