Moros and Christians Festival

Sep - 05 | admin | No comments. | Blog

Moros y Cristianos is an event that is part of Spain’s traditional history and is widely celebrated across the region of Alicante. The event is commemorative of the very famous battle of Alcoy, which was when the Christians, led by Saint George, fought against and defeated the Moors in 1275. The event is often seen as the most important festival in Spain by many. There are around 150 different celebrations of the festival hosted throughout the entirety of Spain. However, it is in Alcoy that the festival is most fervently held. The Spanish patron saint is remembered and honoured, and the festival takes place amongst the ringing of the bells and the loud soundings of fireworks.

The festival is the scene of a riot of noise, colour and fun. A castle is erected in the town square to represent the battle. The festival’s duration is spanned across three days. The first day sees processions taking place. The second day a re-enactment of the battle is acted out. The third and final day is when the greatest celebrations take place. The parade which takes place on the opening of the festival sees people dressed up in period costumes that represent the Christians and the Moors at the time of the battle. The Moros y Cristianos festival aims to reconstruct particular areas of Spanish history; in particular the wars that have taken place between the Arabs and the Christians.

In Alicante, the festival’s events take place between April 22nd and April the 24th. Thousands of people from other regions of Spain along with many tourists from all over the world flock to the city to be part of the festivities. There are around 28 armies, both Christian and Moorish, who take part in the parade section of the festival. The armies come dressed in a complete military ensemble, which makes for a rather spectacular sight to see. Many of the towns people often also join in the parade and march alongside the armies and the bands.

At various stages during the festival, there are fake battles held, to commemorate those that happened throughout history. The festival culminates to a final battle held on the last day that takes place near Alcoy’s castle, which is erected in the town square. The magnificent displays of fireworks which are held around the city are another of the main features of the festival. All across the city, people hang Saint George’s flag – a red cross – from their windows and balconies.

The last day of the Moros y Cristianos festival sees the Christians losing a battle first thing in the morning, but then Saint George makes an appearance, which leads to the Christians defeat the Moors later in the afternoon. At this point in the festival, relics or statuettes of the patron saint are taken out from the church and paraded in front of all the crowds.

The festival is an important part of Spanish tradition, and is greatly looked forward to all year long.