Las Cruces de Lebrija

The May Crosses are a festival with a great anthropological weight, where the idiosyncrasy of the different villages of Andalusia is shown. The first are crosses set up by the participation of the villagers and where the informal nature of the fiesta is predominant, without emphasising its religious character; the second are fiestas organised around brotherhoods and mayordomías where the Vera Cruz (True Cross) is venerated. The Lebrija May Crosses are held in open public spaces: streets, squares, large courtyards or premises that are freely accessible. There are no restrictions on access to them. People move from one cross to another, singing and dancing in the streets, giving a double singularity to the festivity: the one that takes place in the cross itself and the one that takes place in the street, on the way to the cross. The gastronomy of the Cruces de Mayo is based on three typical dishes: broad beans, white snails and oil cakes at dawn, and the Cruces de Mayo has been popularly known as the Fiesta de las Mujeres (Festival of the Women) due to the leading role they play in the fiesta. The ‘almirez’, tambourine and reed mark the fast rhythm of the ‘sevillanas corraleras’, which impregnate the senses with a joyful music with its own rhythm.Las Corraleras‘ is the name given to the ’sevillanas" that are sung in this fiesta; lively and lively compositions that narrate the experiences of a dynamic and joyful city.