A triumph of creativity in Aledo for La Noche en Vela

The historic hilltop town was lit only by candles and ingenuity for this magical night

Nearly 5,000 people travelled up through the winding roads of the Sierra Espuña on Saturday evening to attend “La Noche en Vela” in the hilltop town of Aledo, the historic winding streets and silhouette of the castle tower illuminated only by candlelight.

Aledo was an important strategic fortification and its imposing castle, crowned by the Torre de Homenaje, was a much fought-over prize during the Middle Ages, when the last Moorish stronghold of the Kingdom of Granada fought off the Christian forces of Castilla and Aragón as they attempted to wrest control of lands held by the Moors for 500 years.

This imposing tower dominates the skyline, sinuous winding streets and stone walls enclosing the atmospheric old quarter, and the town makes for an enjoyable morning out at any time of the year.

However, on this one night of the year the old town is transformed into a magical place, the streets lit only by candles, every corner dressed by the residents themselves, an extraordinary and unique event which draws a steady string of cars up through the forests until the early hours of the morning.

Each street is dressed with a unique theme, ingenuity and creativity the overwhelming success of the night as residents took inexpensive natural materials, added a dash of imagination and created magic from nothing. Imposing trees of recycled plastic bottles strapped into columns of natural cane echoed the solidity of the “Picota”, used to torture or execute those who opposed the power of the Knights of Santiago,  towering stems of flowers from the few wild American Agave to have escaped the silent massacre of snout-nosed black weevils dripped with glass bottles, their bases ground off so that a candle could be suspended inside.

Other streets were triumphantly crowned with drooping palm leaves, magical corners of Celtic myths dressed with grape vines created a fantasy grotto replete with toadstools, gnomes and fairy tales, iced tea served by grinning elves, or in one corner an astonishing riot of paper butterflies flew up towards the castle in chains of exquisite creativity which must have taken weeks of patient and careful cutting and stitching to prepare, an absolute triumph of ingenuity. These were complemented by paper sculptures of the castle and fantastical cloud sculptures of paper, a testament to human creativity and the ability to make something extraordinary out of very little.

Throughout the town music beckoned in every corner, as bands, belly dancers, and lone guitarists performed, hidden corners packed with artesan goodies and refreshments, hot mint tea in an evocative Berber corner complete with albino python, refreshing lemon granizado, or meaty burgers sizzling in a corner as the warm night breezes blowing in from the Sierra below pushed the scent down into the crowd congregating around the iron throne below.

Most visitors congregated in the main plaza by the church and Ayuntamiento where the tree of desire, “el árbol de los deseos” beckoned, each of those who had paid a symbolic 2 euros entry towards the costs of both putting on ( and cleaning up after!) the visitors, lighting their tealight and depositing it beneath the tree, with a wish.

For those of us who attended there can be only one wish: that support continues for this magical event and we are able to return next year for another candlelit night in Aledo.