The Procesión de los Hachones marks the start of the traditional patron saint festivities of San Francisco de Paula in Albánchez de Mágina. During it, brotherhood members walk the narrow, medieval streets of this town carrying "hachones", large torches made of esparto grass and pitch.

As the procession passes, bonfires are lit, large piles of firewood and olive branches, sprinkled with salt to make them crackle and block the procession's path. This is a deeply rooted tradition in the town, linked to the protection of the harvests that residents entrust to their patron saint. 

On this day, most households eat the gachas de agosto, made with flour, water, pepper and tomato. Popular belief holds that eating the gachas piping hot in the middle of summer will help you retain warmth throughout the winter, especially during the olive harvest.

According to tradition, anyone who feels the cold during the olive harvest simply didn't eat the gachas on 1 August. Today, a gachas-making competition is held on this day at the Paraje Natural de Hútar, during a festive, communal day for everyone attending who doesn't want to feel the winter cold.

On St John's Eve, a tradition linked to courtship is held. Young men hang decorations at the doors of the girls they court, each type carrying a different meaning: flowers are proof of affection, fig branches mean the girl is somewhat scatterbrained, a grapevine cutting indicates she has been seen drinking wine, and a thistle suggests she has a difficult temperament.

Procession in honour of San Francisco de Paula, patron saint of Albanchez, protector of harvests and bringer of rain. Along the route, residents throw wheat from their balconies onto the platform, as a sign of gratitude for the harvest already gathered and a prayer for the one to come.

In Albanchez, the custom of throwing "bordos" at young women lives on. Bordos are the fruit of the bulrush plant. They are gathered during the summer and stored in the attics of houses, among straw, to dry out. On Carnival Sunday, they are brought out to be thrown at the girls.

When peeled, they release a whitish, sticky fluff that clings to hair and clothing. It is said that the more fond a suitor is of a girl, the more bordos he must throw at her face, so that on that day the streets of the town end up carpeted with the irritating fluff, in this curious "display" of love.

Also known as the Day of the Roscas. During Mass, bread rings are blessed and handed out among those attending. It is believed that anyone who eats them is protected from throat and stomach ailments.