Next Sunday, 30 April, the Spanish region of Castilla-La Mancha celebrates its traditional “Cantos de Mayo” to welcome spring.

The beginning of spring is always a reason to be happy, but in an eminently agricultural region, such as ours, it is even more important. Hence that almost all villages of the province of Ciudad Real organize festivities. Just a few kilometers from our Restaurant Cueva La Martina, there is one Fiesta well worth mentioning.

Pedro Muñoz

25 years ago the Fiesta del Mayo Manchego in the village of Pedro Muñoz has been declared Fiesta of Regional Tourist Interest. And with good reason: this festivity is deeply rooted and all inhabitants participate, dressed in regional costumes of vivid colors.

This year, the fiesta will be celebrated all weekend with different events, such as a gastronomica sample, culinary contests, the recreation of 20th century customs and traditional pilgrimage, castanet workshop, slinghot tournament and much more.

The most important days, however, are next Sunday and Monday.

On the late evening of 30 April, the people of Pedro Muñoz gather together in the Hermitage of the village’s patroness, Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles, offering flowers, singing the ‘Mayo’ to honour the virgin and organizing a handmade latern contest. Later on, during the “Noche de Ronda” young men will walk all night long throught the village, singing the Mayo to the young women.

On May 1st the bullring hosts a folk-music festival with the participation of bands and groups, choirs and dancers from all over Castile-La Mancha.

Campo de Criptana

The tradition of ‘the Mayos’ is timeless also in our village, Campo de Criptana. Several local music groups take part in the event, which will begin on Sunday 30 April at 11 p.m. when they first sing to honour the patroness, Santísima Virgen de Criptana, and then to salute the mayor and the town councillors. Later, the local government invites singers and inhabitants to a delicious chocolate in the Plaza Mayor.

In order to get through a night of dancing and singing, we strongly recommend to have a good dinner at Cueva La Martina. Happy spring to everybody!