The procession announcing the start of the Fiestas de Nuestra Señora de la Salud (Our Lady of Health) in Laujar de Andarax this year featured Betty Boop, the European Cup, and Pocoyo (a popular children's TV character). These were three of the themes of the town council's procession floats and all made with the collaboration of a group of around fifty locals under the direction of Francisco Lopez, a self taught expert in float fabrication. The mayor of Laujar, Emilio Romero, is one of those who participated during the month the floats took to make and he explained that the tradition dates back to the beginnings of the last century. Apart from the municipal floats there are always several made by other groups in the town who all compete for the cash prizes awarded to the best.
The floats are all made from a wooden framework covered with newspaper and cardboard and finally decorated with coloured paper. There are always two children's characters; this year Betty Boop and Pocoyo, a float reflecting recent events; this year the European Cup to celebrate Spain's victory and the other is the one where the queen of the fiestas is carried and this year is decorated with a giant blue and white flower with the town's coat of arms. Apart from the cash prizes; 150, 100 and 50 euros for the top three, each of the teams making a float receive a ham as a gift for their participation.
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