May 2013 - Costa Calida Chronicle

In association with Costa Cálida International Radio and www.angloINFO.com
The first five days of May see one of Murcia’s
best known and loved fiestas take place in
Caravaca de la Cruz. All of this is reflected
in a superb museum in Caravaca – the Museo
de la Fiesta (Museum of the Fiesta), located
in Calle de las Monjas, beyond the end
of the road in which you find the Tourist Office.
You really cannot miss it as it is located
in an imposing 16 th Century building with a
large sign outsided. Entrance to the museum
when we were last there (September 2012)
was 4€ per person (3€ for concessions) and
this included an audio guide in English to listen
to as you walked around.
The tour begins in an upstairs room which
deals with the origins of the May Fiesta. The
wall panels tell of the miraculous appearance
of the True Cross of Caravaca at the mass
celebrated by a captive Christian priest, before
the Arab King, Abu-Ceyt, in Caravaca
on 3 May 1232. Another panel deals with the
origin of the spectacular Wine Run and a third
concerns the part played by the Bands of
Moors and Christians in the Fiesta. It is said,
in the descriptive material, that in the 13 th
Century, when Caravaca was on the frontier
of Christian Spain against the Moorish Kingdom
of Granada, the town was besieged and
the water supply had putrefied. Consequently,
several knights rode through the encircling
Moors to search for clean supplies. None was
to be found - only wine! As a result, wine was
put into the skins and the knights returned to
Caravaca. Less romantically, it is believed
that rivalry among those transporting wine to
an annual blessing led, in the 19 th Century, to
the development of today’s competition racing
the horses up the hill to the Castle.
From the first room, you pass on to another
which chronicles the daily progress of the Fiesta.
Thus, on 1 May, there are flower offerings
and a competition to find the best
horses. The serious part of the Fiesta, however,
begins the following day, 2 May. There
is a dawn chorus of bells from the Church of
San Salvador, but the “official” start of the Fiesta
comes with a mass to celebrate the True
Cross of Caravaca and numerous parades
of the horses which will later participate in
the Wine Run. Moors and Christians follow
and their processions come together as they
make their way to the castle precincts. If
you are in Caravaca at the time, you cannot
help bumping into one band of Moors or
Christians (or more) as they wander through
the streets.
It is the race of the Wine Horses up the hill
to the entrance to the castle which has always
struck us as a truly remarkable event.
The 80 metre course starts at a bend in the
road, with around 60 horses participating one
by one. Each is decked out in a bright livery
from head to tail and has four “handlers”
holding on to the sides. If any one of these
handlers lets go, then the horse is disqualified.
The runs are timed electronically and
the fastest take less than 10 seconds. What
has also been remarkable when we have been
there is the way that crowds throng the narrow
road up which the horses run and part
to allow them through. It is something, in
our view, well worth going to see, although
you may want to try and position yourself in
a rather less challenging place than many of
the locals so you are in no danger from the
horses!
There are further processions on 3 May, which
also sees a solemn mass. The main event of
the day, in the evening, and after an unsuccessful
meeting between the Moor and Christian
monarchs sees mock battles take place,
is the blessing of the water at the Templete in
the town. The Templete is a hexagonal baroque
construction of the mid-late 18 th Century
on the site of a former chapel into which
the waters from the nearby Fuentes del Marqués
flow. The cross is bathed in the waters
to bless them amidst a massive crowd. The
following day sees the cross taken around the
houses of those who are ill in Caravaca and
the grand, colourful procession of the Moors
and Christians. On 5 May the cross returns
home to the grand Church in the castle precincts.
The inevitable fireworks follow!
All this (and more) is explained in illustrated
panels in the museum, and we hope that this
brief description might whet your appetite to
go to Caravaca on one of the principal days
of the Fiesta, even if you may have to be very
careful if you attend the Wine Horse races.
What else is there in the museum?
The next room on the tour concentrates on
the Christian bands who participate in the
Fiesta, showing their costumes and equipment.
If nothing else, it will emphasise to
you the care, time and expense lavished by
a very large number of people in Caravaca
in preparing for, and participating in the great
May celebrations. Each group of Christians
has two or three costumes to wear at different
times during the Fiesta. At one end of
the room were the even more richly clothed
models of the Christian King and Queen.
Not surprisingly, the next room deals with the
Moors in a parallel way. Each of the Moorish
groups has its own distinctive costume to
wear between 2 and 4 May. There are wall
panels in both rooms which show photographs
of the processions.
Downstairs toward the end of the tour, there
are full size representations of the Wine Horses
and their handlers in all their finery. The
embroidery, especially on the decorative coverings
for the horses, is extremely fine and
detailed and note the wine skin which is also
shown in the room.
If you wish, you can also see a DVD showing
images of the Fiesta, a representation of the
appearance of the Caravaca Cross in 1232,
as well as scenes from the Wine Run.
The Fiesta is a great time for both townspeople
and the hoards of tourists who descend
on Caravaca alike. The museum gives you a
good feel for it, and its importance, although
you really have to be there to savour the full
effects. Best of all is to see some of the actual
May events and then contemplate the
whole thing at greater leisure in the museum!
Article by Clive and Rosie Palmer who have
written several guide books on towns and regions
in Murcia. These can be seen at, and
obtained from, www.lulu.com, or contact
clive.palmer5@btinternet.com. Clive and
Rosie’s most recent book, “Exploring Murcia,
Days Out” is now available to buy from
the Costa Cálida Chronicle Office on Camposol
B, Best Wishes (who also stock other of
their books), or phone Patti on 968 433 978.
Page 42
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