The sum of the parts

I'm trying to get in as many events and fiestas and ferias as I can before the stroke or the fit leaves me stranded in Culebrón, before cataracts blur my vision or before my knee finally gives way. My partner, Maggie, isn't convinced that it's a sound strategy. Maybe she's Virgo; I hear they're sceptical.

July and August in Spain are just loaded with things to do. There aren't that many weekends in two months and everywhere wants to shoehorn their event in. I've seen so many mascletás, so many Virgins carried on the backs of so many humble believers, so many men with big pot bellies, fake beards and 15cm cigars striding out that even romerias, firework displays and Moros y Cristianos are losing out to staying home with a can of Estrella and a good book.

Last week though we did stray from home. We went to Aledo down in Murcia, close to Totana. I'd never been to Aledo before but somehow I'd learned that they had a bit of an event where they light the old part of the village, the bit with a castle keep and the parish church, with thousands of candles. That was it really. They charged us money to get into the village and they did it in two shifts. The online tickets sold out in two days and the queues to get in were hundreds of metres long for both the early and the later visit. The villagers had been Blue Petering away. Water bottles turned into lanterns, hundreds of tea light candles arranged into recognisable shapes, burning torches alongside bandaged mummies and papier maché Egyptian tombs. Candles and torches a go go. There were musical groups at strategic locations. There were bright ideas and innovative ideas at every turn. It was first rate.

I have no idea how the Aledo Noche en vela is organised or paid for or promoted but the idea is so simple. Someone persuades the neighbours to take part and all their small contributions make one spectacular whole. This household decided to tie all those origami swans to the candle lit tree, whilst this one hung torches along the whole frontage of their house. Everyone does a little bit and, suddenly, we have a stupendous whole.

I've seen it before in both in Spain and in the UK but it seems more prevalent here. Basically it's the idea of making something touristy out of almost nothing. There are lots too where some group or society does something for an audience but this is different because a whole community is mobilised. Arrange for a few walls to be made available and suddenly there are artists everywhere keen to paint their street art on the blank canvas. Ask everyone in the village to make a scarecrow type figure and dress it up and put it outside their house on the appropriate day and there will be hordes of gawpers gawping and spending cash in the bars and restaurants. Get people to put bags over their heads and wear silly costumes to parade around the streets and hey ho, another reason to get a tapa in the nearby bar. Ask people to paint banners to hang from balconies and suddenly we have an exhibition. If I put my mind to it I'm sure I could think of lots more examples but I'm feeling a touch of ennui this afternoon.

That's it really. Nothing much to add. I just thought it was an interesting concept for a quick blog.