Do you dream of celebrating New Year's Eve in the heat, in the middle of summer? There is a charming town of Spain which has celebrated it in August for 25 years now.
A Berchules, in the province of Granada, in Andalusia, people celebrate in August as if it were New Year's Day. What is now a tradition dates back more than 26 years: on December 31, 1993, the inhabitants of Bérchules could not properly celebrate the New Year, due to a power outage. "At that time I was 11 years old and, shortly before 20.00:XNUMX p.m., all the lights in the city went out," says Ismael Padilla Gervilla, current mayor of Bérchules, "there was a power outage caused by adverse weather conditions. We had dinner by candlelight and listened to an old forgotten radio, because we always watched television. "It was a black night but very useful."
laPower was restored the next day. but now New Year's Eve had passed and January 1st had begun in the name of sadness. A few days later a municipal assembly was convened from which an idea as strange as it was ingenious arose: to recover in August the New Year's Eve lost in December. The initial objective was to allow bars, restaurants and businesses to recover the losses of December 31 thanks to the arrival of summer tourists, but the success was such that it convinced the town to replicate it in the following years.
Since then, every year more than 10 a thousand people they decide to go to Berchules to celebrate New Year's Eve in the middle of summer. There are many traditions of this original summer festival, which is celebrated during the first weekend of August: from the tasting of hams to the setting up of nativity scenes, just like during the Christmas season. In the streets and squares of the city there is a festive atmosphere, thanks to music and numerous parades. And, as on every respectable New Year's Eve in Spain, at the stroke of midnight 12 grapes are eaten, as a sign of good omen for the coming year.
Located at 1.319 meters above sea level, Bérchules is a municipality located in the southern area of Natural Park of Sierra Nevada, in the heart of the Alpujarra of Granada. The architectural, landscape and cultural characteristics make it an ideal tourist destination. Among the main attractions we find the Fuente de las Carmelas, one of the most famous monuments in Andalusia. According to legend, whoever drinks the water from this fountain will be able to find love in a short time.
Who knows, maybe it's the good resolution of the year (or maybe the summer)...
