Seven different ways to celebrate All Saints' Day and its vespers in Malaga

They are, without a doubt, examples of the intangible heritage that the province of Malaga has today, with many nuances depending on the town that goes.

Anyone who does not want strong emotions at midnight from October 31 to November 1 should not go through the town of El Borge, on the Ruta de la Pasa. There, for some time now, the youngest people have been involved, especially in what is called Noche de Ánimas, which includes the Santa Compaña procession through the streets of the town starting at 11:30 p.m. Before, to warm up the engines, there will be a conference on Iberian mythology and terror by Javier Prado. Starting at 7:30 p.m., sweets, chestnuts and roasted sweet potatoes will be tasted in the Plaza de la Constitución. And right after, there will be a themed itinerary through the streets of the town. The culmination will be the aforementioned procession of the Santa Compaña.

They say in this town in Axarquía that the traditional tradition in the past is that the festival of the so-called Santo Mortero will be celebrated on November 1, but this year it will be a few days earlier. Specifically, it will be the last Saturday of the month of October, before the time change, when Salareños and those who visit them participate in this unique festival of terror and fun. The origin of the name of the festival is not known with certainty, but in the past it consisted of children going out to ask neighbors door to door not for sweets but for seasonal fruits: pomegranates, quinces, chestnuts or sweet potatoes. It is at that moment when it is said that in Salares the children have gone out to ask for the Holy Mortar. Currently, in this town, which has the fewest registered inhabitants in the entire province, the little ones continue to beg in the streets and when the sun has set, both they and the older people will gather at the door of the Town Hall to listen to scary stories.

There are already many children who have participated in this festival and who have not gotten to know its predecessor, the Sweet Potato and Chestnut Festival, with great roots in this village located a stone's throw from the Nerja Cave. There, for some time now, that gastronomic tradition merged with the Anglo-Saxon custom of Halloween to give rise to one of the most unique festivals on All Saints' Eve. As in previous editions, next Tuesday, October 31, where the passage of horrors stands out especially. From five in the afternoon until well into the early morning there will be parades, live music and lots of fun. Additionally, as a novelty, in this edition there will be two activities related to the party, one before and one after. The first will be on Saturday the 28th with a crafts workshop, while the second will be an activity related to paranormal experiences that will take place on the festive November 1st.

One of the festivities that have been recovered and consolidated on All Saints' Eve in Fuente de Piedra is that of La Ureña, the name by which the tradition of altar boys in past times is known, in which they searched house by house. seasonal foods, such as quince meat or sweet potatoes instead of sweets. This custom could once be seen in some towns in the north of the province of Malaga or even in the south of Seville. Currently, La Ureña has been updated in the town of Fuente de Piedra thanks to the efforts of the Amanecer Women's Association and the support of the town council itself. Thus, this coming Tuesday afternoon, October 31, in addition to the terrifying costumes, the town will be able to taste porridge, chestnuts, muffins and hot chocolate starting at 7 p.m. in the Plaza de la Constitución. There will also be other recreational activities, especially designed for the little ones.

In the city of Torcal and Dólmenes they remain faithful to their tradition of celebrating All Saints' Eve, as has been done in this country for many years, with the theatrical performance of Don Juan Tenorio, by José Zorrilla. This work can be seen in the courtyard of the old hospital and the church of San Juan de Dios both on Monday, October 30 and Tuesday, October 31 at 8:00 p.m. In both cases, admission will be free until capacity is reached. To do this, it will be necessary to take into account that the doors will open half an hour before the start of the performance. The only requirement to attend is the prior reservation of invitations through the website www.giglon.com, with a maximum of two people for each request. The play is directed by Jordi Aguilera and Paula Ramírez, who have more than twenty members from the Municipal Theater School and the Antequera Teatro Cultural Association itself in the cast. For its part, in Vélez-Málaga, you can also see a theatrical performance of the same dramatic work on Saturday, November 4 at 8 p.m. at the Teatro del Carmen. The price of tickets is 15 euros. The staging, which is directed by Ana Ortiz and María José Ruiz, is organized by the Casa de las Titas apartments with the María Zambrano company.

Casabermeja and Sayalonga are two towns that can boast of having unique cemeteries. For this reason, both offer very special guided tours these days for those who want to learn more about the cemeteries of San Sebastián and Octogonal (previously called Redondo). In the first case, two visits will be made on November 1, as is tradition. One will be at 7 p.m. and the other at 9:30 p.m. Between both, the classic 'Verses to bury the summer' will be recited. On this occasion, it will be with poetry by the Galician author Rosalía de Castro. The funeral grounds, one of the most beautiful in the country, will be illuminated on that day only with candles. For its part, the Sayalonga Octagonal Cemetery can be visited with a special guided tour both on October 31 and November 1 at 12 noon. The estimated duration of each of them is approximately 45 minutes. In both cases, both Casabermeja (637 58 29 77) and Sayalonga ([email protected]), although the visit is free, prior reservation is required.

The tradition of roasting chestnuts on these days is also deeply rooted in much of the province of Malaga, which celebrates the popular tostones especially on October 31 and November 1, although there are some municipalities that do it the weekend before. or the later. Thus, in these next few days the Yunquera Chestnut and Wine Fair (October 28 and 29), the Pujerra Chestnut Festival (November 4 and 5), the Alcaucín Chestnut Festival (4 November in the afternoon) and Tostón Popular de Ojén (November 5) as the most famous events. To these we must add the agro-artisan market of the Native Chestnut of Benalauría (October 28 and 29) or the tostones that will take place in the coming days in Genalguacil (October 28), Arriate and Igualeja (October 31), Marbella, San Pedro de Alcántara and the San Francisco de Ronda neighborhood (November 1) or Faraján and Jimera (November 4).