On April 25th, the people of this small Malaga town make their way on a pilgrimage to the swamps of Iznajar and on the way they tie up every wall rocket plant (a wild plant with yellow flowers), in order to tie the devil and be protected for a whole year against the evil spirit that used to occupy a cave in the local area.
You should never break this plant, that symbolises the devil for just one day. The pilgrimage can include upwards of 10,000 people from surrounding towns and villages. They even come from as far away as Granada and Cordoba.
Tradition says that during the times of the Reconquista, the devil himself lived in the Cave of Belda, nearby. A group of Crusaders spent the night next to the cave and had an encounter with the devil. A priest was sent to perform and exorcism but failed. The Friar took off his cross and shouted "with this cross, I bind you". Then he tied the devil to the floor using a wall rocket plant.
Since then, the town remained peaceful so the residents decided to perform the task each year in the honour of St.Mark.
Local Info
Covering some 37.5 square kilometres, the town in is the province of Malaga and sits 420 metres above sea level. It borders the province of Cordoba. Local inhabitants are called Cuevachos.
Outstanding sights
Church of San Marcos
Shrine of the Virgen El Carmen
Belda Cave
Tourist Info
Plaza Luis Arminan, 32
Tel (0034) 952 727 007
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