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The flamenco song says "Long live the May Crosses, the women’s festival", and it is true that without the women of Lebrija, especially those wonderful mature women, there would not be a festival so special, so flamenco and so pretty as this one.
The women neighbours set up the Crosses in courtyards or street intersections and a family atmosphere dominates: |
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The best plan for a stranger is to join one of the groups that concentrate around 23:00 in the square and visit the “Cruces” with the group all night. You only have to bring a desire to party and good humour. |
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| The women dance and sing to the sound of the brass mortar / Photo © Andalucieanfiestas | |||
| in many “Crosses” you can’t buy beer or “rebujito” (manzanilla mixed with white lemonade)…but rather it is the neighbours who ensure that visitors aren’t lacking anything. Some supply the song and dance, others the hospitality… and so on all night, with the whole town celebrating. | |||
Recommendations
How to get there
Lebrija enjoys superb communications, as it is on the way between Cadiz and Seville, a few kilometres from Jerez de la Frontera.Train: The AVE from Madrid, Cordoba and Malaga leaves us in Seville in the Santa Justa train station, where you take the train to Cadiz which leaves us in Lebrija in little less than 1 hour.
Plane: Likewise we take advantage of regular flights from Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao or Coruña arriving at the San Pablo Airport in Seville or La Parrilla airport in Jerez (if you do not want to wait for a bus, take a taxi: it should not cost more than 20€ to go to the centre of the city).
Bus: the regular lines between Seville and Cadiz stop in Lebrija, or else in El Cuervo, a neighbouring village.
Car: Finally, those travelling by car can opt for the toll motorway AP-4, and right at the toll booths is the exit for Lebrija, or if you prefer the N-IV you can take the exit for Lebrija at many points: after Los Palacios, at Cruce de Las Cabezas, or from El Cuervo.
Interactive Plan: the May Crosses in Lebrija
Being an entirely spontaneous event, you never know which crosses will be set up each year until just a few days beforehand. Some are very traditional, yet still the odd year they are not set up because of a lack of desire and energy of some neighbour… until others are encouraged to recover the tradition. Some of the best “Cruces” of 2010 are: |
Procesión |  |
Romería |  |
Feria |  |
Toros |  |
Fiestas |  |
Espectáculo |  |
Itinerarios |  |
Lugar de Celebración |
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Zona Aparcamiento |
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Estación de tren |
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Tapear |
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Iglesia | |||||||||||||||||
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Mesa y mantel |  |
Monumento | ||||||||||||||||||
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Alojamiento |  |
Mirador | ||||||||||||||||||
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Café y copas |  |
Lugar de interés |
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Parking |  |
Concierto | ||||||||||||||||||
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Compras |  |
Teatro | ||||||||||||||||||
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Viajar con niños |
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Senderismo | ||||||||||||||||||
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Museos y exposiciones |
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Flora | ||||||||||||||||||
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Fauna | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Cicloturismo | ||||||||||||||||||||
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USAR DOBLE CLIC PARA
ACERCAR EL MAPA
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HAGA CLIC EN LOS ICONOS PARA OBTENER INFORMACIÓN, Y DOBLE CLIC EN EL MAPA PARA ACERCARLO Y VER DETALLES
Of interest
Up to about 20 years ago, it was a family festival, where each one contributed something to the neighbourhood Cross. Today is exactly the same as far as the decoration of the small altar is concerned, but now no one brings a stew to the Cross, but rather there are bars and kitchens and the drinks and food are paid for.No problem: the festivals adapt to new times and new realities and this is a guarantee of their continuity. Moreover, with the economic crisis one cannot miss the opportunity to gain some money setting up a bar.
What remains free in many Crosses, is the distribution of the staple foods typical of a labourer 40 years ago, which takes place around 2 or 3 am to give sustenance to those who dance and to prevent the Jerez wines from wreaking havoc on those who do not: “habas corchas” and “torta con aceite”.
- The “habas corchas” (cooked broad beans), that are eaten with the hands while still warm and feel marvellous when one has had a little too much beer or manzanilla (sherry wine) to drink.
- The “torta” is a type of bread from Lebrija, shaped like a cake with few crumbs, which is served with a sprinkle of cooking salt and large dashes of olive oil, having the same soothing effect.
The dance: the stranger who carefully observes will see that in Lebrija the “sevillanas” are not danced as in Seville or Jerez, but in their own manner, with arms held high and small hops which are reminiscent of Aragonese folk dances and the old fashioned Spanish folk dances.
What is a “Cruz” or Cross?
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The Cruz is a meeting point for the neighbours, and is installed in any public or private space, from a street corner to a courtyard or garage. Women, who are the main protagonists, decorate them with care and simplicity: flower pots, shawls, quilts, ceramics and brass pots adorn this sort of altar on which the cross itself is somewhat overshadowed. It is rather an ephemeral architecture, made by humble people who seek to celebrate and via the party create a beautiful environment, hospitable and seemingly luxurious... a far cry from the reality of a working class town like Lebrija, that has lived in harsh conditions up to a few decades ago. Today the reality is different, but the Crosses are still set up, and still as pretty.
Courtyard “sevillanas” (Sevillian folk songs), typical of Lebrija, have a very marked rhythm, that is rather different from those sung or who have their origin in Seville and its surroundings. As well as clapping, the singing is accompanied by two main instruments: the brass mortar and the tambourine. The guitar is hardly ever used, and where the pilgrims of El Rocío use the drum, the natives of Lebrija employ a pitcher and more recently some younger folk use the flamenco box drum. As shown in the video, the women are in command and the men are no more than extras. The lyrics are so colloquial that the stranger will need simultaneous translation to capture all of the beauty of this party... but on the second night a miracle happens and everything begins to be understood after the second glass of wine. |
Traditional lyrics
Some old lyrics show the unique attractive of this festival
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Con el vele vele vele Manojito de claveles que me lo dio un lebrijano qué bonito y qué bien huele por la mañana temprano |
Un cura me pretende y un guardia civil. El cura pa mi el hermana El civil pa mí |
Dijo la liebre ayudadme patitas riá pitá mira dijo la liebre, ayudadme patitas vayivé ué |
Dijo la liebre vayivé ué Y dijo el galgo |
Cogía coles, un cojo cojeando cogía coles y otro cojo decía cojo qué coges |
History & Legends
The women, traditionally, installed the Crosses in courtyards or on street crossings (like today), while their husbands were working in the fields. When they returned at sunset, they found everything set up, the women with the stews prepared, and the whole celebration ready.
Today it is still the women’s festival for three essential reasons: The first, the Crosses is a nocturnal affair, visiting one Cross after another, and being received by the hosts, usually commanded by the older women who have set up the Cross..
The second, is that the habit of visiting Crosses other than their own creates singing groups moving through the streets of Lebrija, which sleeps very little those nights, and again many groups are led by women, young or mature, who “call the shots”.
And it is precisely the third that is the distinguishing feature: the courtyard “sevillanas” from Lebrija are sung almost always by a woman, and are sung in a very peculiar high-pitched tone that makes them different from all that a fan of singing knows. And it is the women of Lebrija, fantastic friends, which keep alive a repertoire of precious old ballads, with a special country and flamenco flavour.
And the dance, which preserves steps lost in other locations, uses the “hopping” style typical of the “sevillanas” of the 18th century.
Useful advice
To enjoy the Crosses
The May Crosses is a festival that takes place entirely at night, so if we arrive at Lebrija before nightfall we might think that we got the wrong town or that we’ve come on the wrong weekend. Nothing of the sort, the festival is simply adapted to the reality of the field labourers who until recently constituted the majority of the neighbours of this beautiful town.It’s convenient to take some warm clothing with you as the early mornings can be chilly although we are in May and women should carry some hairpins because it is essential to wear a flower in their hair, taken from some flower pot: geraniums or whatever other that is pretty to wear.
A good meeting point is the town square and if we do not know people in Lebrija, it is best to go to one of the Crosses in the surrounding area and once there, join the group that seems most lively and go round the Crosses with them.
Tapas
All the Crosses have a bar, where country dishes are served. This is a rural festival, far from any sophistication, but no less fine where the food is concerned. During the Crosses we should try:- the "habas corchas"
- the "torta con aceite"
- the renowned "caracoles" (snails), a Lebrija speciality
- the "cabrillas", somewhat larger snails than the previous ones which are stewed with tomatoes and spices
- the "ajo lebrijano", a garlic soup, also a Lebrija speciality
- the “caldo de puchero” (stew broth), very appropriate for recovering your form (for those who have cooled off...or for those who have heated up too much with the fortified wines), to which is added a sprig of mint that gives it a great finishing touch
- the "calentitos", that in the area between Seville and Jerez is how they call flour fritters which are fried in large pans
As for the drinks, there is usually not a lot of variety at the different Crosses, and many of them will have made Lebrija manzanilla. With few exceptions it is preferable to order a sherry or a manzanilla from Sanlúcar, whose districts, adjacent to those of Lebrija, create better wines.
