The poinsettias dye the entire patio red. Old friends come in, there are reunions and Christmas carols. The power of community was this. Someone hangs their wishes for 2024 on an orange tree and the brazier is ready to invite warmth, although the neighbors and their stories will do the rest in such a warm setting. The famous patios of Córdoba, an icon of the Andalusian springs, extend their life until Christmas time to invite all visitors to get lost in these whitewashed oases where all the shooting stars seem to fall while the tambourines liven up any party.
We spoke with the Palacio de Viana, one of the organizations that manages Christmas in the courtyards of Córdoba, to discover all the possibilities that one of the most beautiful cities in Spain offers during Santa Claus.
For centuries, Cordoban patios have been symbols of community for many people. Located in the center of the houses with access to the different rooms, the patios used to be a meeting point between two or more families who lived in the same home, in addition to being a fresh lung in the heart of the old town. There we have the presence of the well, a structure inherited from the Muslims; the whitewashed walls that project sunlight and the main protagonists of any Cordoban patio: its vegetation in the form of gypsy plants, geraniums, fruit trees and many other color motifs that make these magical corners dreamy.
Its charm became the reason for a first festival held in 1921 and which, except for its suspension due to the Civil War, lasted until the 21st century. In 2012, the Festival of the Patios of Córdoba would be designated intangible heritage by UNESCO, the starting signal for a floral legacy that transcended the status of a tourist attraction, as confirmed by the 900,000 visits it received during the two weeks of May 2023. in which the festival was celebrated.
For reasons like this, it is not surprising that the life of the patios extends to other seasons such as winter and such magical times as Christmas. An even more authentic experience when it comes to traveling the six routes that are a shortcut to the routine of its hospitable neighbors through the neighborhoods of Córdoba.
These festivals, up to 39 patios open their doors between December 7 and 30 through different routes marked on designated days. The opening days are December 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15, 16, 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 29 and 30 from five in the afternoon to nine at night.
“Christmas in the Patios of Córdoba is lived in the same way as the rest of the holidays, in community, with the participation of all the neighbors and sharing everything they have,” Avelino Cazallo González, director of Diffusion, tells La Vanguardia. and cultural programmer of the Viana Palace. “The owners of these patios open the doors of their house (including the patio as another part of their home) to welcome all those who want to share a moment of company with them during the celebration of these holidays, so they decorate themselves for the occasion as it was done in the past and Christmas sweets and anise are shared. Furthermore, what the owners themselves used to do, get together in this space to sing carols, now they do it together with choirs from Rocío, choirs, etc.”
During the festival, the Marimorena is heard in the patios, choirs come to sing with tambourine music, there are mantecados, drinks and, of course, the heat of the typical charcoal brazier that lights up on the cold winter nights. A little glass here, another there, neighborhood reunions, catch-up talks around a nativity scene in the center or a table where you can write your wish for 2024 and hang it on the branch of an orange tree. All this, without forgetting the Cordoba vegetation that transforms during these dates.
"As for the plants, the usual ones are maintained, although they are also decorated with poinsettias, which is the typical Christmas plant, and other plants that flower in winter, such as cyclamen, hydrangeas and chrysanthemums," he adds. Avelino.
For those who visit the Cordoba patios on these dates, you cannot miss a visit to the Viana Palace, a palace-museum located in the Santa Marina neighborhood where you will find various patios inside. For the occasion, the palace has decorated them with Christmas motifs, trying to reflect the essence of this tradition so that you can enjoy a vision of what the decoration and life would be like in them, offering different activities during these Christmas dates: the nativity scene , a Christmas tree, children's activities, storytelling or zambombá, a classic of Andalusian Christmas.
Hospitality is felt in every corner during a visit to the patios of Córdoba at Christmas. Someone is sure that Santa Claus will stay to drink a bowl of snails before continuing his journey, the elves will get hooked on the reindeer's antlers and the brazier will talk about stories that have not yet been written. Spring in Córdoba never dies, it only transforms.
