Cruces del Mayo

Cruces de Mayo or May Crosses adorn every church and chapel across Andalucia. They can be seen on from the days leading up to the first Sunday in May. This fiesta celebrates the onset of spring with flowers abounding everywhere and in everything! The real highlights are the huge crosses made entirely of flowers that appear in the plazas and patios.

At the beginning of the 20th century children in the Albaicin and el Realejo suburbs built small altars with a cross and decorated them with colourful shawls, ceramics etc. Today every district produces their offfering. The main large cross is usually made from red carnations and stands around 3 metres high.

Local fare and in-season produce means that tiny sweet raw broad beans and snails along with a local wine are offered to visitors. In Granada the festival of the Cross takes place from midday on the Sunday and parties onwards until the Monday night.

In Lebrija, Sevilla, this fiesta has been declared of Interes Turistico Nacional de Andalucia and the crosses can be seen the Thursday and Friday before as well as the first weekend of May.

Torredonjimeno in Jaen also hold a competition for Cruces del Mayo and Cordoba too, which begins a month of fiestas and flowers. After the May Crosses the Cordoba Patio competition begins.

See more May Cross Photos