Feria y Fiestas de San Bartolomé, Cieza

Fiestas and fair in honour of Saint Bartholomew and fair.

Festivities to celebrate the Patron Saint’s day of Cieza, San Bartolomé, take place annually in the last week of August, a big week for the town with many activities and events to entertain both locals and visitors who visit the town specifically for these dates.

The origins of Cieza's San Bartolomé fair and festivities

Cieza started life in its current format in the middle of the 13th century, when Murcia came under the rule of Alfonso X el Sabio following the Christian Reconquista. Previously the settlement had been in the Moorish town Medina Siyâsa, high above the current location.

The church of the Patron Saint Bartolome was built during the first 20 years after the creation of the town and records show that the first fairs took place in the 14th century.

The devotion to San Bartolome dates back to the end of the 15th century and records from 1579, during the reign of Felipe II, show that this devotion had  become established in the last quarter of this century. The popularity of the saint continued to grow during the following two centuries, aided by reports of miracles.

Chapter XXIV of Monk Pascual Salmerón's book “la Historia de Cieza” describes the “miraculous sweating of the image of Saint Bartolomé, the patron of Cieza, whilst battling with a mighty cloud”.

The legend relates that on 25th August 1722 the people of Cieza were in the town square observing the patron saint’s day of Saint Bartolomé when a violent thunderstorm occurred and they were forced to take refuge in the church. The people prayed and asked their patron to protect them and were, according to the legend, amazed to witness the image of the saint visibly sweating water 5 times before the storm subsided.

The monk recorded: ”how hard must the Saint have had to work to defend his devoted people”.

The fiestas in something resembling their present form began in the 19th century, although at this time the fair was not part of them. The fair traditionally took place from 16th to 23rd August with a mostly commercial nature, followed by the celebrations of Saint Bartolome on the 24th August.

At this point bull runs in the streets were very popular, but in 1755 these were stopped by the Crown due to the number of accidents that regularly took place. It took 40 years of pressure from the townspeople before the monarch would agree to reinstate the custom, the loclas claiming they deserved this privilege after a year of hard toil. Finally they were granted three bull runs during the San Bartolome festivities as long as they were not “bulls or cows of death.”

Modern times

In recent times, the fair and festivities in honour of Saint Bartolomé have become one of the most important and popular in the Region of Murcia whilst at the same time ancient traditions have been resurrected. The traditional Misa Huertana (country mass) was started in 1984 in the Basílica de la Asunción and involves participants dressed in traditional regional dress making a floral and fruit offering to the patron.

Since 1996, the Hermandad de San Bartolomé (Brotherhood of Saint Bartolome) has organised the opening speeches and each year on 15th August they take place at the doors of the Basílica de la Asunción after the procession of the patron saint.

1998 saw the introduction of the theatrical production of Crónica y Leyenda de una invasión Anunciada, a play by Carmen Carrillo narrating the historical events which took place in Cieza on 7th April 1477 as well as the Asociación Cauce. The tradition of blessing the fields and orchards of Cieza by Saint Bartolome has also been restored in recent years.

One particular event has achieved international fame, namely the Concurso Internacional de Lanzamiento de Huesos de Oliva (International Olive Spitting Competition), which attracts more and more visitors each year and has led the way for this contest to extend to other parts of Spain and abroad.

There are numerous associated activities and events, making the fiestas a popular choice for visitors to and residents of the Region of Murcia. See the Cieza section of Murcia Today nearer the time for the annual programme.