16
Jan
Bonfires of San Antón
16 January 2026
La Candelaria
Description
Feast day of Nuestra Señora de la Purificación; a procession used to be held, but once the image of the Purificación disappeared during the Civil War and with no brotherhood left to organise it, the custom died out. It was also a day on which bonfires were lit, as with San Antón or Santa Lucía. Long before that, the custom of the monumental cake distributed by the town hall had already been lost.
The most enduring tradition has been for families to attend church carrying wicker baskets decorated with rosemary and almond blossom, holding the traditional Candelaria bread rings; children, meanwhile, carry these rings threaded and richly decorated, usually oven-baked and made with flour, egg, sugar and toasted oil. At the end of the service, those attending raise their sweets so that the priest, walking along the rows of pews, can bless them.
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