Christmas seems to arrive earlier every year, and one small village in Malaga province has already switched on its festive lights while much of Spain is still enjoying October, preparing for Halloween and All Saints’ Day.

Cartaojal, a village belonging to the municipality of Antequera, switched on its Christmas lights on October 22, getting ahead of the famous displays in Vigo and leaving the rest of the country wondering whether it is too early to start thinking about Santa Claus.

The early switch-on prompted a cheeky message from Antequera’s mayor, Manolo Barón, who took the opportunity to tease Vigo and its mayor, Abel Caballero, over their annual Christmas lights rivalry.

His message was essentially that Christmas had started in Cartaojal, with an apology to Vigo for getting there first.

Cartaojal beats the Christmas rush

¡ Este año la Navidad empieza en Cartaojal !

La primera población de España en encender su alumbrado navideño.

Lo sentimos por Vigo y por su alcalde… 😉 pero este año Cartaojal se adelanta a todos.

🎄Cartaojal y Antequera.

¡ Los primeros de España en encender la Navidad ! https://t.co/vVPdwYIGj8

— Manolo Barón 🇪🇸 (@manolo_baron) October 22, 2026

The village, home to around 1,200 people, may not have the enormous displays or national fame of Vigo, but it has certainly grabbed attention by getting into the Christmas spirit before the end of October.

Vigo has become one of Spain’s best-known Christmas destinations, attracting visitors with its huge illuminated displays, festive attractions and increasingly elaborate annual switch-on ceremonies. Visitors can explore Vigo’s famous Christmas lights through the city’s official tourism website.

However, Cartaojal has now thrown down the gauntlet, at least unofficially, in the race to get Christmas underway. The village joins the race to switch on Spain’s Christmas lights, which has seen smaller Andalusian towns compete with the country’s better-known festive destinations.

For everyone in the area, the early lights offer a welcome splash of festive cheer as the autumn evenings draw in. For others, it may be a reminder that there are still several weeks to go before December 25.

Malaga prepares for Christmas

Cartaojal is not the only place already looking towards the festive season. Towns and cities across Spain are preparing their Christmas decorations, with Malaga city scheduled to switch on its famous lights on November 27, according to the city’s published plans. The official Malaga Christmas lights schedule lists the planned inauguration.

Vigo is also preparing for another major display, although its annual celebrations traditionally take place later in November. EWN readers can look back at Malaga’s famous Christmas lights to see how the Costa del Sol capital celebrated last year.

Whether people love the early arrival of Christmas or feel the decorations should wait until December, Cartaojal has certainly started the countdown ahead of schedule.

And with Halloween still to come, anyone hoping to enjoy a little more autumn before the festive season takes over may have to look away from the Christmas lights for a few more weeks.

It makes one wonder if they will remember it’s Christmas by the time the festive season is actually celebrated, or for that matter, if they will remember to take the decorations down before Carnival, like so many don’t.

There are some household accidents you would never expect to happen until they do. A shower is one of those everyday routines most of us take completely for granted, which makes the death of a 23-year-old woman in Antequera all the more difficult to take in. She suffered a fatal electric shock while using the shower on Monday afternoon, with police now investigating how an electrical current reached the shower head and whether a possible illegal connection at the property played any part in what happened.

Emergency call made from Antequera home

The emergency services were alerted at around 3.10pm on Monday, October 5, after a call was made to 112 Andalucía reporting that a woman was unconscious inside a bathroom at a property on Calle San Pedro, in area of Antequera, Málaga. The seriousness of the call brought several emergency services to the address. Policía Nacional, Policía Local and medical emergency teams attended the property, where they found the young woman unresponsive following what appeared to have been an electrical incident.

Medical staff attempted to save her, but she could not be revived and was pronounced dead at the scene. According to the reports of the incident, the electric shock occurred through the shower head while the woman was taking a shower. Police are now trying to establish precisely how an electrical current reached the fitting and what caused the fatal discharge. The investigation is not simply focused on the shower itself. Officers are also examining the electrical installation at the property as they work to determine what happened immediately before the woman’s death.

Possible illegal electricity connection investigated

One of the lines being looked at by investigators is the possibility that the property had an illegal connection to the electricity network. At this stage, however, that remains a hypothesis being investigated and has not been established as the cause of the woman’s death. There is no confirmed finding that an illegal connection was responsible for the electric shock.

Investigators are therefore examining the circumstances at the property alongside the electrical equipment involved. The key question is how electricity was able to reach the shower head with enough force to cause a fatal shock. The investigation will have to establish whether there was an electrical fault, a problem with the installation or another issue that allowed the current to reach the shower. Police have not publicly identified the precise source of the electricity responsible for the discharge.

Another woman treated after fatal incident

A 45-year-old woman also present at the property was attended by medical services at the following the incident. She was treated for anxiety but did not require hospital treatment. The emergency response involved both Policia local and Policia Nacional officers as well as medical personnel, following the initial 112 call from the address.

The death has now been placed under investigation while officers work to determine exactly what caused the electrical discharge and why it reached the shower head. No definitive explanation for the fatal shock has been established at this stage, and the possible illegal electricity connection remains one of the matters being examined by investigators.

The incident has caused deep concern in the Antequera community, especially because something as simple as taking a shower has ended with a young woman losing her life. What happened has left many people asking how an everyday part of life could have turned into such a tragic event. We will continue to report as the story unfolds.