It’s December and the busiest month for Public holidays. The 6th the 8th, and the 25th.. Starting on the 9th is ‘semana de mayor’, so there maybe activities in the village for the older inhabitants. Normally on the first Saturday of December there is a Christmas market in the Plaza.
Another activity is to watch the Christmas lights being put up by the workmen, this can fill a couple of hours sitting on a bench outside the church. We used to have a huge tree where the Taperia is. They would dig up the concrete, fix an enormous fir tree in concrete and decorate it! That was not so long ago. Once when there was snow on the snow-line, over night a snowman appeared complete with a carrot for a nose. Someone must have brought the snow down in their truck.
Then there is the switching on of the lights, which is usually advertised on the Town hall phone app, (Competa Informa) or on the back page of The Grapevine or Voz de Competa from Town Hall. Then comes the discussion during coffee as to whether they are new lights this year, or the old ones, ‘not as good as other villages’ can be heard, or ‘they are looking tatty’, or ‘not as good as the coastal ones’. Forgetting its a village of only approx 4000 or so inhabitants, who pay into the system. But its our lights, and our village, complete with a Belen (Nativity Scene) in the Town Hall. It may not be as sophisticated as the town ones, but its ours.
Also there is the much looked forward to Christmas afternoon for the over sixty-fives which is a wonderful afternoon, (and for the
past two years in the refurbished ‘knicker factory’), with food and drinks, either soft or alcohol, speeches about reaching old age and certificates handed out to those who have reached sixty-five, and then you can detect the mumbles of ‘Oh, thought he was younger/older’.
There is entertainment, sometimes local and sometimes professional, and dancing, and everyone is in their finery. The ladies in tight shoes, with a dab of make-up and immaculate lacquered hair, the men in nice cardigans, with hair slicked down. The men get together and chat, (that way their wives cant see how much wine they are drinking), the ladies stick together and eat, normally drinking soft drinks. I and a few others sit with the Spanish villagers, and they welcome it. When we leave we all get a gift, and it ends when the bell rings for Mass. If over sixty-five you need to get your name on the list, if its your year for a certificate, normally an invitation gets sent! If you are of the right age but your partner isn’t, it doesn’t matter they can accompany you!
Now on to the Malaga lights. They hope to switch them on on 29th November at 7pm. There will be a concert after the light and sound show, and they will hand out 10,000 light beams. The theme is woodland and they will go on every night at 6.30 until January 7th..
At 6.30, 8 and 9.30 the music and light show is on and this year the songs are ‘All I want for Christmas is You, Jingle Bell Rock, En Navidad and Never Back Down. They are advertised as ‘feet-tapping earworms’!
As well as Calle Larios which is famous for its display every year, they have used 2 million LED bulbs in the whole of Malaga.
Calle Granada has arches for the first time,
Calle Jan Juan (parallel to Calle Nueva) and Calle Carcer (the street on the way to the Cervantes theatre) have a display, and look for four giant trees this year.
Plaza de la Marina has lights which change colour, and in Plaza de la Constitucion you can go ‘inside’ the tree this year. (the Plaza at the end of Larios)
Plaza del Obispo looks magical next to the lit up Cathedral, and also Calle Alcazabilla, just in front of the Roman Amphitheatre.
Over in Huelin Park, and the Paseo de Parque there is a long stretch of lights to wander along. (Near La Termica).
How to get there is the annual dilemma because the bus leaves Malaga for Canillas at 18.30, except for the Sunday bus which leaves at 20.15.
If you have a car don’t try to drive in and park, its best to drive to Torre del Mar and catch a directo bus from the bus station. You can park on a side street with no problems in Torre. The buses at 16.40 or 17.10 are direct, Monday to Friday, (on a Saturday the 17.10 takes the long route called ruta written on the front of the bus). This should get you into Malaga for the 6.30 lights, in time to push your way for a place to stand, because it gets very busy.
I suggest when you get off the bus at the puerto stop, cross the road to the Alsa ticket office and get your return back, stating the return time, (mas o menos) directo, three hours is usually long enough to have festive fun. See what time is printed on the ticket and then when you go back to the bus station in time for your bus you can be certain of getting on the bus you require. There will be a lot of people milling round the stop looking confused, so when you see the bus, push your way forward waving your ticket. Don’t be British and say ‘after you, no, after you’. Many are waiting for a ruta bus anyway, and its not always clear on the front of the bus, (sometimes directo and ruta come together) so waving the ticket at the driver will get you a yes or a no, your bus or not! Another reason for this organised chaos is that some will have purchased returns at the start of their journey but not had them stamped with a time at the ticket office. That’s why I didn’t suggest getting a return at Torre.
Another way to see the lights is to stop overnight.
Sometimes there is a trip with Competa Bus sl to for the lights, advertised on their F.B. page, and a trip for the pensioners run by the village. Last year we had an extra trip after Christmas to see two wonderful Belens and we had a meal in an hotel together with the pensioners from Corumbella, and Sayalonga and another village. Speeches were made, wine was drunk, we had a wonderful very long day. I do hope our new Mayor still wants to arrange these outings for us.
Contrary to rumour I don’t work for Loymerbus, Competa Bus sl or Alsa, I just use buses and like to chat.
Happy Christmas, Happy Holiday, Happy bus rides!
Josephine Drew
