All along the Community of Valencia, an endless number of colourful, spectacular and very popular festivals are celebrated all year long. They have become a first class tourist and cultural attraction.
Among the thousands of festivals held, noted are those that have been declared of National or International Tourist Interest for reasons that include: their historic tradition, the popular participation and for the great impact in the mass media.
The province of Alicante has three festivals that stand out due to their colourful displays and pageantry elements shared with the rest of the celebrations found in the Community. These are festivities to be enjoyed on the streets, in the company of neighbours or visitors, because the hospitality and offer to participate are native to all the towns in the area:
From ancestral times, the towns along the Mediterranean coast have celebrated the arrival of the summer solstice around purifying bonfires. In Alicante, this rite of fire lasted through the centuries as an agricultural festivity.
Today, the San Juan Hogueras have been declared an International Tourist Interest and are the most important festivals in the City of Alicante. This type of celebration is also typical in other municipalities of the Community of Valencia.
The celebration starts on June 20 and the days prior, 90 hogueras (bonfires) are erected around the city. These festivals involve more than ten thousand participants directed by the Hogueras and Barracas Commisions.
Among the most important acts during the San Juan celebration are the following:
Moors and Christians have become one of the most widespread festivals in the provinces of Alicante and Valencia. They have a great visual attraction as they include peculiar elements such as parodies, costumes, special dresses, music and gun smoke.
The origin of the fights between followers of the cross and those of the crescent moon dates back to the battle of Lepanto, when its representation was a palace play that later transcended to the streets and squares. That event became a key element of the local history and the patron saint was considered the hero of the victory or “miracle”.
The Parades are characterized by:
There are two locations in the province of Alicante where the Moors and Christians festivities have gained special interest:
The province of Alicante has the best known Holy Week procession in the entire Valencian territory. The festivities in Crevillente and Orihuela have been declared of National Tourist Interest, Palm Sunday in Elche has earned an International Interest and the Procession in the Alicante borough of Santa Cruz is unique in Spain. This is without a doubt an excellent complement to the beautiful climate and the beaches of the Costa Blanca.
Holy Week in the Costa Blanca provides a first class cultural offering due to:
Holy Week in Orihuela has two very important processions, the Procession of Silence and the Procession of the Covered Knight. The procession of Silence is one of the most overwhelming processions held in the Community of Valencia. 10,000 people watch it every year and it occurs on Good Friday travelling through the narrow streets of the old part of town with only the light and sound from lanterns and penitents footsteps on the pavement. In clear contrast, the Procession of the Covered Knight is held during the day and is presided by “La Diablesa” (She-Devil), a throne made of wood, from the XVI century by Nicolas De Bussi.
In Crevillente their best known processions are celebrated at dawn and early evening on Good Friday. At five am, an official reveille is sounded and various floats begin travelling towards City Hall. At dawn, the float of Our Father Jesus and the float of the Virgin of the Pains meet each other. This event is witnessed by almost 4,000 people. Music is another important star in the Crevillente Holy Week. An excellent opportunity to listen to the different choirs is during the Procession of the Death of Christ, celebrated that same Friday when the floats are preceded by the choral groups.
In Elche, however, the white palms are the distinctive symbol of their Holy Week. In fact, the city of Elche is the only place in the world where they still craft white palms. These palms are present in mass during the procession of Palm Sunday. Every year, more than 10,000 people with palms accompany the image of Our Father Jesus whose throne is elaborately crafted with palm leaves.
And, finally, Holy Week in the capital city of Alicante has experienced an unprecedented boom in the last few years. Holy Week in Alicante is processing its declaration of National Tourist Interest. The processions of greater tourist interest are the descent of Christ from the Holy Cross and the Procession of the Encounter, on Easter Sunday. In addition, both have rich imagery and well decorated floats. Every year, the Holy Week processions in Alicante are attended by more than 20,000 people a day.
Festivities of National Tourist Interest
