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8/7/2019 FIESTAS INGLES

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Moors and Christians

Declared of International Tourist Interest


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To see the entrances

If youve decided to watch the entrances

of both the Christians and the Moors, you

should rent seats that are set out along the

route. This will save your feet. To do this,

contact the Tourist Info 965.53.71.55 where

you will be given information about what

you need to do.

A much more comfortable option is to watchthe show from the private balconies that can be rented for

the event. People normally get a group of friends together

to keep the cost down, as this can vary according to the

condition and location of the balcony.

Where to sleep during

Fiestas?

There is a wide range of

accommodation in Alcoy

and this includes both rural

and city types. Visitors can

choose to stay in the city

or in the more emblematic

natural surroundings, such

as the Font Roja NatureReserve. Both of these environments

have options to suit all budgets; from

the small rural house to the farmhouse

converted into a comfortable villa; from

a hostel at the heart of the festival to

hotels with panoramic views.

Whatever you choose, dont forget that

it is sensible to reserve rooms well in

advance.

Usefulinfo

rmation


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The laes

Each one of the twenty-eight laes

at the Alcoy festival has their own

social premises and you must try and

visit some of these. Some of these

groups have rescued old factories from

the ancient industrial Alcoy that were

heading for decline and others have

taken over basements in the city area

that were once busy textile workshopsor warehouses. The Christian laes

usually create a feeling of Reconquista

in their premises. The Moorish laes

make you believe that youre in a Fez

palace.

Ask and just go with the ow. Even

though they are private premises, youll

always nd someone willing to host you

and allow you a visit.

Our gastronomy

The traditional cuisine in these regions is based on seasonal productsand is as tasty as it is unknown outside the territory. April is still a

good time to tempt your tastebuds with soup-style dishes, such as

borreta (a sh stew), olleta (a stew-type dish) and arrs calds

(broth-soaked rice)-, but you should also try the bajoca farcida

(stuffed pepper) and pericana (a spicy cod dish).

Coffee liqueur is a wonderful coffee drink, which isnt sweet and in

Alcoy has the reputation of a witches brew, a genuinely local drink,

which accompanies the very genuine tapas served in this area and

ever present at the festival.


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Alcoy is waiting for you

If the visitor has time between

the main events of the festival to

enjoy the rest of the city, Alcoy

has a great variety of places and

activities to enjoy during his stay.

The surroundings of Alcoy offer

interesting excursions without

having to move very far thanksto the closeness to the natural

environment wichis especially

outstanding in the Parque Natural

del Carrascal de la Font Roja and

in the Parque Natural de la Sierra

Mariola.

The old town has left us the

remains of walls and medieval

towers, the present view of this

town derives directly from the

times, when Alcoy was a pioneer

of the Industrial Revolution in

Spain. It is worth mentioning some

outstanding Art Nouveau buildings,

for example, the Casa del Pavo and

the Crculo Industrial, the ancient

building of the Parque de Bomberos

or the Municipal Conservatory of

Dance and Music Juan Cant.

The bridges are the main urban

characteristic of the city. Its over

60,000 inhabitants are particularly

proud of these constructions, which

have overcome the orographic

irregularities of the town.

People live the Christmas holidays

in a special way with the Parade

of the Three Wise Men, which

is the oldest one in Spain and

was declared of National Tourist

Interest.

Dear visitor, we hope your stay

in Alcoy is pleasant and the town

arouses your interest.


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MUSICIANS DAY APRIL 21*:

Marching band procession: at 19.30.

DAY OF THE MOORS AND

CHRISTIANS PROCESSIONS APRIL 22*:

Dawn reveille: at 05.45 in Plaza Espaa.

Christian procession: begins at 10.30.

Moorish procession: begins at 17.00.

SAINT GEORGES DAY APRIL 23*:

Childrens dawn reveille: at 09.00.

Procession of the relic: at 11.00.

General procession: at 19.30.

DAY OF THE GUN BATTLE APRIL 24*:

Moorish ambassador and messengers: 10.00.

Morning gun battle: at 1.00.

Christian ambassador and messengers: at 16.30.

Afternoon gun battle: at 17.30.

Appearance of Saint George: at 21.30.

Program for the main events of the festival

* The ofcial Alcoy festival calendar

states that the celebrations take place

on April 22, 23 y 24, but it is possible

that these dates may be altered due

to Easter week. The dates can be

conrmed by contacting Alcoy Tourist

Information centre (965537155).


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there is an evening procession, La Gloria, to mark the

beginning of preparations for the three day festival.

One representative from each Fil takes part in this

procession accompanied by a marching band playing

military two-step music. The procession passes through

the streets of the old part of the city to announce the

festivals imminent arrival.

On the eve of the celebrations, the twenty-rst of

April, there is The day of the musicians, an emotional

homage to the bands that will provide the music for

the three day festival. The music bands pass through

the citys streets, nishing at Plaza Espaa where they

then gather with the people of the city to accompany

them in the festival hymn.

nEaster Sunday,O


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The Christian procession into the city is a spectacular explosion of sound

and color passing through the centre of Alcoy which commemorates

defense of the city by the armies of the cross against Saracen attack.

The Moorish procession oods Alcoy with the exotic avor of the

armies of Mohammed as they march in to take the city.

While it is beautiful to see the processions on television, being here to

live and breathe the atmosphere of the Moors and Christians festival

is an unforgettable experience. The Moors and Christians festival

of Alcoy in honor of Saint George were, in 1980, declared to be of

International Tourist Interest, and are widely recognized today as

being one of the worlds great spectacles. In fact Alcoy is considered

to be the birthplace of the Moors and Christian celebrations taking

place each year throughout the Valencian Community. The program of

the celebrations follows what is called the Festival Trilogy and takes

place over three days. The rst is the day of the two processions,

Christian and then Moor. The second day celebrates the festivals

patron saint, Saint George, and then nally comes the day of the gun

battle.


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the bells of Santa Maria church ring out over the city, and Plaza Espaa is bursting

with the people excitedly waiting for the celebrations to begin. Their faces are

radiant and their costumes spotless. This is the Diana or dawn reveille. A squadron

of ten men from each Fil passes through the centre of the city accompanied by

a band playing a military two step. Alcoy awakes! The celebrations have begun!

As the morning advances, the streets and squares of the city become a sea of

people ready to enjoy the Christian procession.

The sound of bugles and drums rings out. Those who wish to can watch the procession

from one of the thousands of seats that line the streets throughout the length of

the procession. They will see the Christian captains chariot surrounded by his

knights, the special squadrons, standard bearers and groups of women dancers. To

the spectator, the Christian procession is a breathtaking cavalcade of music and

color. Throughout the morning, the Christian ls pass, one after another, through

the city, with their squadrons, their musicians and their chariots lled with excited

children. Finally, the Christian lieutenant with his extravagant entourage brings

the Christian procession to a close.

thalfpastfive inthe morning,A


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which is a chance to eat, rest and recharge

the batteries before the Moorish procession.

This is a feast of sensuality to re the

imagination of the visitor, who will soon

nd himself submerged in an atmosphere

of Eastern mystique, as he watches a

procession of dancers, African warriors and

exotic animals beneath a rain of confetti

and streamers thrown from the packed

balconies of the city. As night begins to fall,

the Moorish procession ends, leaving the

visitor with the sensation of having seen

something really special, yet hungry to see

more. And there is more. Much more

t is time forlunch,I


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to be able to stay beyond the rst day, he will

discover that the second day celebrates the

patron of the festival, Saint George, the martyr of

Cappadocia, a small town in Turkey, who is known

throughout the world and who in the festival is

represented as a child and is the indisputable

leading character of the celebrations, loved and

admired by all. From early morning until late

into the night, the visitor can enjoy morning

and evening processions, with more opportunity

to see the incredible costumes of the festivals

main protagonists, and above all to see the

admiration and love that the whole city feels for

Sant Jordiet, the boy who represents the gure

of Saint George.

fthe visitor

is luckyenough

I


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is the festivals gun battle. This begins with a verbal battle

between ambassadors from the two sides, followed by a symbolic

representation of the gun battle that took place in the city.

Squadrons from each side march through the city ring their

booming arquebuses, a type of black powder musket, leaving the

city submerged in the atmosphere of a great battle. This part of

the festival is not for those of a sensitive nature. Both sides, Moorsand Christians, take turns to re-take the castle in Plaza Espaa,

as Alcoy lls with gunpowder smoke and the peculiar smell of

the arquebus being red, a smell which will linger over the city

for days afterwards. Finally, as evening falls, in the battlements

of the castle, recreated for the occasion, Sant Jordiet appears

astride his white steed, recreating the miracle that the city has

been commemorating for hundreds of years. This is the end of

this years festival, and the beginning of next years, leaving the

visitors who have been part of this wonderful celebration with an

experience that they will never forget.

he thirdandfinal dayT


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Ayuntamientode Alcoy

[Photograph]Asociacin de Sant Jordi y

Fotos Paco Grau.

[Printing]Artes Grfcas Alcoy

TOURIST INFO ALCOY Plaa dEspanya, 14 03801 ALCOY (Alicante) Spain Tel 96 553 71 55 Fax 96 553 71 53 [email protected] www.alcoyturismo.com

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