As a good Andalusian and Christian capital, Granada celebrates its big day during the Corpus Fair.
Corpus Fair 2023
Learn about the most characteristic period for the city of Granada! It is a special day in our calendar: the Day of Corpus Christi. And as a good Andalusian capital, celebrates a fair around this day. From iNMSOL, we can not miss it and we tell you how you live the Corpus Fair 2023.
The Corpus Fair is a combination of Christian and pagan celebrations, which has become a typical feast of most Andalusian cities.
Granada celebrates its fair in the Almanjáyar fairgrounds. This area becomes the epicenter of the festival… for 8 days! The streets of Granada are filled with a cheerful and relaxed atmosphere.
This year, in the fairgrounds, a total of 68 stands have been set up, between traditional and institutional, but all with the same objective: make citizens have fun and enjoy the fair with typical food and drinks, namely rebujito (a mixture of white wine and soda), and all to the tune of folklorist music.
In addition, in the fairgrounds children can also find their place, because an area is completely dedicated to fun: dozens of attractions make the party even more fun!
When is the Corpus Fair celebrated?
The Corpus Christi in Granada is held for a full week. This year 2023 the festivals of Corpus are celebrated in Granada from 3 to 11 June. On Thursday 8 June the religious festival of Corpus Christi will take place. The pagan festival takes place in the fairgrounds revolves.
Thursday of Corpus Christi, according to tradition, is a holiday in Granada capital: it is a non-working day, day in which shops do not open and educational institutions close.
Being a religious holiday, the date changes every year and its celebration depends on when Holy Week is celebrated. In fact, to know the exact date of Corpus Christi Thursday you have to count 60 days from Easter Monday.
But let’s find out together what is Corpus Christi.
Corpus Christi: religious holiday
Corpus Christi literally means ‘body of Christ’ and comes from Latin. During the Last Supper, Jesus instituted the Sacrament of the Eucharist and, since that event, it has been venerated by all Catholics, who organize a procession.
During the Corpus Christi procession the Eucharist is worshipped. The Custody is accompanied by the main streets of Granada and altars and awnings are placed along its route.
It is a solemn and religious event that leaves this year 2023 on Thursday 8 June 2023 at 10:15 from the Cathedral of Granada. It worships the Most Holy Custody by walking it through the streets preceded by a long procession of civil and religious authorities.
This is very long, as in addition to the Custody, they parade with their badges, a large number of local authorities and ecclesiastical representatives, brotherhoods, guilds, public and private institutions, etc.
The procession is preceded by the traditional giants and bigheads. The tour is the following: Cathedral, Pasiegas, Marqués de Gerona, Mesones, Reyes Católicos, Plaza Isabel La Católica, Gran Vía de Colón, Cárcel Baja, Pie de la torre, Pasiegas, Catedral.
In addition, aromatic herbs are spread on the floor of all the streets, the balconies are decorated and the whole procession with awnings, garlands and flowers.
Parade of the Tarasca
Another important procession that takes place during the week of Corpus Fair celebrations is the parade of « La Tarasca« .
« La Tarasca » is rather a parade, very peculiar and pagan character. It is the favorite of children, as it is a parade with different fictional figures, maybe fun. The protagonist is a doll accompanied by a dragon, which is disguised differently each year. The citizens have fun guessing and commenting on the costume of the figure, since its fame is to go very badly dressed.
The City Council grants the honor of dressing and combing the Tarasca to local designers and hairdressers. It always generates all kinds of criticism!
The parade of « La Tarasca » leaves on Wednesday, June 7 at 12:00. The departure is from the Town Hall, in the Plaza del Carmen. It will continue around the city center of Granada.
