Douglas Days in Teba: The Scottish Festival in Málaga Province

It´s hardly a secret that the Spanish people like any excuse to party, celebrating long standing traditions and failing that creating new ones.

One town in Malaga Province, Teba doesn´t celebrate Burns Night but does celebrate what is known as ´Douglas Days´, three days of celebration in memory of Sir James Douglas, a trusted friend and ally of the then King of Scotland, Robert the Bruce.

According to legend, on his deathbed in 1329 Robert the Bruce sent Douglas on a quest to take his embalmed heart to the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, as he had never taken part in a Crusade and believed that if heart reached the Holy City, he would have his sins washed away so that he could enter Heaven.

Loyal to the memory of his late monarch, Douglas set off with the heart placed in a silver container which he wore around his neck and in 1330 he arrived at Seville where he met the Spanish King Alfonso XI of Castile who was trying to regain Granada from the Moors.

The king recognised that Douglas was a powerful warrior and called on him to follow the knightly code of chivalry and assist him in his quest to regain this part of Southern Spain.

In accordance with his code of honour, Douglas agreed and he and is men marched with the Spanish troops to try to recapture the Castle of Teba, but fate was not on his side and he and his men were lured into a trap by the Moors.

According to legend, as the trap was sprung, Douglas threw the urn containing the heart at the Moors and then attacked them shouting, “Lead on Braveheart, I’ll follow thee.”

Sadly, for him and the quest, there was a massacre and the entire Scottish contingent was wiped out but soon after the Spanish king´s knights captured the castle and recovered the body of Sir James Douglas and the silver container which held the heart of Robert the Bruce.

In recognition of the sacrifice that Douglas had given, his body and the heart were returned to Scotland and the heart was buried in Melrose Abbey whilst Sir James’ body was interred in St Bride’s Cemetery in his hometown of Douglas.

Teba in the mountainous region of Malaga Province is now twinned with Melrose and in 2005 it was decided to celebrate the bravery of this Scottish knight and his men by organising a festival known as ´Douglas Days´ where all things Medieval and Scottish are celebrated.

For three days every August, a corner of Málaga sounds less like Andalucía and more like Scotland

This year’s event is the twentieth to be presented and will last for three days between August 21 and 23 in the town´s historic centre and the Plaza de la Constitución where you can expect many parades and a range of entertainment.

There is a very professional Medieval Market which attracts specialist stall holders offering a range of crafts and hand-made gifts as well as a wide selection of modern food and drink.

Expect to see military enactments, similar in type to the famous Moors and Christians Festivals, so popular on the Costa Blanca.

Although Spain has its own type of bagpipes, on these three days you can expect to listen to the swirl of Scottish bagpipes as bands march through the Teba streets playing traditional tunes from the Land of the Gael.

There will also be three concerts, children´s workshops, a play and a number of historical presentations concerning the battle itself as well as a guided walk around what would have been the battlefield culminating in a visit to the castle ruins.

Although this is a great opportunity for residents and numerous tourists to enjoy the festival, the local council recognises that this is also a way of not only publicising the town, as well as generating income for local businesses and the council itself.

For those who are interested in the links between Scotland and Spain, there is another town, this time in the foothills of the Spanish Pyrenees which not only has close links with Scotland but even flies the blue and white saltire of St Andrew.

In the late 19th Century J&P Coats, firmly based in the town of Paisley decided to weave the famous cloth in Spain and chose Borgonya as its base.

Experts travelled to Spain to teach the locals how to weave the prized paisley cloth and it became a mini-Scotland with the building of terraced houses with back gardens as well as creation of new streets with such names as Carrer Paisley, Coats and Escòcia.

The factory continued to grow and expand and lasted more than 100 years before finally closing in 1999 but the Scottish influence still remains with perhaps the most obvious being the local football club, CD Borgonya whose team plays in the same black and white stripes as Paisley based St Mirren and even has a saltire on the back of the shirts.