The month of October is when Calpe holds an event that people have been looking forward to all year: bands of music, the raising of standards in the Castle, the offering, the disembarkation or the great Parade are the highlights of the traditional Moors and Christians festivities in honour of the "Santísimo Cristo del Sudor" (the Most Holy Christ of Sweat).
This festivity, which has taken place in Calpe since 1977, combines religious, popular and historical acts with great pomp and circumstance and has proven to be an extraordinary means of promoting the town's tourist attractions and culture.
A week of festivities organized by the Calpe Association of Moors and Christians, with the collaboration of the Festival Committee, that begins with the traditional air bombardment and the ringing of bells which announces the entrance of bands that then parade along Gabriel Miró Avenue to Mosquit Square.
After the armies' standards have been raised and the traditional opening speeches have been made, the Offering of Candles to the Santísimo Cristo del Sudor takes place in the parish church of Our Lady of the Snow.
The day ends with the dance of the Christian captain and his cohorts.
The dance of the Moorish captain takes place on the second day, following the entrance of the Christians and the Moors along Gabriel Miró Avenue.
The highlight of the third day is the disembarkation on Calpe's "Playa del Arenal" and this beach will then be the scenario for the First Battle between the Moors and the Christians.
Of course, the youngest members of the household are by no means forgotten and they too are able to parade through the streets dressed up to the nines in their finest regalia.
The remaining days are marked by the celebration of the “Miracle” in the la Plaza Mayor, "Correfocs" in the Old Part of town, and the Eucharist, also in the Plaza Mayor, in honour of the Santísimo Cristo del Sudor. Once the Mass has ended, the image of Christ is removed to the Church and the "Mascletà" (fireworks display) is then held in Calpe's Plaza Mayor.
Calpe's Moors and Christians festivities end with a solemn procession and a nighttime Mascletà that brings to a close one of Calpe's most popular and well-established traditions.
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