As every year the residents of Sitio de Calahonda gathered on Sunday 1st of October to celebrate the feast of the archangels St. Michael, St. Raphael and St. Gabriel. The neighbours say that they enjoyed a day of "very special international coexistence", as the English and Spanish-speaking neighbours come together for this Christian celebration.

"It is a very special day because the English-speaking community and the Spanish-speaking community come together in a single celebration. We hold mass with readings and songs in English and Spanish and there is a very special feeling of family and fraternity and it is one of the details that make this day very special" added Baena. 

A very traditional event

After the celebration of holy mass, the image of the Archangel Michael was carried in procession around the parish church, accompanied as always by many of the faithful. A small route through the surrounding streets offered a very beautiful scene of respect and brotherhood. Afterwards, the attendees enjoyed lunch, which included a large paella and homemade dishes. 

"This is a very special festivity, the neighbours of Calahonda come together and here there are two communities related to the parish, the Spanish and the English, and today we are here together. This happens every year. In fact, we have been living here for 35 years and since the first year we have celebrated 'San Miguel' and the truth is that this is a very interesting gathering in this urbanisation", commented one of the neighbours who never misses this event, Rafael Martínez. 

Gerardo Ángel Morales de los Ríos, another resident who has chosen Calahonda as his place of residence, said the same thing: "Apart from being a holy date, we celebrate this festivity here, both English and Spanish people and also immigrants from other countries, because it is known that in Mijas there are more than 120 nationalities. I was born in Venezuela, but my parents are Spanish. Seven years ago I came here because of the situation in my country and here I am very happy with all my family. This has gone from being my second homeland to being my first homeland".

Members of the local corporation also attended the celebration, sharing this long awaited event with the neighbours. "I have been a resident of Calahonda for many years, I am very fond of the area, and we are here celebrating this special day for all the neighbours and it is a very international celebration, with this double mass in English and Spanish and this is also a moment of coexistence for everyone, there will also be paella and this is a way for this celebration to continue over time and to consolidate this meeting point among neighbours", said the spokesperson for the Socialist Municipal Group, Roy Pérez.

For his part, the spokesperson for the PP in the corporation, Daniel Teruel, said that this is a mass and a celebration "very nice and very inclusive because, as we know, in this municipality many nationalities live together and as we see we are all gathered in a day of meeting and peace, which is what we should transmit to the world. Finally, the spokesperson for the Vox Mijas Municipal Group, Eloy Belmonte, said "we are accompanying the parish, the residents of Calahonda and spending a good day together with the different nationalities, sharing a common culture and a common feeling".

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