November 2005

Tuesday 1st - All Saints Day. A public holiday that means that nobody goes to work (hooray) and all the shops are shut (boo).

Saturday 5th - Guy Fawkes night! Spanish regulations ban the use of bonfires without a permit, and fireworks are harder to find than a petrol station in the middle of the Sahara.

Friday 11th - The feast of San Martín is the occasion for the slaughtering of pigs, in preparation for the winter-time drying of hams and sausages, at a fiesta called la matanza - literally, the killing. The day begins with the killing of the pigs and is spent butchering the carcass and stuffing sausages and black pudding.

The wet season has started (at last) and Alora is getting some well deserved liquid precipitation. It has been a very hot, long, dry summer.

No festivals are planned for this month but the daytime temperature is perfect for outdoor activities such as golf, walking, climbing, biking etc.

For details on the weather at this time of year check out the climate & weather page.

December 2005

Everybody is looking forward to Christmas, especially after the hot summer, though for the Spanish population Christmas Day holds a far greater religious meaning than a lot of the English population. In fact their presents are not usually exchanged until January 5th, known as Three Kings Day, the traditional twelfth day of Christmas when you-know-what were given to you-know-who.
Malaga town centre has been covered in a swathe of light decorations (see pic below for a sample of what they've been up to) the electricity bill for which would probably wipe out half the third world debt.