El Marchal Fiesta

El Marchal Fiesta

Have you ever been to the pretty little village of El Marchal in the mountains of Lubrín (between Lubrin and Bédar)? It’s a very picturesque place, especially this time of year with the almond trees in blossom.

Every year the weekend after Lubrín’s famous bread throwing fiesta, there is a local fiesta in El Marchal to celebrate San Sebastián.

And this year was no different.

There was a tent in the village square with a bar and live music Friday and Saturday nights. Also El Marchal’s own bar, El Paniajo, was open for drinks and tapas to the wee hours of the morning.

The most important day is Saturday when San Sebastián is paraded through town accompanied by a brass band, and there is also bread throwing, just as in neighbouring Lubrín.

This year we were furthermore treated to a stand-off in the rambla between Moors and Christians. I’m not sure who won, but one of the Christians was later seen enjoying a beer in El Paniajo, so whether or not he was on the winning side he can’t have fared too badly.

Unfortunately the sun wasn’t in attendance, but nevertheless a great time seemed to be had by all.