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Where's the Party?
Every year, the Moorish occupation and Spanish re-conquest
of the Iberian peninsula is celebrated throughout Southern
Spain. Nowhere is the re-enactment as spectacular as in Alcoy,
28 miles north of Alicante.
What Happens at the Fiesta de Moros y Christianos?
In late April each year, a papier-mache castle is erected
in the town's main plaza and the townsfolk re-enact the confrontation
between the Moorish (Muslim) and Christian leaders.
On the first day of the festival, the townsfolk flock to
take part in the colourful parades which weave their way through
the streets of Alcoy. They spend a great deal of time making
their costumes together, and curiously everyone is vying to
be a Moor, as their tribal costumes are the most colourful
and exotic.
The second day of the festival is St. Georges Day.
On this day, the religious aspects of the festival are remembered,
when the relics of the Saint are removed from the Church
of Santa Maria and returned with high drama to the temple.
That evening there's a spectacular firework display and
Valencian fallas or effigies are burned on huge bonfires
in the town.
On the final day of the fiesta, a furious battle takes place
on the streets of Alcoy. When the Christian leaders tear up
the Moors' demands, a horse messenger spreads the word of
impending war, and the battle begins. For hours the two armies
flood through the streets letting off blunderbusses that are
so loud they can be heard for miles around. Before noon the
Moors succeed in seizing the castle. However in the afternoon,
after a child dressed as Alcoy's Holy Patron, St. George makes
an timely appearance on the battlements, the Christians re-gain
control of the castle and the battle is won.
What's the history of the Festival?
This festival commemorates a famous battle held in this city
in 1276 between the Christian ruler and the Moorish captain
Al Athrak. The story goes that on the point of losing
the city to the Moors, St. George appeared on a white charger
and turned the Christians' fate around.
The proceedings have changed little for 700 years, closely
following the sequence of events recorded immediately after
the battle: the Moors seize the castle in the morning and
the Christians win it back again in the afternoon.
One year, about 10 years ago, the Moorish team decided they
were not prepared to give up the castle so easily and locked
themselves in to celebrate their victory with plenty of food
and drink. The outraged Christians were forced to call the
police and the Guardia Civil so that the course of history
wouldn't be altered forever.
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