A GASTRONOMIC FESTIVAL

To celebrate the asparagus harvest our local hotel, Cortijo de Tajar, is holding a gastronomic weekend. Its restaurant, which is regarded as one of the best in the area, is offering 3 course dinners with 3 choices per course. Every dish includes locally grown asparagus and produce from the area. For example, one first course is crunchy cakes of langostine and green asparagus; a second course is lamb from the Sierra de Loja stuffed with asparagus and a pudding course is vanilla ice cream with asparagus marmalade. The cost is €32 per head but includes an aperitif, wines from the region, liquors and coffee.

At midday on Friday, Saturday and Sunday the hotel is offering a tasting of local wines, cheeses and tapas. For information about the hotel have a look at their web site www.cortijodetajar.es.

Today, Saturday, we attended the wine and tapas tasting. The wines were from the Bodegas Pago de Almaraes in the north west of Granada. Their white, elaboarated mainly with Muscatel grapes was superb and has won a gold medal. We shall visit the vineyard later and report in more detail. www.bodegaspagodealmaraes.es

Also on display for sampling were the vegetable marmalades from Casa Rufino, Huétor Tájar. The marmalades are produced from asparagus, artichokes, red peppers, beetroot and tomatoes. www.mermeladascasarufino.com.
We were also served with the most delicious tapas prepared in the hotel’s kitchen.

VIERNES SANTO

Viernes Santo, Good Friday, is the most holy day in the Spanish Catholic calendar. All towns and villages have their processions during Semana Santa, Holy Week, but in Loja the Easter processions are amongst the most significant in Andalucia.

This morning the most important procession of the week started from the Ermita de Jesús and followed the narrow streets of the old town to the main church of Santa Maria de la Encarnación. Semana Santa in Loja is distinguished by its famous “Incensarios” ( incense carriers ) - groups of eight men who, in reverence to the images, perform an extraordinary dance comprising graceful curtseys punctuated by stampings. Their elegant costumes, one group in white and others in black, are crowned by tall, conical, richly beaded hats. The waving of incense is accompanied by haunting songs, very Arabic in influence, demonstrating the fascinating mix of Islam and Christianity which is so typical of this part of Spain.

The statue of Santa Marcela, which led the procession, was followed by the statue of Jesús carrying his cross, accompanied by Roman centurions resplendent in purple and gold. The images of the saints were followed by drummers, a band, penitents with covered faces and tall, black, conical hats and others from the participating “hermanidads”. The Virgen de la Angustias, adorned with white flowers, was the final image to be paraded.

The procession, which lasts all day, makes a circular tour of the town and we watched it from the main church and the Plaza Constitución. Although a solemn occasion, it was a quite spectacular event and full of colour beneath a cloudless blue sky.