Fiestas again.

October is fiesta time around these villages, first up was Cadiar from the 5th to the 9th, then from the 10th to the 14th - today - has been the fiesta in Ugijar.   I think the fairground has gone from Cadiar to Ugijar,  we can hear the pounding of the music at night although - as the crow flies - Ugijar is about 8 kilometres away.  At lunch time today when the fireworks started,  it sounded like they'd set off the total town budget for the year!  Seems a waste really, as the day time fireworks are just loud, much better when they do them at night.  So much more colourful. 

In between those we have had a national holiday - Dia Hispanidad on the 12th which commemorates the day that Christopher Columbus first  set foot in the Americas in 1492. 

So not a lot of work going on at the moment in the local villages,  John went into Cadiar last Tuesday late afternoon,  normally the shops are reopening after lunch at about 4.30  to  5pm ish, but the petrol station was shut, so was the builders yard....

I know the unemployment rate is very high and people have less to spend, but if places don't open how can you fill your car with  petrol or buy bags of cement etc when you need them?   I read somewhere that fiestas were a way of keeping peoples spirits up in times of hardship,  give them a day off, some free wine and everyone would be happy.