MAY CROSSES

The May Crosses Festival (Cruces de Mayo) is celebrated in many parts of

the world, especially in Latin America and Spain. And in Spain, the festival
holds special importance in many parts of Andalucia, but especially Córdoba,
which has the most famous celebration.

HISTORY OF THE FESTIVAL

The May Crosses Festival celebrated in Andalucia is probably one of the

most interesting festivals, not only today, but in historical terms. As legend
has it, St Constantine's mother, the much-venerated St Helen, is the
founder of this festival, which shows special respect for the cross upon
which Jesus was crucified.

As the story goes, in the fourth century AD, St Helen went to Jerusalem in
search of the cross, after her son Constantine dreamed of a cross that
would help him win a battle he was losing at the time. He ordered his troops
to build him a large cross, which they then carried into battle and
conquered their enemy. This inspired a family conversion to Christianity and
a search for the real cross, led by St Helen. She found three crosses, and
to establish which one was authentic, she carried out tests to see which
could perform miracles. Only one of them did, healing the sick and even
bringing the dead back to life. St Helen then became a champion for the
cross, urging people to continue worshipping even after her death.
And so this veneration of the cross is the motive for the May Crosses
Festivals that are celebrated in so many countries.

MAY IN CÓRDOBA - FLOWERS ON FLOATS, ON CROSSES AND IN

PATIOS

Springtime brings flowers galore to Córdoba, starting with a parade at the

beginning of May called La Batalla de las Flores ("the Battle of the
Flowers"). This sees a long procession of flower-covered floats, with women
dressed in traditional gypsy dresses throwing flowers into the crowd. Next
come the two main floral events, starting off with the May Crosses,
followed by the Patio Contests , and finally the Spring Feria. All this is
accompanied by a host of cultural events - all kinds of music, theatre,
flamenco and contemporary dance.

WHAT DO THE CROSSES LOOK LIKE?

The crosses are about three metres high, decorated with flowers, usually
in red or white (occasionally green and/or yellow), and sometimes with more
foliage emerging from the upper part of the cross, including its three
points, or patterns imposed on the base colour. The effect is further
enhanced by more flowers (often pink and white) in pots in a carefully
arranged pattern to complement the cross, hanging on the wall behind it,
placed at its foot, or going up the steps on which it sits. At night, the
crosses are lit dramatically from below. Those set against white walls, such
as Plaza de Capuchinos and Plaza de la Corredera, are particularly striking;
others have white backgrounds erected to create a similar effect.