A Divine Shepherdess surrounded by fire
The Fiesta de los Rondeles in the pueblo of Casarabonela has been celebrated for around 300 years.
Religious processions are, of course, an integral part of Spanish life but the one that takes place here every year on 12th December – the eve of St Lucia's day – is really rather special. Like so many of the pueblos blancos dotted around the Andalucian mountains, Casarabonela in the Sierra del las Nieves originated in Moorish times, its whitewashed houses and narrow winding streets still clinging virtually unchanged across the side of the Sierra Prieta underneath the remains of a defensive medieval castle crouched high above it.
Back in the eighteenth century when olives were pressed under mats made from capacho (esparto grass) the millers would thank “the Divine Shepherdess” (the Virgin Mary) at the end of the harvest by taking her effigy out in a procession lit by torches made from the used mats called rondeles. The tradition has persisted and has now been declared a festival of National Tourist Interest which attracts hundreds of visitors.
At nine in the evening the parish priest blesses the enormous torches – the mats are now rolled tightly and impregnated with oil and lit from a central fire. Then, around ten o'clock, these are carried on long poles high above the heads of the faithful (in their distinctive peasant/shepherd dress) and their followers – lighting up the narrow streets to make way for the Virgin and Child who are carried from the Ermita de la Veracruz to the parish church of Santiago Apóstol, accompanied by musicians and singers. Christmas choirs of adults and children sing carols, drums roll and castenets clack. The winter atmosphere is electric and emotional and once the Divine Shepherdess is safely ensconced in the church the crowd repair to the town square to relax and have hot chocolate, oil and garlic toast and buñuelos de viento (sugar-coated fritters rather like light fluffy doughnuts, dating from Moorish times).
The rondeles procession is the highlight but there are plenty of other things going on in Casarabonela during the four-day festival which starts on Friday, December 9th. There is a typical Andaluz market with traditional products on sale – and for tasting – as well as a ruta de la tapa, a free paella, an art exhibition and activities for the children. There is also a competition for the best nativity scene, or belen, and entries can be viewed in contestants' homes throughout the village.
For more information on Casarabonela (and other villages) go to www.sierranieves-eng.com
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