Monfí Festival: Cútar Transforms into a Medieval Village to Remember Its Moorish Past

Cútar, a village at the heart of the Axarquía region, begins its countdown to celebrate its Fiesta del Monfí, an event in which the municipality pays tribute to its Moorish past each year.

The vice president of the Association of Municipalities of the Costa del Sol Axarquía, Marilé Muñiz; the mayor of Cútar, Francisco Javier Ruiz, and the Councilor for Festivals and Culture, Mari Carmen Agüera, presented this Tuesday, September 23, the program for the 21st edition of the event that will take place this weekend in the municipality.

This celebration is born with the aim of remembering all those rebellious Moors called Monfíes who resisted being expelled from a land they had inhabited for eight centuries, while also promoting greater knowledge and recovery, among young people and visitors, of ancestral cultures on which many of the customs and traditions of the municipalities of the province are based.

"This festival, declared of Provincial Touristic Interest by the Málaga Provincial Council, is one of the most charming in Axarquía. Cútar transforms into a medieval village to relive the Arab, Jewish, and Christian culture that has left such a good legacy to Axarquía," began the vice president of the regional institution.

"It is a festival that awakens all the senses as its streets fill with color, music, dance, smells, and rich gastronomy. But besides the recreational part, the Town Hall designs a complete cultural program through which it values its Andalusian legacy, which in the case of Cútar is very important, and an example of this are the Nasrid manuscripts found in 2003 with more than eight centuries of history," Muñiz recalled.

The mayor of Cútar, Francisco Javier Ruiz, recalled that the Fiesta del Monfí was born the same year the Nasrid manuscripts of Cútar were found. "We were preparing a festival that would value our Andalusian legacy when this important discovery occurred. A coincidence or a causality that gave it even more meaning," explained the mayor, citing the three volumes from the 12th – 13th century that were found hidden in the wall of a house. Among them, a Quran considered one of the five oldest in the world.

The mayor of Cútar commented that "in this continuous work they do for the festival, this year they have managed to open a tavern where local cuisine with Andalusian reminiscences will be served." "We are also working so that in other editions it will be possible to visit the mill, the house, or the Nasrid gardens." It currently has the Interpretation Center of the Alquería de Cútar, where replicas of the Nasrid documents are located.

Regarding the recreational component of the Fiesta del Monfí, he indicated the festival "revolves around an Andalusian souk where the streets are set up with gastronomy stalls offering various products from the land such as raisins, sweets, almonds, wines, or mangoes." Crafts can also be purchased.

"In addition, visitors will find in the streets parades, theatrical performances, Sephardic music, fire and magic shows. The festival takes place in its streets and squares, even taverns are set up in them. There is always something to do, to try, or to enjoy," the mayor assured.

"It is a festival open to everyone and very family-friendly, proof of this are the workshops where we find parents and children participating in them," he added, noting that among the novelties this year is the twinning that will take place on Sunday at twelve with the neighbors of Almonaster la Real (Huelva) "with whom we share history."

"Magicians, jesters, jugglers, dancers, and other characters will enliven the streets of the village interacting with visitors. For example, on Saturday we will start with a chess day, a game that was very significant during that era, but there will also be conferences, Andalusian and Sephardic music, cooking workshops, or donkey rides as a tribute to this animal that has always accompanied us in our agricultural tasks," the mayor recounted.

Regarding tastings, he announced that on Saturday there will be couscous and tagine. On Sunday, couscous and goat stew. Throughout the two days, fried dough, dough omelets, raisins in brandy, and sweet muscatel wine can also be tasted.

XXI Fiesta Monfí de Cútar Program

On Saturday at ten in the morning, the XXXI Provincial Chess Circuit of the Málaga Provincial Council for Elo Fada, XXIII Open Chess Villa de Cútar, and XIX Children's Tournament Villa de Cútar will begin. At 1:00 PM, Sephardica 'Music in an Andalusian garden' will perform; at 8 PM, the Orchestra al – Haiek (Tetouan) 'Andalusian music, a spiritual contemplation tariqa'. At ten o'clock at night, it will be the turn of the Morisca Band, "which is the first time they come but very well known among those who enjoy this music."

As for the workshops, on Saturday at twelve will be the soap workshop and at six in the evening the ceramics workshop.

However, both on Saturday and Sunday, visitors can participate in esparto, wood carving, leather, and macramé workshops. Both days at five in the afternoon, the theatricalized route 'Cálamo y cal, the destiny of al – Yayyar' with Ignacio Rey will also take place. "Last year they had a great public success, since we tour the village and the history of Cútar through al – Yayyar, the person who hid the Nasrid manuscripts eight centuries ago," the mayor explained.

There will also be falconry exhibitions of birds of prey and exhibitions of tools in the rural world, ancient crafts, and curiosities about Al – Ándalus.

At 7:30 PM, the conference by Amin Chaachoo on 'The semantic meaning of melodic phrases in Andalusian music', "one of the most prestigious musicologists in Andalusian music."

On Sunday the 5th, at twelve noon there will be a children's cheese workshop, another for adults that includes tasting at 1:30 PM; one of cooking at 4:00 PM and another of ceramics at 6:00 PM. The music will be provided by the Orchestra al – Haiek (Tetouan) with Amin Chaachoo who will bring to Cútar, 'Andalusian music, emotion and imagination' It will be at eight in the evening.

The Interpretation Center of the Alquería de Cútar, where replicas of the Nasrid documents are located, will be open from 11 AM to 9 PM. Both Saturday and Sunday there will be guided tours at 11:00, 12:00, 1:00 and 8:00 PM.

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