Valle de Abdalajís

Valle de Abdalajís’s Fiestas and Gastronomy

The pilgrimage in honour of the Cristo de la Sierra on the first weekend in May is one of the most popular festivities in Valle de Abdalajís. Three days before the celebration, the statue of Christ is carried in a procession to the village, where the formal ceremony announcing the pilgrimage occurs. Many of the devout followers of this Christ come from the city of Málaga on Friday and travel through Cártama, Pizarra and Alora along the way, getting to Valle de Abdalajís on Saturday afternoon. After these pilgrims arrive, a Rocío mass is said, and the floral offering is made to the Christ. On Sunday everyone goes to the outskirts of the village and after a few hours of sharing food, the day concludes with a mass in the Cristo de la Sierra hermitage.

Here on the eve of the day of San Juan (23 June) instead of the traditional bonfires and the burning of the "júas" (Judases) another purifying element, water, is substituted. Thus all night long the villagers set about tossing water left and right from balconies and windows and in any public place on any passer-by they encounter, until everyone is virtually soaked.

The village’s main festivals take place around 10 August, the day of the patron saint of Valle de Abdalajís, San Lorenzo. During the days devoted to the fiestas there is a full programme including cultural and purely entertainment events such as dances, competitions, traditional singing, exhibitions and other initiatives intended to provide as much diversion as possible.

Semana Santa

Valle de Abdalajís’s Gastronomy

The most common dishes in this area are porra, a cold soup-Antequera’s influence is felt throughout the region-pimentón (paprika), gazpacho caliente (a hot variety of what is ordinarily a cold soup), migas (a dish made from fried bread crumbs, gachas (a soup made from flour and seasonings) and olla (a stew). Caracoles (snails) are also very common (in season), along with sopa de ajos (garlic soup) and sopa de espárragos (asparagus soup) and pork products such as mijillas de lomo (a loin dish). There are many good things to choose from when it comes to confectionery products, ranging from arroz con leche (rice pudding), flan de huevo casero (homemade egg custard) and requesones (a kind of cheese) to granizado de almendra (an almond drink that is unique to this area), buñuelos (fritters), tortas de aceite (olive oil cakes), pestiños (a pastry made from flour and eggs) and the delicious roscos fritos (a kind of fried spiral pastry). In this area mantecado (shortcake), which in other places is typically a Christmas preparation, may be eaten year round.

(Holy Week) focuses on the processions by the cofradías (brotherhoods) of Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno (Our Father Jesus of Nazareth, on Holy Thursday) and of the Virgen de la Soledad (Virgin of Solitude, on Good Friday). Before Passion Week, on Friday of Sorrows, is the procession of María Santísima de los Dolores (Holy Mary of the Sorrows), patron saint of the village, in which nearly all Valletanos take part.