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Marbella Fair.
¡Andalusian
tradition in a cosmopolitan world!
Trheed f irinst tAhned Maluidsdialen fAagires sa.p Tpheeaybegan
with the annual livestock
markets at which animals, above
all horses, were traded, customarily
taking place in September.
Jerez de la Frontera, Seville and
Cadiz were the first cities to hold
what would become one of the
most emblematic fiestas of our
part of the world.
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Celebration of the
Reconquista by the
Catholic Monarchs
“Reconquista” (reconquest) refers to the
conquest by the Catholic Monarchs of
those parts of the Iberian Peninsula that
were under Muslim occupation for no
less than eight centuries.
It began in 718 and ended on 2nd
January 1492 when Ferdinand II of
Aragon and Isabella of Castile defeated
the last Muslim ruler in the Peninsula,
Boabdil of Granada.
The Reconquista ended with the
reunification of almost all of Spain as we
know it today, save for Navarre which was
incorporated in 1512.
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AIn the years following, many Andalusian
cities introduced fairs to celebrate
liberation from Muslim occupation. The
first fair in Marbella dates back to 1485.
The residents of Marbella hold their fair
in the week of St. Barnabas, the city’s
patron saint, celebrating on 11th June
each year.
St. Barnabas was born in Cyprus. Born
of Jewish parents of the tribe of Levi,
his original name was Joseph but was
changed by the apostles to Barnabas
which, according to St. Luke, means: he
who makes an effort, who exhorts and
encourages others.
The stories of the apostles tell us that
St. Barnabas sold all his property
and distributed the proceeds among
the poor. St. Bernabas was a close
colleague of St. Paul. |
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The Romería
The Romería is a pilgrimage
in which pilgrims in traditional
costume travel to the
countryside by carriage.
There they attend a mass
in honour of their patron,
followed by a traditional meal
around a fire with dancing,
singing and entertainment for
young and old.
It’s not a fair without music!
Flamenco, sevillanas, rumba and copla
are some of the musical styles of the fair.
Rhythm and joy that provoke the desire to
dance, for which no one is better than the
Andalusians.
No one else in Europe has that ability to
dance to the sound of the guitar and the
tamboril drum.
As regards Flamenco, we can say that
it emerged from the heart of western
Andalusia, along the River Guadalquivir
between Cadiz, Jerez and Seville.
The connection between earth and fire,
flamenco is intimately related to the
history of the people who have
always performed it:
the gypsies. |
Gypsies and Flamenco... five
centuries of common history
The Gypsy people express
their culture from generation to
generation in oral form. Their roots
lie in India.
The gypsies began to arrive in
Spain at the end of the 15th century
and they always stood out for their
musicians, dancers and singers. It
was the reason why they were hired
by the Spanish nobility to entertain at
festivities
The Gypsy people settled
throughout Andalusia but
remained true to their nomadic
roots. It was impossible to
control them because of their
independent nature, causing
bad feeling towards them on the
part of the local populace.
While
on the subject, an historical
anecdote tells us that in 1749,
the Archbishop of Oviedo sought
the arrest of all the gypsies.
Some gypsy communities that
had served in the Spanish navy
in Flanders (“Flamencos”) fled
that edict, and from there comesde flamenco que se les dio a
los gitanos.
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At the start of the 19th century,
many gypsies settled down
in Seville, Cadiz and Jerez de
la Frontera, forming their own
neighbourhoods where music is
an integral part of the way of life.
That music is called Flamenco.
Over time, flamenco spread
and was performed by payos
(non-gypsies), becoming
more profound, what we today
call jondo.
Over the last 50 years the
tourism sector has used
flamenco as an attraction and
nowadays there are few people
who know the differences
between flamenco, the music
of the fair, sevillanas, and
everything that livens up
the various performances.
Unfortunately, popular culture
has let go of the true identity
of flamenco and the name
flamenco is given to any
old tap of the foot or sound
of the castanets. Only the
Andalusians know how to
recognise what is theirs.
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Food and Drink: one of
attractions of the fair¿Red wine and lemonade, beer, and
fino and manzanilla sherry are the
perfect companions for serrano ham
or tapas.
Although the food is far from
being the only reason to attend the
fair, it always ends up as one of the
real pleasures of the festivities.
With a
good fino from Jerez, a tapa of cured
ham from Huelva, some kebabs or
a portion of Spanish omelette in
hand, the Andalusian enjoys the most
awaited time of the year, passing
from
stand to stand to share in the
good mood of long-standing friends.
There is nothing better than a good
day at the fair to see life with joy
and to
forget everyday worries...
something we all need to do!
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