The Fires of San Antón
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Type of event: Fiestas
More than 30 bonfires burn around the city of Jaén on this magical night when, in keeping with one of the oldest traditions in the west, the Fires of San Anton Festival is celebrated. A figure stuffed with hay and sawdust and dressed in old clothes is placed at the top of every fire. Firecrackers are placed on its head, feet and hands, and explode when the flames reach them.
People dance around the bonfires, singing traditional songs such as the witty "melenchones”, which more often than not are bawdy accounts of lovers’ quarrels and ordinary everyday events. Some of them are even detailed chronicles about life in the city. The people of Jaén burn all their old things and eat popcorn and pumpkin, along with black pudding, chorizo and wine.
The festival of Saint Anthony Abbot is thought to have reached Jaén in the 13th century, probably with the new inhabitants influenced by the devotion to this saint throughout France and Central Europe.o this stth the new inhabitants influeedtdecorate the nativity scenes they create in their own hoe.
Traditionally, fires would be lit at dusk on hills and in gardens, farms, houses and every other place where there were cattle or pets. These bonfires may well have had magical connotations, intended to protect the animals from diseases and pests. There is also a distinct link to the harvest and the cultivation of olive trees.
Indeed, the branches discarded after pruning olive trees are the prime source of material for burning on the bonfires. They are joined by old esparto baskets, traditionally used in the olive-pressing process and still impregnated with oil, an excellent fuel, plus old pieces of furniture that tend to be exchanged for better items as soon as the olive labourers receive their day's wages.
When and where?
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2010-01-16 2010-01-17
Location
Event location: Varios espacios Postal code: 23001 Municipality: Jaén Province: JaénContact data
Phone: 953190455 Phone 2: 953313281 Fax: 953313283 E-mail: oficinaturismo@aytojaen.es Web: www.turjaen.org
