Spain's many national and regional feasts and festivals are famous, there are over 3000 each year. Fiestas, Saints' Days, Romerias (picnics to religious shrines) and Verbenas (night festivals on the eve of religious holidays) are all celebrated with great spirit and energy.
Fiestas take place throughout the year and are mainly religious, but with influences from the rich cultural heritage and Pagan festivals. Most weeks there is something exciting going on in Oliva, stand on the roof terrace and listen out for the fireworks then follow them. Here is a selection from around the area, but do check exact dates as some may alter. Ask in the local tourist information booths for more information or to e mail the Oliva tourist information centre, click here: touristinfo.oliva@turisme.m400.gva.es.
March to May June to August September to February
Weekly:
Valencia's Tribunal de las Aguas is the oldest juridical institution in Spain. Although a precise date cannot be fixed, it was probably created in A.D. 960 when the Iberian Peninsula was under Muslim rule. The Tribunal holds jurisdiction over the distribution and use of water from the eight tributaries of the Turia river, which supplies water to practically all the farmland in the Vega de Valencia. Ancestral conflicts over the fair distribution of water among the different farmers made the creation of the Tribunal necessary. El Tribunal de las Aguas is convened every Thursday at noon beneath the Apostles Door, the west entrance to Valencia Cathedral. The regular democratic election of its eight members, the way in which its proceedings are conducted - always led, as they are, by representatives from the opposing side of the river to that of the persons under accusation of misuse or abuse of the waters - its dress codes, and the strict upholding of its exclusively oral tradition have led to the tirbunal becoming a model institution.
The Moors and the Christians festival in Pego
March to May:
Right
and below: The Falles made from paperFalles is a firework festival without equal dating from the 1400s. Unlike many of the other festivals in Spain, the provenance of Falles does not lie in the church. Its pedigree is rooted in secular or even pagan tradition or ritual related to the natural cycle of the year, where winter ends and spring begins. From the 12th to the 19th of March huge sometimes satirical figures are made of papier mache, then most are burnt on monumental pyres on the 19th. There are many loud, colourful and large fireworks and parades in Oliva and the surrounding towns.
In
Valencia city, the celebrations also include: the "crida", the public announcement
made from by the Queen of the "falles" and the Mayor of the city. The "Cabalgata
del Ninot" (the Ninot procession), the night-time parade. 
The
"Cabalgata del Reino" (Procession of the Kingdom) in which various towns
of the old Kingdom of Valencia take part, putting on show their own typical folklore
and local produce. The offerings of flowers made by the participants -"falleras"
- to "Nuestra Senora de los Desamparados" (Our Lady of the Forsaken), Patroness
of the city, and the famous "Nit del Foc" (Night of Fire), when all the
"fallas" are set on fire providing a fascinating spectacle. Look at this
site, which has video footage of the fires: Fallas
de Valencia. It really is a spectacular festival, put it on your list of things
to experience! Above right shows the fireworks over the Cathedral. But you do
not have to go to Valencia city, Oliva celebrates with a very big bang indeed!La Amgdelena is celebrated on the third Sunday of Lent.
Right:
St Vincente bull running in Oliva during the Easter Holiday.March/April (check exact dates): Semana Santa (Holy Week). A series of processions with hooded penitents who sometimes move to the piercing wail of the saeta, a love song to the Virgin or Christ. Pasos (heavy floats) bear images of the Virgin or Christ. The images across the top of this page were taken in Oliva during this time. Easter is a major time for fiestas and there is something going on almost every day. 'Holy Week' is probably the best time of year to visit for celebrations and it is then that the individuality of this region's style of pageantry is best revealed. Click here for a general web site on Easter Festivals.
The Maritime Rosary of the Aurora in nearby Cullera is a procession in which sailors carry the Virgin of the Castle down to the sea on the second Sunday following Easter.
March 7 2000 Carnival, throughout the country.
Moros
i Cristians is one of the great festivals of the area. The festivals take
place practically all year round in the Land of Valencia, from early February
(Bocairent and Sax) to the beginning of December (La Font de la Figuera, Monforte
del Cid and Tuejar). In some towns like La Vila Joiosa, the disembarking of the
Moorish navy offers a particularly exciting chance for a riotous beach party.
The celebrations in Villajoyosa during the last week of July have an animated
naval battle and landing on the beach with a battle. All the action reaches its
peak with the defence of the Castle erected in the square and the triumph of the
Christian warriors over the infidels. In Alcoy, during the 22, 23 and 24th of
April (check dates, they may vary), there is one of the major re-enactments of
the largely mythical battle (for
local web site click here). The celebration is one of the great fiestas of
Spain, the greatest in the world, according to many an Alcoyano. There are amazing
costumes and mock battles. The armies march all day to the sound of the bands,
the city is filled with the roar of battle, with the smoke of gunpowder covering
the city as a fog. For more information look at this site: Moors
and Christians. Along with the Falles, this festival is a must. Image
what it sounded like when they fired their guns!The Fiesta of the Virgin of the Forsaken is held on the second Sunday of May in Valencia city. In Spain each region is protected by a Holy Mary with different attributes. In Valencia this happens to be Nuestra Senora de los Desamparados whose special role is the protection of children. An outdoor Mass is celebrated early in the morning underneath a gigantic awning covering the whole of the Plaza de la Virgen. Because there are thousands of people who attend this mass, for the taking of communion that follows various priests disperse into the crowds and can be made out by the large yellow umbrellas bobbing up and down as they move through the sea of people. Following this, the statue of Maria de los Desamparados is carried in procession - if the twenty or more very stocky men carrying it can manage to fight their way through the press of the crowd - from the Basilica to the cathedral. During its journey the sky is filled with a dazzling rain of reds and pinks as the figure of the Virgen is showered with hundreds of thousands of petals in gratitude of her protection.
June to August:
June the 14th is Corpus Christi. A major holiday on the Spanish Calendar, it includes big processions, especially in cathedral cities. It may also be commemorated with mystery plays and parades.
June 1st to the 6th Moors and Christians, Elda, Alicante.
The Bonfires of Sant Joan are in June through the land, but especially in Alicante and Javea. The bonfires are truly artistic monuments made of wood, cardboard and fabric with figures satirizing the bad customs of the people, are set up at the beginning of the celebration and burned on June 24th in the ceremony of fire, known as the "crema". On June 20th, during the summer solstice, bonfires blaze through the night to honor the event, just as they did in Celtic and Roman times. The bonfire signals the launching of 5 days of gala celebrations, with fireworks and parades.
Fogueres de Sant Joan from June 20 to June 29 in Alicante. A Pagan series of rituals which were followed on this, the shortest night of the year when light triumphs over darkness. The streets are often decorated with branches and leaves, and above balconies of young girls in love. People put their heads into irrigation ditches, pines and poplars are planted, pilgrimages ('romerias') are undertaken, straw effigies are burnt, the herb thyme is blessed and 'sanjuanera' songs are sung.
The Misteri d'Elx (near Alicante) is performed in the Basilica de Santa Maria. The Misteri is a lyrical drama from the late Middle Ages. The actual score (la Consueta) is interpreted by nonprofessional singers from Elche and is performed from the 11th to the 15th of August. It is sung in Lemosin, an old Valencian variant of Catalan.
Right:
The famous Dama de Elche, a treasured sculpture of an Iberian priestess dressed
in ceremonial robes July Fair. All month in Valencia city. Spectacles, pageantry and open-air concerts staged during the fair located in the Paseo de la Alameda and the Viveros Gardens. It is also the time for spectacular bullfights. The culmination of the Fair is a Flower Battle held along the Alameda boulevard. Wonderful!
Certamen Internacional de Habaneras y Polifonia or International Contest of 'Habaneras' and Polyphony. This festival of music takes place from July 28th to August 4th in Torrevieja near Alicante.
Els Bous a la Mar is held at Denias harbor from the 4th to the 12th of July. Young men (and some women) tease young cows with large horns. Many people and some cows end up in the sea.
In Calpe, August 5th marks the patron saints day of the town - Virgen de las Nieves - with processions, outdoor parties and fireworks. Calpe's typical costumes are worn in honour of the Virgin de las Nieves.
La Tomatina (Battle of the Tomatoes), in Bunol, Valencia. This festival takes place the last Wednesday in August. Truckloads of tomatoes are shipped into Bunol, where they become "vegetable missiles" between warring towns and villages. Portable showers are brought in for the cleanup, followed by music for dancing and singing.
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September to Feburary:
December the 28th is Dia de los Santos Inocentes. The Spanish equivalent
of April Fools' Day is an excuse for people to act and do "loco" things.
'Els Enfarinats' (men with flour-caked faces, see photos right) go through
the streets with their duly chosen mayor, who assumes municipal power for the
day. Dressed in a slovenly manner they impose fines on banks and shops. In the
evening 'Els Tapats' unrecognizable masked figures- make an appearance.
Later, the 'els enfarinats' criticise local people and institutions publicly.
For an excellent site on the enfarinats,
please click here |
The
Worldwide Holiday Excellent
site by the town Festivals
of Spain site
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