Feria de los Cristos

Description

Fiesta Mayor, Fiesta Real or Feria Grande are all names referring to the same celebration: the Feria de los Cristos which, after several changes of date decided by public vote, is now held on the second-to-last Sunday of August. In Lopera, two crucified Christs are venerated: that of the Vera Cruz, known as the Cristo Grande, and that of the Humilladero, known as the Cristo Chico — names referring to the size of the two carved images. On the Sunday, the image of the Cristo Grande is carried in procession, the first to receive worship, whose brotherhood dates back to the 16th century; the following day comes the dawn celebration of the Cristo Chico, marked by rounds of blank shots fired at daybreak by the brotherhood's members. The religious festival closes on the Tuesday with the procession of the image of the Cristo del Humilladero, accompanied by its ceremonial guard, founded in the 18th century. Among this town's festivities — known for its amontillado wine — highlights include the greyhound race (a once-lost tradition now revived), the fighting of two young bulls each day, whose meat is sampled on the last day of the festival on the Paseo de Colón, and the lively atmosphere at the Caseta Municipal, where an open-air dance runs into the early hours.