Moors and Christians Festivals Full of Life

LOCATION: Spain

DATE: March 8, 2010

BY: Dee Andrews, from travelandtravails.com

DETAILS: Some 500 years after the Moors and Christians last fought in Spain, the Spanish still commemorate the battles with annual Moros y Cristianos festivals.  Over 150 towns and villages throughout the country re-enact the battles with week-long festivities of fireworks, plays, parades and music.

A Divided History

We experienced the full historical reenactment in Javea, Spain, a seaside town in the region of Alicante, where a majority of the festivals take place.  The celebration started off with a bang of fireworks and offerings of Spanish hot chocolate (thick and eaten with a spoon) and paella.  The initial re-enactment brought boat loads of Moors disembarking onto the Plaza Grava, the gravel beach in the port.  A battle followed to capture the castle from the Christians, the sounds of canons firing and shouting in Spanish giving life to the performance.

The next day the Christians battled to recapture the castle and celebrated victory with processions throughout the town.  Both the Muslim and Christian participants marched to the beat of the local bands and paraded in their extravagant costumes.

Most of the town locals participated in the festival, either in costume or playing an instrument in one of the many neighborhood bands.  A group of mothers paraded by in bells and tassels; their young children intermingled amongst them wearing costumes that must have weighed more than they.  The men swaggered by next, trying to look menacing and serious, their swords and cigars adding to the affect.  The old men, not in costume, grouped together on the benches of the Plaza San Juame to watch the procession, probably trading stories about when they played the part of the conquering king many years ago.

Brilliant fireworks over the water closed the festival for another year.  Our walk to our car took us through the narrow, winding streets where we saw tables lined up for late night dining by both the Moors and Christians, united for a brief moment in history.

IF YOU GO:  Book your cheap flights to Spain through CheapOair to experience the Moors and Christian festivals.  The most famous takes place in Alcoy in April though you can find a festival almost any week throughout the summer in towns near the regional airports of Alicante and Valencia.

Also check out CheapOair's Cheap International Flights.



Responses to "Moors and Christians Festivals Full of Life"

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1. 1 cheapflighthouse March 9, 2010 at 10:34 am

   admire the valuable information you offer in your articles.Just thought you'd be interested to know that I have added you to my bookmarks You make right points in a concise and pertinent fashion, This is a really good read for me, many thanks to the author
2. 2 Dee Andrews March 10, 2010 at 4:38 pm

   Thanks for including my guest post! I'm always happy to share experiences from my year living in Spain and traveling around the Mediterranean.

   Hasta luego!