In mid-August, the town of Teulada-Moraira holds a medieval market, which is very popular and well attended.
There are some 70 craft stalls, displaying long-forgotten skills and crafts now given a new lease of life. Whole families gather round to watch blacksmiths, engravers, silversmiths, wood carvers, lace makers and weavers producing traditional products to the delight of both young and old.
At the Teulada medieval market attention to detail is paramount; you'll find excellent food, items for the home, cosmetics and jewellery. You can buy regional cold meats made in the traditional way, such as longaniza sausages, cheese, sweets and pastries. There are even home-made drinks! Products related to bee-keeping are also popular at the medieval market; from natural beeswax candles to royal jelly, honey from different flowers, lip balms and so on.
Visitors can browse the natural products on sale or join in the educational activities which run all day: a minstrel reciting a poem, a jester playing with a child, a diabolo juggler and a fire eater amazing the crowds. What more could you ask for?
There's also a place for exotic products from far away lands: artisan chocolates with added spices, herbs to make infusions, different types of bread or liqueur made from forest fruits.
Special mention must go to the tin, copper, leather, straw and wooden goods such as signs, mirrors, belts, baskets, slippers, straps ribbons and espadrilles.
It's getting late, how about something to eat. You'll find something tasty here and at a good price. There are stalls with ovens or wood fired barbecues grilling ribs, steaks, chorizo criollo (local sausage) or morcilla (black pudding). There's even hot chocolate to dip your churros (fritters) or rosquillas (doughnuts).
In recent years the Teulada medieval market has made some very interesting additions such as falconry demonstrations, camel rides, shield making for kids, medieval music concerts, belly dancing and blacksmithing and pottery workshops. You'll also find stalls selling clothes and medieval decorations such as embroidered cloth from the Alpujarras in the traditional Moorish style. Want to take a real treasure home?
A piece of advice: don't go home before you've tried a typical Moorish tea. You'll find teashops dotted amongst the stalls.
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).
Around either the 14th of July (Our Lady of Mount Carmel) or the 29th of June, Saint Peter's Day - the date of the celebration changes each year to coincide with the day of the Virgin or that of the Apostle - the traditional Alicante-style seafaring festivities are held in honour of Saint Peter (San Pere) and the Mother of God (Mare de Déu del Carme).
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.
