Yesterday was a half day for almost everyone is Granada, for it was a holiday celebrating the Day of the crosses, a mix of the Spanish version of May Day and the historic day when one of the Byzantine Empresses commenced an epic search for the cross on which Jesus died.
To celebrate this day you walk around the city finding all the displays that feature one giant red cross, local Granada pottery, a green apple called a Pero with a pair of tijeras or scissors stuck in it, and some other unique features. (And popular tradition says that at each cross you take a glass of wine at the nearest bar. Up till a few years ago this meant that the entire city of Granada and all of the tourists, including those from throughout Spain, turned into a cross-the-ages botellón, but it got so out of hand that the government was forced to strictly prohibit drinking in the streets all together on this special day.)
Why an apple with scissors in it? Well one of my good friends explained that it is to ward off bad luck. Since at any holiday where there are a multitude of displays competing for prizes, one will always want to sigh out the phrase "It's pretty, but...". This is considered bad luck, so to fix it the Granadinos use the Pero apple to signify the "pero (but)" in the phrase and cut it out, hence the scissors.
A little later (after some homework) I will post pictures with some explanations!
Looking forward to next part of Marruecos trip
ReplyDeleteKeep up the amazing work