Taste of Torvizcón

I was going to post photos from the big Orgiva fiesta first, but our visit to Torvizcón yesterday was even more inspiring.

Thanks to our wonderful friend Emma, the horse riding teacher and her family we escaped the last day of Orgiva festivities and enjoyed a smaller fiesta in Torvizcón.

Ate a fantastic paella with the locals, watched our daughter and her friend Dara rule the ribbon horse race, watched our friends' children riding their bicycles reaching for the ribbons right after the horse race and to our surprise watch the motorcycle ribbon race after that.

I guess once they get those ribbons ready, they just make the best of it.

Check out Emma's riding school: http://alpujarraequestrian.com/

Before the paella was served at the plaza, people gathered up started on their beer and wine drinking.
A little tractor full of all kinds of tables arrived and whoever wanted a table, simply took one.

 

 In the afternoon the Ribbon horse race started. We cheered for Emma, Nicole, Dara, Veronika and Imani with Natalie.

 

The winners of the ribbon race: Best dressed local rider with seven ribbons, Veronika and Dara both grabbed four ribbons.

Now just few snapshot from the bicycle and motorcycle version of ribbon race.

Little about  Torvizcón: 

 

Torvizcón is located in the Alpujarra region about twenty minutes from Orgiva, an hour from Granada.

The name of the town could come, as the Hispanist Gerald Brenan propose, from the bush known as torvisco, abundant in the area and used formerly, according to tradition, to cure “ the bad luck”. Named by Pedro Antonio de Alarcón like the “the sun’s favourite town”, it was considered formerly the capital of La Contraviesa

Fun tradition: 

So called pig of San Antón, which walks loose around the streets with a red bow tied to the neck. The neighbours have to contribute to its feeding to.

On the night of the 16th of January this village in the Alpujarra (province of Granada) celebrates its bonfire festival in honour of Saint Antón. 

The "Chiscos" are big fires spread around the village, giving Torvizcón feeling that burns on all four sides. Around the fire, families gather to roast pork products, with good wine that came from the area (Costa wine)

The pig is drawn in the town square at the end of the celebrations. 

Fiesta declared of National Tourist Interest in Andalusia.