03.05.2015: El Día de la Cruz (The Day of the Cross)

El Día de la Cruz (The Day of the Cross) is celebrated in Granada on 3 May and is one of the most popular holidays in Andalusia.

Every year, thousands of visitors come from all over Spain to experience this holiday. According to legend, an alabaster cross was erected in 1625 in the district of San Lazaro, and all of the locals celebrated its commemoration by singing and dancing around it.



The tradition continued in the most well-known districts of Granada, the Albaicin and Realejo; children began to build small altars with a cross and decorate them with pottery and copper objects.

Some of these traditions live on to this day. One of the traditions that still remains is the placing somewhere in the decorations of the Cross of an apple with a pair of scissors inserted into it; this is done so as to try to avoid any criticism that might be made of the decoration of the Cross.

On this feast day, it is common to find all over Granada crosses that are decorated with carnations. Neighbourhood associations, guilds, schools, even town halls create their own cross. The atmosphere is unmatched. The Granadines, adults and children alike, dressed in flamenco costumes, walk around the city visiting various crosses and, in this way, celebrate this important feast of Granada.