The Fiestas de San Isidro in Yecla

Dedicated to the patron of agriculturalists these fiestas feature folk dancing, music and the famous parade of floats made from quilled paper

Every year in mid-May in Yecla, reflecting the town’s agricultural heritage, the local fiestas are celebrated in honour of San Isidro, the patron saint of farmers and agriculture.

In comparison to other local fiestas in the Region of Murcia the San Isidro celebrations in Yecla are relatively new, dating in their current form from the mid-twentieth century, but the veneration of San Isidro in the area has its roots a long way further back. In 1710 there was already a well named after the saint (San Isidro El Viejo), but it was not until the 1940s that an image representing the medieval Castilian farmer who was canonized in 1622 was installed in the Basílica de la Purísima. Over the following few years the tradition of a parade featuring carriages or floats developed, and this has now become the main event of the Fiestas in Yecla.

After the official Queen and Ladies in Waiting of the fiestas have been proclaimed there follow various Holy Masses, musical evenings, parades and folk dancing events, with the festivities culminating on the Saturday which falls closest to the feast day of San Isidro on 15th May in the parade known as the Gran Cabalgata de Carrozas.

The floats featured in this spectacular event are the result of thousands of man hours of preparation. This preparation begins with the design of the floats, following which the wooden or metal structure is erected on tractor trailers. This is just the beginning, though: there then follows the laborious and painstaking task of decorating the structure with 7-centimetre pieces of silk or manila paper which are crumpled and fixed to the framework.

These floats can be up to six metres long and a similar height, meaning that tens of thousands of strips of paper are used in creating the finished article. The scenes they depict are all related to Yecla and the local agriculture.

The members of the “peñas” (or festive and folk groups) which prepare the floats dress for the Saturday parade in the traditional local costume, and the event is a riot of colour as confetti rains down on the participants and spectators. The atmosphere is enlivened still further by the wine and food which are distributed to all those present, and at the end of the event prizes are awarded for the best floats.

The history of the Fiestas de San Isidro in Yecla
San Isidro lived in the 11th and 12th centuries near Madrid and 438 miracles are attributed to him, but religious devotion to him became more widespread following his beatification in 1619 and his canonization three years alter. By 1710 there was a well in Yecla known as San Isidro el Viejo, and at around this time a small church named after him was built in the outskirts of the town.

By the middle of the 18th century the Calle San Isidro had received its name and an image of the saint was in place in the church of Santa Bárbara, and in 1816 the local water administration body assumed his name. Not long afterwards another water administration body took the name of María de la Cabeza (Isidro’s wife).

It may be that the origin of the Fiestas de San Isidro Labrador lie in the year 1944, when the images representing him and María de la Cabeza, both created by the Alcoy sculptor Miguel Torregrosa Alonso, were carried in procession through the streets of the town by the Hermandad de Labradores y Ganaderos (the brotherhood of crop and livestock farmers). This procession has been repeated every year since.

The parade featuring decorated floats and traditional costumes was added to the festivities in 1949, and as the popularity of the Fiestas has grown it has become one of the three main annual events in Yecla (alongside Easter Week and the Fiestas de la Virgen del Castillo in early December).

1953 a battle of flowers was incorporated into the parade, and the first Queen and Ladies in Waiting were elected in 1958. These figures are chosen at the end of March and parade through the town on a float sponsored by the Town Hall, and since 1979 a junior Queen and six Ladies in Waiting have been added to the list of dignitaries.

The fiestas now begin with the official opening speech or “pregón”, which is accompanied by a performance of traditional music and dance.

The first international folk dancing festival was held in 1980, since when groups from all over Spain and Europe have taken part, and a children’s folklore festival has been held alongside it since 1987.

The federation of “Peñas” has been in existence since 2000, and now contains 32 groups dedicated to preparing the floats and ensuring that the folklore and traditions of Yecla are kept alive.