Castaño del Robledo, the Spanish village that crochets Christmas

Castaño del Robledo, Spain, Dec 12 (EFE).- Crochet Christmas decorations adorn almost every nook and corner of the Andalusian village of Castaño del Robledo in a festive tradition that has taken on new proportions since a group of residents started the trend six years ago.

This village of just over 200 people, tucked away in the north of Huelva province, has taken the Japanese art of Amigurumi, which involves the knitting or crocheting of figurines, to a new level — even the local church’s nativity scene is spun from yarn.

One of those involved in the Christmas crocheting is Santiago Esteban, who told Efe that the tradition began around six years ago as some light-hearted fun.

“Some of the women decided it would be a good idea to make decorations for the village’s lampposts to create a festive atmosphere,” he said.

Within a year, the tradition took off and today crochet figurines can be spotted all over the town.

The local knitting enthusiasts are already looking ahead to next year, when they plan to recreate some of Castaño del Robledo’s local landmarks. EFE

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