There are not many festivals in Spain which are organised by the townspeople themselves, without big money sponsors, and fewer still as colourful and spectacular as this one.
Abahana Villas - Detail of the dress of the Moors and Christians of Jávea.
Swords, catapults, long cloaks, face painted with fanciful designs, winding turbans. The participants' costumes and make up is really impressive, particularly in its attention to detail, the spectacular floats or the proud horses with their shining coats galloping loudly down the street.
The music bands are really threatening, especially at nightfall with the contrast between the dark and the lights helping to create a mysterious atmosphere. The attention to detail is admirable: all around are embossed belts, Moorish slippers, feathered headpieces or fantastic "gold and silver" from mysterious far away lands. Here and there the brave Christian warriors hold up their symbols; the eagles, lions and crosses, against the crescent moons and horns emblazoned on the uniforms and equipment of the ferocious Moors.
The Moors and Christians festival recreates an era which combined bloody battles and peaceful coexistence as well as moments of mutual mistrust. All the colour, show and ostentatiousness of these celebrations is an attempt to overcome the seven long centuries of war such as during the Muslim invasion and the later Christian reconquest.
In Jávea the celebrations are held in the third week in July, with impressive parades of Moorish and Christian women as well as the Muslim landing on the beach or the Christian assault on the castle and the surrender of the Moors.
The main parade, known as the Filà Capitana de Contrabandistas de Xábia, ends with a spectacular firework display which fill the Jávea streets with light and sound. The party goes on into the night and, far from the bad feeling of old, the Christian and Moorish troops party together as friends.
Come and join in this journey into the past, a festival full of good, clean fun and a real spectacle of light, sound and colour.
Calpe
Calpe's "Casa de Andalucía" has organized this regional fair in classic Andalusian style since 1966. For a full week in mid-July, riding and dressage, sound and light shows, musical performances and dance groups brighten up the summer evenings with the most popular traditions and customs from the South of Spain.
Villajoyosa
How would you like to experience a naval battle and a Moorish landing on the beach? Well, make a note in your diary of the Villajoyosa Moors and Christians Festival, declared a festival of International Tourist Interest, with over 250 years of history behind it.
Benidorm
One of the summer's most eagerly anticipated festivals is held in Benidorm in the last week of July. It brings together some of the most renowned, modern groups on the national and international stage: Placebo, Massive Attack, Love of Lesbian, Two Door Cinema Club and Fangoria are some of the acts to have graced the festival's stages.
