We aim to bring you the local news and reviews from around the region covering all manner of topics relevant to life here in this beautiful corner of Andalucia.

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Merry Christmas Everybody!

Firstly we would like to wish all our readers a very Merry Christmas or as we say out here Feliz Navidad.

Although the weather here has been extremely mild this autumn we do have a light festive dusting of snow up on the top of Mount Maroma, the highest peak in the Axarquia, thanks to a short storm last night.

Preparations for the Christmas season started as usual during the bank holiday period of 6th & 8th December when it is traditional to put up decorations and create your Nativity Scene or Belén. There are a vast number of public scenes on display in the area until 7th January in the churches, town halls, social clubs, shops and even in the departure hall at Málaga Airport and they are well worth a look.

Around the Axarquia

A new Farmers Market has started near Lake Viñuela every Tuesday morning from 10am at KM104 on the A335 Vélez-Málaga to Alhama de Granada road. Featuring home grown produce, home cooked foods and craft items it is a welcome addition to the area.

Last Sunday in Torrox the annual festival of Migas was attended by over 40,000 visitors and was a great success. This year for the first time the Tourist Office provided translators so that the large number of foreign visitors would gain an appreciation of the history of the event.

In Malaga city a new ice rink has opened within the Martin Carpena sports centre, Avda Velazquez, near the airport. The 300m rink is open Mon-Fri 10-1.30, 6-9 and Sat/Sun 11-2, 5-9 with admission of €5.

Forthcoming Events

The Christmas calendar is slightly different here than in the UK:

A traditional family dinner on Christmas Eve is followed by a Public Holiday on December 25th. But the main business of present giving coincides with the feast of Epiphany or the 3 Kings. Festivities kick off when the Three King's Cavalcades process through cities, towns and villages from around 6pm onwards on January 5th. The Three Wise Men or Reyes Magos toss thousands of kilos of sweets to the crowds as they bear gifts to underprivileged children in their localities. When the children wake up on the Public Holiday of January 6th they will find that the Kings have left them presents to open just like Father Christmas does on Christmas Eve in Britain.

In between the Christmas festvities we also celebrate New Years Eve with a variety of municipal parties featuring music, costumes, champagne and 12 lucky grapes to be consumed at midnight. Naturally all this partying is followed by a Public Holiday on New Years Day.

Thanks for taking the time to read our Christmas newsletter and we would like to wish all our readers a very Happy New Year and thank you for your continued support.

¡Hasta luego!