FIESTAS CORPUS 2012 (04.06. - 10.06.2012)

The Festival of Corpus Christi is the main fiesta of Granada. Every year it starts on Monday at 12 midnight with the lighting, that is, with the turning on of thousands of light bulbs on the entrance gate of the showground.

It was institutionally created by the Catholic Monarchs as main festival after the conquest of the city.

The parade (“procesión”) in honour to the custody that contained the body of Jesus Christ was formed by all the parrish churches of the city and its valley who, furthermore, were the responsible of covering with sedge the surface allover the route. Since its beginning, the archbishop Hernando de Talavera tried to get all the sectors of the population involved so in the parade where also Moorish “zambras” as well as different carts with plays and theatre representations. The “procesión” became bigger and bigger; so in 1573 a Sinodic Constitution had to be established to determine the order of the suite and the type of “shows” that could go with the “procesión”.



According to the documents, since 1632 there was also the “paseo de la ciudad” (“walk of the city”) which consisted in a party parade with demons, giants, big-heads and the mythical Tarasca.

This two “procesiones” are still performed today. On Wednesday, we can see “La Pública” aimed to children and youngsters starred by La Tarasca, a statue of a woman on a dragon dressed with the clothes that would be fashionable that season. And, on Thursday, the main day, the religious “procesión” which is chaired by the throne made by the goldsmith and sculptor from Granada Miguel Moreno.

There is still a tradition of raising altars along the route of the “procesión”.

At Bibrambla square the so-called “Carocas” are shown: satirical cartoons about the events which happened in the city during the previous year.