Old flames

Every year since 1621, on the first Sunday after Corpus Christi, in a village near Burgos by the name of Castrillo de Murcia, a man dressed as the devil has jumped over babies lying on small mattresses in the street. Not the same man, obviously, and not the same babies, come to think of it. Nonetheless, this somewhat disturbing custom - known as La Fiesta del Colacho - has remained largely unchanged down the centuries, as the local newborns are laid out to be purified by the leaping demon (well, no, quite - me neither).

Spain's local traditions are quite something to behold, aren't they? If baby/demon rituals aren't quite your cup of tea - and who could blame you? - there are plenty of other mind-bending festivals to be witnessed. At a loose end in January? Why not pop up to Piornal, near Cáceres, and watch a man beating a drum, dressed in a large, horned mask and a multicoloured fabric-strip suit, being pelted with thirty tons of turnips by locals who, by all accounts, show no mercy. Apparently, he represents badness, while the villagers get to brandish their righteous turnips in the name of all that's good and holy. In case you were contemplating a call to Health and Safety, rest assured the beleaguered horned drummer chap is permitted to wear fifty kilos of armour in order to mitigate the damage. So that's all good, then. Astonishingly, the waiting list to play the role of Jarramplas (that's this character's rather brilliant name) is booked up until 2057, which puts me out of the running. Darn it.

All of which brings us - with a mild sigh of relief - to the relative sanity of La Noche de San Juan, an evening of joyous festivities which occurs throughout the country on 23 June every year in order to welcome in the summer. You'll be glad to learn that this rather splendid occasion involves not a single vegetable being employed as an offensive weapon nor, indeed, Beelzebub making any guest appearances, but rather more sedate scenes consisting of a spot of midnight bathing in the sea and the burning of written wishes or bad things that have happened on bonfires. Well, OK, some effigies do get torched, but we can gloss over that and rest easy in the knowledge that the only things being jumped over are the bonfires themselves.

If you're planning to pop down to the beach to participate in the festivities, be sure to look out for the unfolding vignettes which bring such charm to proceedings. From the old-timers bathing in the sea, to the clusters of adolescents sipping on illicit wine; from the children giddy with bewildered excitement to the smattering of troubadours singing Spanish classics by firelight.

It's true what they say - the devil is in the details.