Bull fight weekend

This afternoon, I walked again along the promenade as far as Castello Sohail, and up the river park with the express intention of taking another look at the turtles in their murky water, no far from the huge Miramar shopping mall, with go-karting and a cinema on the roof, and two storeys of retail and restaurants. As there'd been rain in the night and morning, the mall was very crowded with families. The beaches were quite deserted.

This time, standing on the same bridge, I counted nine different creatures. One of them was out of the water, basking on a rock, looking handsome and exotic. I have yet to find out anything about whether this local colony is a survival from a different era, or an import into a re-created environment.

On the return journey, I passed the bull-ring. The street outside was closed to traffic and several horse boxes were parked in the open road. 

People were queuing for admission to an evening of equestrian spectacle and flamenco dancing, a pre-cursor to tomorrow evening's bullfight. I felt no inclination to attend either event. In fact, tonight I need to get to bed early and rise early for an additional duty at the beginning of the day.

Right next to the Plaza del Toro is one of the town's cofradia houses, with its own ancilliary building housing historical archives, very much an indication of the value given to its activities.

Its doors were open, inviting passers by to take a look inside at the images carried in procession - Christ crucified and buried, and our Lady of Sorrows, in a large chapel-like room.

Just five minutes earlier, in a back street, I passed two badge toting Mormon missionary males with a young man in tow, dressed more like a holiday-maker or a local. Despite the strength of traditional Catholic piety, the supermarket of religions is as much a feature of life in contemporary Spain as it is anywhere else in western Europe.

     

Holy Wednesday - Passover Supper & Parish Procession

Midweek Eucharist at St Andrew's this morning, just nine of us. There wasn't a coffee morning to follow, because of it being Holy Week, so I was able to join the family for coffee and then spend an hour in the sun with them on the beach, about as much as I could take without feeling scorched all over. For these few days I'm in self protect mode to make sure I get through my duties unhindered. I returned to the house for lunch and wrote tomorrow's sermon, then at six, as the family were returning from town, I set out to walk to the Lux Mundi centre, in a side street near the Plaza de España at the other end of town, taking me the best part of an hour.

I'd been invited there to participate in a Christian version of the Passover Seder supper, using the Jewish prayers and rituals together with mainly Johannine passages from the Gospels. It didn't want the hassle of car parking. Everywhere was bound be congested and busy as later on, it would be Los Boliches cofradia's turn to process through the streets with its images of Jesús Cautivo and Nuestra Señora de Dolores - our Lady of Sorrows. Just walking there on busy streets was a challenge to maintain a pace, as there were so many people out and about, enjoying the evening.

I arrived in good time, and was amazed to find that ninety people were sitting down for supper. It was a truly ecumenical occasion, with representatives of all the Scandinavian, Dutch and German chaplaincies as well as a dozen Anglicans present, many of them centre volunteers.

The liturgy booklet was nicely printed in Spanish and English - I was told that only ten of the ninety were native Spanish speakers anyway, so most of it was done in English, with the exception of several passages of scripture and psalms. I had the pleasure of sitting next to the Jesuit priest who is the Lux Mundi pastor, with the new Swedish pastor, the Norwegian and Scottish pastors sitting opposite (in the photo above). Mind you I had to sing for my supper, given the role of the father of the household, explaining the meaning to the youngest son - a lad from the Calahonda congregation whose grandpa Fr David Wright is a retired priest and former chaplain. It was a truly lovely experience. We ate delicious paschal lamb with rice and almonds.

I walked back as briskly as I could, and heard the distant sounds of processional bands playing on the move. I had a text message to say that the family had all descended into the barrio and were eating supper in a restaurant on the route. I'd forgotten my camera, so I had to walk home to collect it. It was ten by the time I got back and I was tired enough to give in and take the car back down the hill, but parking, even in the car park where the church has privileges, was impossible. After circulating the vicinity for ten minutes I found a doubtful place in a back street, and rushed in the direction from which I could hear music and drums. I caught up with the second procession of Nuestra Señora as it was about the cross under the railway viaduct to go down to the avenida de los Boliches.

The trono had to pass beneath a five metre high girder. When shoulder mounted it's about six metres high. The hombres de trono gently lowered it on to its supports and dragged it under, to an enthusiastic round of applause from the surrounding crowd. I'd noticed on my visit to the casa hermanidad that these particular tronos stood not on stilts but on large wheels, like on large mobile scaffolds. Now I understood why.

Then, I doubled back up the road to the barrio Parish Church of Our Lady and Sta Fe, to make contact with the first procession of Jesús Cautivo. The leading processional cross had just arrived in the church plaza and the rest of the procession was strung out down the avenida de los Boliches for half a kilometre.

It meant I had time to wander back along the street and take more of the photos I'd hoped for.

Finally satisfied, I went in search of my car, hoping not to have a late night parking ticket, and return home, feeling pretty tired after walking the best part of ten miles today. On my way back up the hill, I finally caught up with the family and was able to taxi them the last kilometre of the day. You can see the photos I took here. 

Spring in the air

I celebrated the Eucharist in honour of St Joseph at St Andrew's on Wednesday, and after chatting to people at the coffee morning, worked in the office for a couple of hours before returning for lunch and some more preparatory work on Friday's Lent course session. Each night and day gets a little warmer and more comfortable, spring is on its way, and with it all kinds of blossoms and pollens that make me cough and splutter unfortunately. It varies from day to day, depending upon what's in air. 

Thursday was an idle sort of day until the afternoon, when I walked the length of La Cala village and then back along the beach before calling into Mercadona for some garlic and beer. Climbing the hill on the way back I had an allergic coughing fit, probably caused by pollen from the mimosa bushes lining the road on one side. It was a surprise after a fairly cough free day. Reactions of this kind are fairly hit and miss it seems.

I slept a good nine hours, longer than usual, and after a rushed breakfast arrived at St Andrew's with just enough time to print out my notes for the Lent Course session. There were five of us present, and we had a lively discussion around the review I gave of Marian devotion and how to understand it in this social context. 

Afterwards, I walked down the main road on the route I take to visit the chiropracter, in search of an poster advertising a Scandinavian Jazz Orchestra which caught my attention last week. There's a plan afoot to have a Jazz Songs of Praise at Alhaurin in May. Caroline, who's organising it, is on the lookout to recruit Jazz musicians or a band to take part. I remembered that the poster had an email address on it, so when I found it, I took a photo and emailed it to her for following up.

On the way back to pick up the car, I saw on the notice board of the Parish cofradia house, on the road next to Recinto Feriale, an advertisement for a meeting in Virgen del Carmen church next week at which this year's Semana Santa brochure and poster would be presented to the public with speeches and due ceremony. The town band will be there to provide music as well. Somebody told me about this annual parochial event. The processions are organised with great care and attention to detail, and it's considered an honour to have one's poster design accepted. Each community does something similar, aware that there is widespread interest, on the part of both fellow citizens and tourists.