Happy New Year!

There are few things sillier than singing along to Christmas carols on a blisteringly hot summer's day in Spain. But that is what we did last weekend in the tiny village of Bérchules, in the Alpujarras mountain range, near Granada. In 1994, the tiny village of Bérchules, in the Alpujarras mountain range near Granada, had a powercut on New Year's Eve which resulted in the cancellation of all festivities. The townfolk's response - to celebrate New Year's Eve in August. The rescheduled event was so popular that the town has repeated it every year since.

While it was an excuse to get drunk for most of the town's youth and a way of bringing money into the village for most everyone else, it does have at least one virtuous aspect to it - Christmas and New Year in Spain is still a family occasion and this second New Year's Eve is also a time for families to get together. Despite the cynicism with which many view this event, there were many that embraced the get-together with as much seriousness as one can take fake snow in August!
^{Photo © Damian Corrigan}

More on Festivals in Spain

• Spanish Festivals in August
• Spanish Festivals in September
• Spanish Festivals - Calendar of Events