Celebrations that embrace the international spirit of the Costa del Sol

It's no secret that Malaga province and in particular its stretch of coast, the Costa del Sol, is home to a large international community. Attracted of course by the year-round good weather, many are also drawn to the lifestyle and warmth and openness of 'Malagueños'.

Another great attraction is the number of festivals and celebrations of different cultures that take place throughout the year and the way in which everyone embraces the celebrations. This April has been a superb example of that feeling of unity.

The month started with Holy Week, or Semana Santa, when thousands of visitors come from all around the world to watch the impressive processions carrying enormous images of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, each one depicting a scene from the last days of Christ's life and then his resurrection.

There are also other Spanish festivals taking place throughout the month and one that stands out for its international flavour is Sakura in the small Axarquía village of Alfarnate, which celebrates not only its own cherry blossom (one of the village's main crops), but that of Japan's - arguably the country most synonymous with the spring phenomenon.

If there's a party on the Costa del Sol, everyone's in: on Sunday 19 April Nerja held its 24th Residents' Day, when clubs, societies, volunteer groups and residents' associations representing Spanish, British, Scandinavian, American, South American, Moroccan...to name a few...came together on Plaza de España to celebrate the town's internationalism.

Estepona did likewise the following Saturday, with its 25th annual Foreign Residents Day, celebrating the 135 nationalities who call the town home. On the same day, La Carihuela area of Torremolinos and the Danish Club in Torre del Mar were a sea of orange for Koningsdag, when it wasn't just the Dutch community who celebrated the 59th birthday of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. Although the official day is 27 April, the communities took advantage of the weekend to celebrate a little early.

In Torre del Mar it was the Danish Club that provided the location for their not-quite-neighbour's celebrations. Over 100 people filled the club on the town's promenade, where they enjoyed entertainment and Dutch specialities including cheese skewers, frikandellen and bitterballen.

As in previous years, the national holiday of the Netherlands in Torremolinos attracted a multitude of other nationalities who enjoyed music and entertainment, a street market and plenty of traditional Dutch cuisine and artisan beer.

Another place to sample artisan beer was the Kiwi House of Beer in Malaga city, which marked Anzac Day, a public holiday and National Day of Remembrance observed on 25 April in New Zealand, Australia and Tonga.

Owners Tony and Trish served up craft beers, New Zealand and Spanish wines and a range of traditional New Zealand delicacies, including Lolly cake, Anzac biscuits and a typical sour cream dip. They also raised over 500 euros for CUDECA through a raffle with individuals and local businesses donating prizes, as well as a collection from poppies, in the same way as they are worn in Britain for Remembrance Day in November.

As April gives way to May, the Spanish and international communities will undoubtedly continue to embrace each other's celebrations, demonstrating that the Malaga province is a fantastic place to live, unite, celebrate and learn about different cultures.