May 1st in Mijas has had, for many years now, its own name: the ‘sardinada’ (sardine feast)organised by the Department of Festivities and Traditions in La Cala. At the beach and next to the Torreón, employees from both this area and from the Operational Services Department, worked hard to prepare the quintessential summer dish all day long. On this occasion, a total of 600 kilos of sardines, the first of the season, were served to the locals and tourists who visited the seaside village. “Labour Day is a day to continue advocating for pay equality between men and women, that glass ceiling that many women face simply because they are women. As a society, we still have much to advocate for in the labour sector, such as work-life balance, which is essential for our society to prevent the birth rate from declining”, said the mayoress Ana Mata (PP), who enjoyed the day together with other members of her government team.

The weather was favourable on the morning of Thursday 1st, which meant that many families and groups of friends chose this spot near the sea to spend this festive day. The councillor for Festivities and Traditions, Silvia Marín (PP), congratulated “all the employees on their day”, among them, “the employees of Operational Services, who are on the job with the wood, the fire and the sardines. The public is congratulating us because they say that the sardines are delicious and all I want is for them to enjoy this feast”. A total of 20 municipal employees ensured that the sardines were  cooked to perfection, which is no easy task. According to the foreman Cristóbal España, “to skewer the sardines you have to make sure that the spine always goes in the same place. When placing it on the fire, the spine should always face the flames so that when you turn it over, the sardine doesn’t fall off. It’s about being careful and ensuring that the person skewering does so the same way every time”.

In addition to the sardines, attendees were able to taste other dishes. The La Cala Youth Association set up a bar offering a variety of food, such as ‘fideuá’, ‘chorizo’, hamburgers and  chicken skewers. “We want to show that young people also want to do things for the village, so we saw it as a good opportunity to raise funds and make ourselves known”, said the vice-president of this group, Ana Tovar. 

And for the after-meal, what better than live music to start the afternoon on a high note. The groups Alboreá and Radio 80 were in charge of livening up the event and, judging by the images, they succeeded, as there were many who got up to dance to the rhythm of their songs.

Impressions

The ‘sardinada’ was once again a good choice to commemorate the Labour Day. Visitors came from as far away as Cordoba, attracted by the good reputation of this event. “We have a colleague who organises day trips and she arranged this day in Mijas for us, eating sardines. Now after lunch, we will dance and take a walk along the beach. The sardines were delicious”, said Rafi López. For his part, Esteban Cepero, said that “I had no idea about today’s feast, we came from Benalmádena and whenever I come here I don’t miss the sardines”.

Among the visitors was also Fabiola Martínez, president of the Kike Osborne Foundation, who the day before had presented her book, ‘When Silence is Not an Option’, at the Manuel España Theatre.

 

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