May Cross Celebration 2022
Every year in Cordoba, the May is packed with festivals highlighting the city’s cultural importance. It all starts with the so called May Cross Celebration (Fiesta de las Cruces), when people create large crosses made of or adorned by flowers. These crosses are brought to emblematic squares and other major places in town giving them an even more enchanting appearance. Originally a Christian tradition, the celebration has become a citywide folk festival.
The most beautiful crosses get awarded by the city council. So everyone who joins the May Cross contest is striving to creating the most beautiful cross. Nowadays, performances and presentations make the entire city be a single fairground. Visitors and locals may experience Andalusian folklore, including chants and folk dance.
The celebration comes from a Catholic custom. In ancient times, Cordobans used to decorate Christian crosses to praise them and to express their beliefs. In the course of time, the artistic aspect of this tradition got more and more important so that a profane tradition emerged.
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Info
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Date
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28 April - 2 May 2022
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Hours
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Activities take place from 12 noon until 2 AM the following day. On the last day activities take place from 12 noon until 4 PM.
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Location
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Various locations throughout the city
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List
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See the list of participating May Crosses on our Spanish page
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Admission
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Free
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Contest goal
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The purpose of the May Cross contest is the elaborate decoration of large crucifixes with flowers and other natural and traditional elements. Crosses are administered by brotherhoods, associations and other unions.
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Categories
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There are three categories:
- May Crosses in the old town
- May Crosses in modern neighborhoods
- May Crosses in enclosed rooms, e.g. patios
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Winners
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See the previous contest winners on our Spanish page
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Image gallery
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See an image gallery on our Spanish page
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Further activity
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The may Cross Fest is accompanied by the annual dancing school contest which is held on Tendillas Square.
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