Out and About August-September 2022 - issue200

AUGUST 2022 | 33
What happens during a Moors and
Christians fiesta? Although the fiesta is
celebrated in many parts of Spain, for the
Costa Blanca the fiesta is one of the most
important days of the year and takes a
tremendous amount of planning for this
visual spectacle to come to fruition.
Months are spent in planning the wonderful
costumes, practising the march and the
“battle” and choosing the best music to
accompany the participants who strut, pose
and dance to entertain the spectators along
each parade route.
The various enactments of the Moors and
Christians across the Costa Blanca primarily
represent the capture of each town or city
by the Moors and the subsequent Christian
reconquest.
The gaily dressed towns people that take
part in this festival are based in 2 opposing
(but friendly) groups known as comparsas.
Half of them are the Muslim “moros” and
half represent the Christians. The streets
throng for several days with people wearing
outrageous and flamboyant costumes
loosely inspired by Medieval clothing.
The Christians often wear lots of fur,
metal helmets, and armour. Many also
either ride horses, or fun fake guns,
adding to the amazing spectacle.
Each party within the parade is often
accompanied by live music, drums and
lots of noise!
In stark contrast, the Moors wear
ancient Arabic styled costumes, carry
curved swords called scimitars, and some
of the more enthusiastic members of the
respective fiesta committees even get to ride
through the town on real camels or elephants!
The climax of this spectacular fiesta is
the fake battle where they re-enact the
overpowering of the occupying Muslins and
their subsequent expulsion from the town. It
really is a fiesta worth seeing and happens in
many towns up and down Spain, at different
times of the year.
When does the Moros Y Cristianos happen?
The dates of the fiesta are different throughout
the Costa Blanca and normally relates to the
specific time period in which that particular
area or town was liberated from Muslim rule.
For example if you are planning a holiday
in Denia, the fiesta usually runs around
August time , but if your holiday this year
is in Calpe then expect the fiesta to run from
end of October, but the celebrations in most
towns run along the same theme.
The Moors and Christians fiesta is a very
important one for Spain and if you are
planning an interesting holiday this year on
the Costa Blanca, it is well worth including
this on your itinerary.
Alcoy – April, Villajoyosa – August -
Benidorm – October - Altea – September
- El Campello –October Busot – the week
following Easter - Callosa – August – Calpe
– October.