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Christmas might feel a world away right now, but Jerez de la Frontera has already pencilled in its festive calendar. Mayor María José García-Pelayo has confirmed that this year's zambombas, the city's much loved tradition of flamenco and traditional Christmas carol singing, will begin on Friday November 20 and run right through to December 25.

 

That's a touch earlier than last year, when the season didn't get going until November 21, a date that lined up with the switching on of the city's Christmas lights.

 

Once things get underway, Jerez really comes alive. More than a hundred zambombas are expected across the city during the official period, with weekends being the busiest by far. The real peak, though, comes over the December bank holiday weekend, when around fifty separate celebrations tend to pop up all at once. Many of these are organised by local brotherhoods, who bring carols, bonfires and plenty of atmosphere to the squares and streets around their churches.

 

Alongside all that, the city will also host the Zambomba BIC, a flagship celebration that usually gets backing from the Junta de Andalucía and the Diputación de Cádiz. It has a sister event too, held just down the road in Arcos de la Frontera, and the two towns' celebrations are closely linked.

 

That link goes back to 2015, when the Zambomba of Jerez and Arcos was formally declared an Asset of Cultural Interest, recognising it as an Activity of Ethnological Interest. The official decree describes it as "an exceptional, unique, multidimensional and dynamic cultural manifestation", and calls it one of the most genuine Christmas celebrations anywhere in Andalucía. It also notes that the two towns, despite their differences, "share a common universe" when it comes to their festive traditions, something that still holds true a decade on.

 

So, if you fancy soaking up some proper Andalusian Christmas spirit this year, Jerez's calendar is about as good a place to start as any. Just don't expect to hear the first carol until the third week of November.

 

 

Image: wikicommons