The Pastoral de La Herradura (singing group) have been out, whipping up a spot of Christmas joviality with traditional songs and colourful costumes, performing in the Almuñécar town-hall square and other parts of the town.

This kind of activity is known, in pure Andaluz, as a Zambombá because of one of the curious musical instruments: La zambomba, which traditionally comprises of a clay pot with a skin stretch over the mouth, with a stick running throw it. The action of the player’s hand rubbing down the stick produces a throbbing sound.

Other traditional instruments are tambourines and empty anís bottles, which have an uneven surface, so that when you drag a wooden spoon, for example, down the side, it produces a rhythmic clicking sound.

This singing group is made up of both men and women, whose costumes have the predominant colour of bright red. This costume is representative of traditional shepherd attire or trajes pastorales.

(News: Almunecar, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)