What to visit
Traditions
Araceli Festivities
The Araceli Festivities have been declared a Festival of National Tourist Interest These festivities are always celebrated the first Sunday in May. They begin on Friday with the Pregón Aracelitano (Araceli Proclamation) and continue on Saturday with the floral offering, in which most of the people of Lucena take part. During this event, the Aracelitana Mayor (Araceli Queen) and her ladies, dressed in the traditional costume of Lucena, decorate the Virgin’s altar with the thousands of flowers gathered for the Patroness. The celebration continues on Sunday, when the Patroness is carried in procession through the streets of Lucena As the Virgin moves forward, countless flower petals are showered along her path while the people sing her Hymn. Once the Image approaches her church, thousands of rockets and fireworks fill the sky with sound and color.
Romería de Bajada (Pilgrimage of Descent)
On the penultimate Sunday of April, the pilgrimage marking the descent of the image of Our Lady of Araceli from her sanctuary to the city is celebrated. On this festive morning, a huge crowd of devotees makes its way toward the summit of the Sierra de Aras. At 3 o’clock in the afternoon, with the Virgin dressed as a shepherdess upon her silver platform and carried on the shoulders of the santeros, amidst the fervor of thousands of pilgrims, the journey begins. First through a wild landscape and then across a sea of olive groves, the venerated image is carried to Lucena. The official reception takes place at seven in the evening at the place known as Puerta de la Mina, before the image is finally installed in the magnificent high altar of the main parish church of St. Mathwe. At that moment, the Lucentina Choir performs a solem Salva and the Aracely Hymn.
Romería de Subida (Pilgrimage of the Ascent)
On the first Sunday of June, the ‘Romería de la Subida’ (Pilgrimage of the Ascent) to the Sanctuary of Aras brings the festivities to a close. On the Saturday evening before the pilgrimage, with the Virgin already placed upon her silver platform, an emotional farewell Mass is celebrated. At 7 o’clock on Sunday morning, following the pilgrim’s Mass, the procession begings its return to the hoy house of Araceli, followed by horse riders and beautifully decorated floats. After the official farewell, the people themselves take up the platform and begin the journey back toward the summit, which is reached shortly after midday. At her sanctuary, with one of the most beautiful landscapes in Spain at her feet, the pilgrims bid farewell to the Patroness, leaving her to watch over the Andalusian countryside from the Baroque splendor of the camarín (inner little chapel).
Feria Real de Nuestra Señora del Valle (Real Feria El Valle)
The Real Feria El Valle is, every year, a long-awaited occasion for everyone ܋܋–a unique moment of gathering and celebration at the end of summer. Thousands of light bulbs and lanterns are lit each year during the first days of September to celebrate an event that, since 2008, has been held at the new fairgrounds. Horse parades, traditional music, activities for children, a sevillanas competition, the livestock fair, the National Lucena Fandango Competition, and bullfighting events are some of the highlights of a programme that attracts a large number of visitors to the city every year.
Festivities in Honor of María Santísima de la Aurora
In mid-October, the Aurora district celebrates the festivities in honor of the Virgen de la Aurora. A wide range of activities enrich these festivities, including musical performances, traditional children’s games, flamenco singing, popular races, a balcony decoration contest, and tasting of local products. On Sunday, the festive day of the Virgin, the Lucentina Choir and the Plucked String and Pick Orchestra take part in the solemn Mass, performing the “Misa de Campanilleros”. On Sunday evening, at 8 o’clock in the afternoon, the procession of Ntra. Sra. de la Aurora place through her neigbourhood, accompanied by the Campanilleros, a marching band, and local authorities. On the following Sunday, at 8 o’clock in the morning, the Rosario de la Aurora (Rosary in honour of the Virgen de la Aurora)
Fair in Honour of Saint Francis of Assisi
It is also known as the ‘Fair of the Sweethearts’. Coinciding with the end of July and the beginning of August, these festivities offer a wide range of activities, including sevillanas competitions, concerts, and more. Events take place in two locations, as there is both an open-air celebration in the San Francisco district and a fair at the fairgrounds.
Children’s Processions
Every year, more than a hundred “Children’s Processional ‘pasos’” take to the streets of Lucena, carried by children who recreate the traditions of Lucena’s ‘santería’ ―the distinctive way of carrying thrones on the shoulder― giving each ‘paso’ a unique movement accompanied by the rhythm of the drum. Santeros, mantillas, brotherhood members, drummers… all of them form a colorful procession followed by thousands of spectators. In 1973, the Agrupación de Cofradías (Association of Brotherhoods) took charge of organizing a parade of children’s processions in the form of a competition, which in 1985 became the “Parade of Children’s Processions before Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno (Our Father Jesus of Nazareth)”. Since that year, the children’s processions have passed by the chapel of Jesús Nazareno In 1988, the Agrupación handed over the organisation to the Peña El Santero.
Cabalgata de la Ilusión (Parade of Illusion)
As every year, their Majesties the Three Wise Men visit Lucena bringing gifts and excitement. Organised by the Peña Amigos de los Magos Association, it stands out mainly for the large number of floats participating in the parade, as well as for the huge quantity of sweets distributed, especially in key areas such as El Coso, ‘Vuelta de Santa Clara’, ‘Las Cuatro Esquinas’ and Plaza Nueva. In the days leading up to the parade, the Giant Three King’s Ring-Shaped Cake (Roscón Gigante de Reyes) is also celebrated in support of a local association
Roscón de Reyes Gigante
The Giant Three King’s Ring-Shaped Cake event is held in Lucena with the dual purpose of promoting the city and its traditional gastronomy, while the funds raised are dedicated to charitable causes. The Giant Three King’s Ring-Shaped Cake aims to carry out social and charitable work while also bringing life to the city centre through the tasting of a traditional product of Lucena’s gastronomy during this festive season.
Corpus Christi
During the three days preceding the Celebration of Corpus Christi, the Church of St. Matthew hosts the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, the rosary, meditation, devotional exercises, benediction, and reservation, followed afterward by Holy Mass. On the afternoon on the Celebration of Corpus Christi, a Solemn Religious Ceremony takes place at the Parish Church of St. Matthew, presided over by the Episcopal Vicar of the Campiña and concelebrated by all the priest of Lucena. On Sunday, at seven o’clock in the evening, the solemn Mass celebration takes place in the Church of St. Mathew, with the participation of the Lucentina Choir. At the end of the Mass, around 8 p. m., the solemn procession begins. The Eucharistic parade is accompanied by hundreds of boys and girls who have made their First Communion, as well as the different sections of the Nighttime Adoration, and the brotherhoods and confraternities of Lucena ―both those of Glory and Passion― with their respective banners. Bringing up the rear of the procession are the clergy and the municipal corporation under ceremonial maces, accompanied musically by the Lucena Marching Band.
