On May the 3rd, like every year, Granada celebrates the Day of the Cross, one of its most popular celebrations, during which the city is filled with colors, flowers, lights and music.
Also known as Festival of the May Crosses, or Crosses of Granada, this event was first celebrated in the XVII century, when in the district of San Lázaro, in 1625, an alabaster cross was erected by locals singing and dancing around it.
On this special day, enjoyed every year by thousands of tourists, the squares, the streets, the courtyards, the schools, and even the shop windows of some stores pay tribute to the Holy Cross, always decorated with flowers, traditionally carnations, and with altars adorned with traditional objects.
As every year, the City Council of Granada organizes a contest to proclaim the best Cross of the Year in different categories (streets, courtyards, shop windows and schools) and, starting at noon, also organizes dance shows and musical performances in Plaza de las Pasiegas, the Patio of the Ayuntamiento, Plaza del Carmen and the Esplanade of the Palacio de Congresos.
In addition, for the joy of everyone, this year the city will once again have bars on the street, so you can enjoy the Crosses and altars, and the performances that surround them, with a beer or a glass of wine in your hand.
For more information about the program of the Day of the Cross of Granada 2018 and the location of the Crosses, click here. Or else, if you are new in town, you may check the map of the Crosses to organize your route and see them all.
If you are in Granada to study or visit the city these days, you are very lucky, because you have the possibility to enjoy one of the most typical and entertaining events of the whole year.