2. THE CITY OF MALAGA
Málaga is a city in the Autonomous
Community of Andalusia, Spain. It lies
on the Coast of the Sun of the
Mediterranean.
Population: 568,507 inhabitants
3. THE CLIMATE
Malaga has one of the best climates in Europe.
The Malaga Mountains close ranks behind to form a barrier of peaks that
protects the city from the cold, while the regulating effect of the
Mediterranean Sea ensures the area its characteristic mild temperatures.
The summers are hot, though tempered by the city's proximity to the sea.
4. MALAGA IN THE HISTORY
The city was founded by the Phoenicians about 770 BC, who built a settlement near the
hill on which the Alcazaba stands today. During Roman times, Malaga was declared a
confederated city of Rome.
Under the rule of Islamic Arab, the city enjoyed an era of great progress. But in 1487 it
was re-conquered by the Catholic Monarchs.
By the end of the 18th century, two high-class families, the Larios and the Heredia,
converted Malaga in the second most important industrial centre in the country.
5. Festivities
HOLY WEEK
Holy Week, the most baroque, most typically Andalusian
celebration of all, sees Malaga become an enormous stage
upon which its entire populace comes together to remember the
Passion of Christ.
In the candlelight, amidst the gleam of gold and silver and the
aroma of incense and orange blossom, the huge processional
‘tronos’, veritable moving altarpieces, paint a truly unforgettable
picture.
6. Festivities
ST JOHN’S EVE
The Feast of St John coincides with the June solstice also
referred to as Midsummer. Festivities are celebrated the night
before, on St John's Eve (June 23), the shortest night of the
year.
In Málaga bonfires are lit in the streets and on the sand of the
beaches. The rituals are jumping over the fire, swimming in the
sea at midnight or asking for some wishes, and there are
fireworks too.
7. Festivities
ST JOHN’S EVE
We do moragas (sardines grilled over open fires) on the beach.
Bonfires are lit in order to scare away evil spirits. Some of the
bonfires are of huge proportions and will burn all night. The
climax of the festival comes at midnight, when juas, large cloth
guys filled with sawdust, paper or similar materials, are set on
fire.
8. Festivities
ST JOHN’S EVE
Some students burn their
books in bonfires celebrating
that the school finished and
the summer begins.
9. Festivities
ST JOHN’S EVE
At 12 o'clock fireworks are launched!
10. Festivities
THE MARITIME PROCESSION OF THE VIRGIN OF CARMEN
The typical procession of the Virgin of Carmen is held on 16th
July, and is particularly celebrated in those districts of the city
with maritime tradition.
An image of the Our Lady Carmen is carried through all the
fishing districts, and finally placed aboard a fishing boat
adorned with flowers, where it is taken out to sea, followed by a
multitude of small boats.
11. PABLO PICASSO,
our more internationally known Malaga citizen
The early life of Pablo Ruiz Picasso is intimately connected with
Malaga city, where he was born in 1881. He is widely known for
co-founding the Cubist movement. Among his most famous
works are the proto-Cubist Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907),
and Guernica (1937), a portrayal of the German bombing of
Guernica during the Spanish Civil War.
