If you are in Casarabonela on the night of December 12th, the lights go out.
The streets turn pitch black. The silence gets heavy. And then, from the bottom of the village, you see the fire coming.
It isn’t a candlelit vigil. It is a roaring procession of men and women carrying massive, burning torches on their shoulders, walking uphill toward the church.
This is Los Rondeles. And those torches? They aren't logs. They are the old tools of our trade.
The Oil-Soaked "Capachos" For generations, olive oil wasn't made in centrifuges. It was made by spreading olive paste onto round, woven mats called capachos, stacking them high, and pressing them until the gold ran out.
Over the years, these mats would get soaked in oil. They became heavy, black, and completely saturated with the essence of the harvest. When they were finally too old to press, they weren't thrown in a landfill.
They became the fuel for the fiesta.
The Fire Walk The tradition started as a way for the millers to light their way home after the long, dark days of the winter harvest. They would roll the burning mats (rondeles) down the hill.
Today, we carry them up.
The smell is unforgettable. It’s a mix of burning esparto grass and scorching olive oil. The heat is intense. It is a raw, elemental celebration of the product we spend our lives making. It’s dangerous, it’s messy, and it’s beautiful.
Why It Matters We love this tradition because it honors the "spent" tool.
These baskets worked hard. They pressed thousands of liters of oil. They did their job. And in their final act, they don't just rot away—they light up the entire village.
It’s a reminder that nothing in the olive grove goes to waste. The tree gives the fruit, the fruit gives the oil, and the tools give the light.
The Aftermath Once the procession hits the main plaza, the fire is dumped into a massive pile. The "official" part is over, and the real part begins.
Toast with oil (tostón). Fritters. Local wine. The village eats together in the glow of the burning baskets.
So when you use your Pedro bottle, remember where it comes from. It comes from a place where olive oil isn't just a condiment—it’s the fuel that lights up the dark.
https://en.andalucia.org/event/los-rondeles-fiesta/8233101/
Salud.
