Festivities

If the world of olive oil is familiar to you, you cannot miss the chance to visit this event. It represents one of the most important agri- food exhibitions held in Spain.

Montoro Olive Oil Fair is a showcase of international reference in the olive sector. It is held biennially in the Olive Common Heritage facilities and it has had a great institutional support throughout its well-known trajectory.

This fair provides the visitors with a technological, commercial and clear offer, helping with business relations, exchange of knowledge, analysis of current market trends and support of the development of quality AOVE.

Why is the Olive Oil Fair so important?

This event is extremely important for the olive sector due to reference products, technologically advanced machinery, techniques for extracting olives that are at the forefront of innovation, as well as the promotion of new companies that start standing out in the sector which are exhibited.

In addition to this, it is remarkable the business volume achieved during the four days the event is held. This is thanks to the humane and personal treatment of each professional of the hundred exhibitors which the event has. A recognized magnitude of business is achieved year after year.

What does it provide for businessmen of this sector?

If you work in the olive sector, you may be interested in this. It is an event in which professional people are provided with a range of possibilities to promote their products, promote their companies, discover, invest and learn about any technological and advanced technique and research projects.

Therefore, it is an equipped and adapted fair to both the producer and the consumer having the oil as the main and rooted product as well as its multiple and derived versions.

Plaza del Charco of Montoro is embellished with its best Carmelite costumes on the afternoon of 16^th July to celebrate the day of Ntra. Sra. del Carmen.

It is an image of great devotion among all the citizens of Montoro and there are hundreds of devotees who go with the image when it parades through the streets of the town.

Things you may be interested in this festivity

• The traditional Felicitación a la Virgen is celebrated the night before its onomastic day at Carmen Church. This is an act in which children, a couple and a marriage take part because they represent the rest of people of Montoro saying some special words for them. Similarly, the Rociero de la Hdad. de la Humildad Choir also takes parts in this evening.
• There is an event on the next day of great importance for children. Ntra. Sra. Del Carmen Brotherhood makes its traditional share-out of cakes which are donated and elaborated by the bakeries of the town.
• Finally, you should know that the traditional open- air dance in honour of this festivity is celebrated the weekend before the onomastics of the Virgin in Plaza de Abastos. Do you feel like having a wonderful weekend in summer? Come and visit us.

Come and enjoy one of the most expected eventsby all the people of Montoro throughout the year. You can have a great time so let you by an excellent atmosphere.

Fair and Festivities in honour of Ntra. Sra. del Rosario, the Patron Saint of Montoro, take place from the 7^th to the 12^th of October. So, it is a perfect time to visit us, as it coincides with the Spanish Culture Day and the Pilar Holiday, so you will have some official holidays.

These are days of living together but also they are celebration days in which you can find different activities such as religious worships celebrated at San Bartolome Church or the procession of the Virgin, a lunch in honour of the elderly people of the town, a tribute act of the citizen of the year of Montoro, a tribute act of the undertaking and/or association of the year, the cattle fair, sport competitions, concerts they all ending up in the fireworks of these festivities.

Why is it celebrated on the 7^th of October?

This date was chosen due to the release of the miseries that could happen in the neighbourhood on the 1^st of November in 1755, when the Earthquake of Lisbon took many lives in the Iberian Peninsula.

Since then, the Virgin of Rosario has been considered the Patron Saint of the town, although the document where this appointment appeared was taken from the town hall book.

Spring arrives together with the night of Lorca, the babbling of water in the borders and the sound and crying of the guitar… We wish every day of the year was May in Montoro. Explore the town in this month of happiness.

May Crosses

A colourful range of all kinds of flowers embellish more than twenty crosses decorated by people of the town, brotherhoods, clubs and associations. They take advantage of windows, church front doors, typical patios and picturesque streets to place and decorate their crosses in the first weekend of May.

Besides, you will listen to good music and go out for tapas in these places enjoying a typical spring day at that time.

Patios

Patios refer to courtyards which usually have a well or a natural spring in the central part of the house. Most of these types of houses are located in the historical centre of Montoro.

Muslims redistributed homes in Arab times giving entrance to the house from the street through a hall and placing abundant vegetation to increase the sense of freshness inside them.

You will find this setting here, coinciding with the festivity of the patios of Cordoba. Patios, balconies and facades competition takes place in the second week of May in Montoro.

Say goodbye to the summer as it deserves by visiting us and discover the festivities in honour of our patron saint. A varied programme is waiting for you to enjoy it.

On the eve of the 24^th of August, Montoro starts to mobilise. It is a holiday day in honour of San Bartolomé, and it is celebrated to commemorate the takeover of the village by Fernando III El Santo in 1241.

We are sure that you will not get bored, because there are religious worships in honour of the patron saint and activities for children such as the Suelta de la Diablilla the day before the expected open- air dance, when you can keep one of the best memories of the summer, can you expect more?

Do you feel like dancing? Come with us to the open- air dance

How can you live the town without a summer open- air dance? Many of our visitors stay here to spend an unforgettable night and enjoy the best atmosphere in Plaza de España, is there a better setting? It is one of the most expected summer nights by young people and adults of Montoro.

Where does the Suelta de la Diablilla come from?

It comes from a legend of Montoro that tells that young children should wear a religious medallion in their neck, because the day before the onomastics of the Patron saint, the devil escapes from the feet of the apostle who is holding him as a prisoner.

This tradition is lost in the night however, many children of the town are in suspense during the whole night.

The Family Gardens of San Fernando await this festivity in honour of their Patron Saint with great expectation.

The Family Gardens of Montoro district has a procession in which their Patron Saint of San Fernando parades every 30^th of May. A large number of devotees, authorities, and musical accompaniment guard the carving of this small Family Community during the procession.

On the other hand, the citizens of Montoro who live in this district prepare the eve of this date with enthusiasm and happiness in spring time, with some activities in honour of San Fernando Patron Saint.

Some of these activities are for children, such as balloons and face- painting workshops; there are also children’s parties for example a gymkhana and popular games. All these activities take place in the site of the old chapel.

There are also sports activities for everybody, such as football matches, shooting with carbine, tug-of-war and an endless number of traditional games that will remind you of your earliest childhood.

Finally, you cannot miss the Gran Huevada to recover your strength. Then, an open- air dance livens up the evening for all the spectators. Come and enjoy a few days of living together and being surrounded by nature.

Come and explore the neighbourhood of El Retamar where this typical summer festivity is celebrated.

The streets of the neighbourhood of El Retamar are embellished on the 26^th of July due to the procession of the Saint Grandparents being Santa Ana and San Joaquin. At the end of the procession, it is typical a lupin beans or traditionally known as chorchos delivery, which is made by the Entrada Triunfal de Jesús en Jerusalén and María Stma. del Amor y Paz Brotherhood.

Pre-Festivity Activities

The younger children are the main protagonists some days before this festivity, who play traditional games in the streets of the neighbourhood such as sack races, competitions of rings or skeet shooting with slingshot among others.

Similarly, a water sport gymkhana is organised to cool hot summer evenings with popular games, inflatable games and foam.

There is also a pétanque tournament in the Huerta de la Isla and in the Courts of the neighbourhood of El Retamar, which is organised by the Pétanque Club of Montoro. This tournament is celebrated in honour of this celebration.

Finally, some musical performances take place at Cedron Street on the following weekend of the 26^th of July, which raises a great expectation among attendees. These musical performances are a good choice to enliven summer nights.

The Holy Week of Montoro has centuries of religion, culture and tradition and it was declared a Festivity of National Tourist Interest by the Andalusian Government. Explore the smell of incense and orange blossom in the most popular festivity among our visitors.

Montoro is a rich visual scene where the heritage of the brotherhoods is mixed with the history and customs of the town year after year. You will be impressed by the scene described by its unique streets and the art of its carvings and images.

Besides, the music describes an excellent acoustics thanks to its urban architecture; it is a delight for all the senses. The Holy Week of Montoro is known and valued as one of the most tourist and cultural attraction of the province of Cordoba.

What does the Holy Week mean to Montoro?

The Holy Week is the central axis of the culture of Montoro since it has remained intact over centuries. Montoro is capable of attracting different types of spectators, because we are able to connect the Holy Week to hundreds of tourists who visit our town during the celebration of this festivity. Are you going to miss it?

What is worth highlighting of the Holy Week of Montoro?

• The Roman Empire: There are many cultural survivals present year after year, and here we especially highlight the Roman Empire. This institution, of which there have been documented references since 1694, consists of more than 400 Roman soldiers who parade with a bugle call and the beating of drums

• El Prendimiento: Another striking aspect of our Holy Week is the Prendimiento. It is a representation of the Kiss of Judas during the night of the Holy Thursday and it is in Plaza del Charco.

Nobody wants to miss this unique and characteristic moment, as the Roman Empire crosses with its pikes the image of the Señor Prendido with the bugle call. This moment is one of the most photographed and requested scenes by all the spectators.

• Sermón del Paso: It is celebrated in the morning of the Good Friday in Plaza de España. It is a baroque element that has remained over centuries and in which there is room for the representation of the images with the sound of the words of the priest who presides over the event.

The Sentence of Pilate is read, the Confortación of Angel is sung, in addition to the interpretation of other praises that end up in the representation of the Prendimiento de la Dolorosa by the Roman Empire.

• Ancient and Devout Our Father Jesus the Nazarene Choir: This choir is originally from the 17^th and 18^th century. An important fact has been the recovery of the singing of the Miserere through an old singer, who is dead nowadays but transmitted the lyrics and the musical intonation to the current chorus as it was shouted in the late twenties.

• Carrerillas: This characteristic element of the Holy Week consists of the access up along the steep streets of Montoro of the carvings by means of the carriers. These images are accompanied by the sound of the music that changes its rhythm from slow to fast march, warning the spectators about the bugle call.

• Good Friday Parade: If there is something characteristic of the Holy Week of Montoro except for its Madrugá is the Good Friday parade.

Before the starting of the procession, authorities and elder brothers of brotherhoods, music bands, bands of bugles and drums, the music group and the Roman Empire begin a parade from Plaza de España to San Sebastian Church.

It is a parade which makes its way through the crowd, a crowd that is growing toward the coming of the carvings.

• Resol, pestiños and bread rolls: If there is one that is remarkable about the Holy Week of Montoro is its traditional resol, a drink made since ancient times with coffee and dry aniseed as the main ingredients.