8th December the Bajada of Santa Eulalia Totana

This is the descent of Saint Eulalia down into Totana

Totana celebrates its annual fiestas patronales in honour of Saint Eulalia between the 2nd and 11th December, with a wide variety of musical events, fairground,Feria de Día and family activities.

The core event of the festivities takes place on the 8th December when the .image of Santa Eulalia is carried down from her sanctuary, 7km above town on the edge of the Sierra Espuña.

She returns on the 7th January after the Christmas celebrations.

There are buses ferrying those on foot up to the hotel early in the morning, (leaving from alongside the rambla) although others drive up there, leave their car and then get a lift back up to the hotel later in the day to collect the vehicle.

The day starts at 7am up at the sanctuary with hot chocolate for everyone, followed by mass, then at 9am she is carried 7km down the winding mountain road to the area known as El Rulo, which is alongside the main roundabout at the entrance to the town where she arrives at 12 midday, accompanied by thousands of people, with musical groups, cohetes and a festive air,  all bringing her down in style.

It's a family occasion, with an atmosphere of celebration, and is an atmospheric and enjoyable way to spend a morning, even for those with no religious beliefs.

From here she is carried to the Ermita de san Roque and will be taken into the main parroquial church at a later date.

Santa Eulalia and her sanctuary

The Sanctuary of Santa Eulalia de Merida dates  back to the 13^th century, when southern Spain was reconquered by the Christian forces of Castille y León and Aragón, from the north of modern day Spain, taking back vast swathes of the Iberian peninsula which had been ruled by the Moorish Berbers from Africa between  A.D 711 and the 13^th century.

At the heart of their forces were the Knights of Santiago, also known as the Order of Saint James of Compostela. Compostela in the north of Spain has become a hugely popular centre of pilgrimage, with thousands walking the way of Santiago every year, Santiago the patron saint of Spain, Saint James.

The Order of Santiago were warrior knights, who had their roots in the crusades protecting pilgrims, and became tremendously powerful supporting the Christian monarchy in its fight to expel the Moors from Spain. In an era when only the rich could afford horses and armour, their support was indispensible and greatly helped to bolster the chances of campaign success, powerful and strong fighters who lived only for war and to support the power of the order in order to continue their work.

Rewarded for their loyalty with lands, they were given Totana and Aledo, and established a small sanctuary on the site of the present day structure in honour of Santa Eulalia, their own local saint from Merida.

Her cult declined in popularity during the 14^th century, but the sanctuary began to expand in the 16^th century when the Moors had finally been expelled from Spain and it was deemed safe to start building outside of fortified structures, such as the castle of Aledo.

This whole area was uncomfortably close to the borders with the Kingdom of Granada, the last stronghold of the Moorish rulers, and Aledo castle itself was frequently the subject of siege and attack, the areas surrounding it frequently ravaged during incursions. As Totana itself began to expand, so did the sanctuary.

Santa Eulalia is the patron of the ill and crippled, and was martyred at the age of twelve, after refusing to make offerings to Roman gods.

Her executioners tore her to pieces, ripping her body with iron hooks, cutting off her breasts and burning her flesh until she suffocated from the smoke. At the moment of her death a white dove emerged from her mouth and snow fell out of nowhere to cover her body.