And we come to May. With the good weather, all kinds of family celebrations begin, such as communions, weddings and other popular celebrations such as pilgrimages and Ferias.
In the middle of spring and at the beginning of May you can enjoy one of the parties that brings back the most memories from my childhood. Do you know the Cruces de mayo? And Los Patios?
Surely you have heard this last word in your Spanish classes, because it is one of the most popular festivals this month, Los Patios de Córdoba.
Don’t you know what I’m talking about? Well keep reading.

Origin of the Cruces de mayo
The Cruz de Mayo, Santa Cruz de Mayo or Fiestas de las Cruces, is one of the festivals of Roman origin that we continue to celebrate. It was performed to worship the Cross of Christ. It is a popular festival that is celebrated at the beginning of May, very widespread in Spain and Latin America.
Regarding the origin, some say that it is celebrated to remember the discovery of the Cross of Christ, other people think that the origin is pre-Christian, of Celtic, German, Greek origin… where the Palo de Mayo is worshiped. In France it was celebrated by decorating the trees of houses and churches in medieval times, in Romania they celebrated Green George on April 23.
As always, although it is a festival that is celebrated throughout the country, this Spanish tradition has singularities in each region. In Andalusia it is celebrated in many towns, although the best known are those of Córdoba and Granada. But you can see Cruces de Mayo in Extremadura, Cartagena, Canary Islands even in the province of Segovia. Outside of Spain it is a party that you can also enjoy in El Salvador, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru among other countries.

How are the Cruces de mayo celebrated?
Although there may be differences between towns or countries, the Cruces de Mayo consists of creating an altar around a cross decorated with flowers. In Andalusia these natural flowers are usually red carnations. In addition to the cross, it is also decorated with different ornaments to make the setting more attractive, such as manila shawls, ceramics, plants and flowers. These crosses are installed in squares, neighborhood associations and private patios. Many town halls hold contests to assess which setting is the most beautiful.
On many occasions there are bars installed to be able to eat and drink something, you can even find children’s performances, music groups or dancers. With the money from the bars, an attempt is made to cover the cost of creating the Cruz and the decorations.
The sole purpose of this festival is to exalt the Cruz and celebrate the arrival of spring and good weather.
Best places to see them
Las Cruces de Mayo are held at the beginning of the month of May around the 2nd. In Spain the most famous places are Córdoba and Granada.
The Cruces are considered ephemeral art, that is, in two or three days these crosses are removed from the patios and squares, so if you want to see one, you have to find out when they are celebrated in the city you visit!
As I told you before, the town halls hold a contest that you can sign up for and win a prize. Normally people who want to see these cruces take a tour and enjoy the day drinking, eating and watching the shows (if there are any).
Los Patios de Córdoba and Cruces de mayo
You should not confuse the Cruces de mayo with the Patios Cordobeses, they are different things.
We can say that the cruces coexist with the tradition of the Patios de Córdoba, a festival declared of National Tourist Interest. Los Patios is celebrated in this city during the first two weeks of May. It is a festival very similar to the Crosses, the private and public patios are mainly decorated with flowers, plants and other ornaments, there is also a contest and you can take a tour of the city.
Fixing the patios is a general tradition throughout Andalusia. Before “la caló” arrives, the patios are whitewashed and painted, the pots are prepared and everything is tidied up before summer. The patios in Andalusian houses are the meeting point for friends and family, a cool place, surrounded by nature, from a source where you can take refuge from the heat.
If you want to know more about the Patios de Córdoba you can enter here.
Did you like this month’s article? I loved it, I even got a little nostalgic.
The Cruces de mayo and Patios take me back to my childhood, when I saw my paternal grandmother fix her patio before summer arrived, and my father with his friends prepare the Cruz de mayo in my neighborhood.
They are traditions that still persist in many Spanish cities and I invite you to discover them if you are in our country in May.
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