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217,000 euros for embroidery training to bolster the tradition of Wine Horse decoration in Caravaca
The magnificent embroidered shawls which decorate the horses contribute to the Caballos del Vino being an UNESCO event of Intangible Cultural Heritage
There are now under 2 months before the annual Fiestas de la Cruz in Caravaca, where the undoubted stars of the show are the participants (both human and equine) in the Running of the Wine Horses, but as preparations step up for the celebrations at the beginning of May the Town Hall has announced a support package for the unsung heroines behind one of the key elements of the spectacle, which has been declared an event of Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.
The most spectacular sight is the young men and their horses hurtling up the castle hill in an attempt to win the coveted race for the fiestas groups to which they belong, but this is just one aspect of the equine displays held, another being the accoutrements and decorative shawls with which the horses are dressed beforehand. This are the result of hundreds, even thousands of hours of work on the part of female members of the groups, who volunteer their time throughout the year to create the most elaborate and intricate designs possible.
In order to help preserve this tradition, the Town Hall has announced a package of 217,000 euros put together by the national and regional employment services which will finance the training of ten more people and enable them to enjoy paid employment for nine months, following guidelines and suggestions made by the council and the Asociación Antonio López Ruiz ‘Ñin’. The speciality of the new embroiderers is to be silk and gold thread embroidery, one of the crafts which has helped shape the cultural identity of Caravaca over the centuries.
In recent years other embroidery courses have been held under the aegis of the Casa-Museo de los Caballos del Vino (which is well worth a visit), with very positive results, according to Mayor José Francisco García. He pointed out that in the past the tradition has often been handed down from generation to generation within families. However, with lower birth rates and higher levels of employment among women there could conceivably be a risk of it dying out.
For more local events, news and visiting information contact the local tourist office (telephone 968 702424) or go to the home page of Caravaca Today.
Address
Calle De Las Monjas, 19, 30400 CARAVACA DE LA CRUZTel: 968 702424 / 968 701003
Caravaca de la Cruz tourist office
More information about the places of interest which can be visited in the municipality of Caravaca de la Cruz, along with what's on and local news can be found in the Caravaca Today.
Caravaca de la Cruz, in the north-west of the Region of Murcia, is one of only 5 Holy Cities in the Roman Catholic world, a centre of pilgrimage, along with Rome, Jerusalem, Santiago de Compostela and Santo Toribio de Liebana, and is home to the Cross of Caravaca, the Vera Cruz.
The status of Holy City was bestowed by Pope John Paul II in 1998, granting the City a Permanent Jubilee year every 7 years for perpetuity, the first one held in 2003 and the next in 2024.
The strategic and natural advantages of Caravaca de la Cruz have attracted the attention of settlers for more than 800,000 years, the Cueva Negra yielding remains of Homo Heidelbergensis, forbears of the Neanderthals and the municipality also houses important archaeological remains from the Argaric, Iberian and Roman cultures. many of these can be seen in the Municipal Archaeological Museum.
As a border town caught between the Catholic forces of Castille and the last remaining Moorish stronghold in Spain, Granada, Caravaca had a turbulent medieval history, but it was during this period that the legend of the Cross of Caravaca was born, bringing the religious orders which shaped the structure of Caravaca today, with its impressive hilltop castle and eclectic collection of churches and monasteries, religious tourism today being a backbone of the town´s economy.
Caravaca de la Cruz is a municipality with important natural resources, including extensive forests, part of which have protected status due to their wealth of flora and fauna, and due to the abundant water supplies is also a major area for canned fruit production, apricots in particular being an important crop.
Caravaca is renown for its important May Fiestas, held in honour of the Vera Cruz, which also incorporate the Moors and Christians celebrations and the Running of the Wine Horses.
Caravaca de la Cruz is also the home of Europe´s largest collection of ethnic instruments at Barranda, the Museo de Música Étnica Barranda and is the location of the Barranda festival de Cuadrillas, which celebrates the Region's ethnic music traditions.
The municipality is home to around 26,000 inhabitants and shares boundaries with Moratalla, Cehegín, Lorca, Puebla de Don Fadrique in the province of Granada and Vélez-Blanco in the province of Almería.
Tourist office opening times:
Weekdays: 10.00 to 14.00 and 16.30 to 19.30
Saturdays: 10.30 to 14.00 and 16.30 to 19.30
Sundays and public holidays: 10.30 to 14.00
Click for map, Caravaca de la Cruz Tourist Office
