The Moors and Christians Festival will begin in Ontinyent on August 22

From August 22 to 26, the Moors and Christians Festival will take Ontinyent (Valencia) back to the 13th century. The festival, which has been celebrated since 1860, has already been declared an event of national tourist interest. And this year, the city has requested that Moros y Cristianos de Ontinyent be declared a festival of international tourist interest.

The main events of the festival are dedicated to the conquest of the city by Christian troops in the 13th century, as well as the subsequent battles with the Saracens. The festival is organized by the Societat de Festers del Santíssim Crist de l’Agonia, which brings together the Moors and Christians of Ontinyent.

The Fiestas de Moros y Cristianos de Ontinyent officially starts on Thursday, August 22. But the entertainment events dedicated to the festival began a week earlier, on August 16. On Friday, the traditional Dance of the Ploughmen (Ball dels Llauradors) took place in four city squares (Plaza de Baix, Plaza de Sant Roc, Plaza Major and Placeta de Latonda). On the morning of Saturday, August 17, the dedication of the elders took place. On the morning of Sunday, August 18, the Holy Mass was celebrated in the hermitage of Santa Anna and the Breakfast in Llagrima (L’esmorzar de la Llàgrima). And in the evening of the same day, at the foot of the Fiestas castle in Plaza Mayor, the proclamation of the celebration took place.

Even before the official start of the Moors and Christians festival in Ontinyent, there are planned competitions of corporals of children’s squads, theatrical performances for children, a tour of the Vila bell tower, a concert of the symphony orchestra Tot per la Música in Plaza Mayor and other interesting events. You can see the full program here.

The festival will begin on Thursday, August 22, at 18:00, with a procession of musical groups. At the end, they will jointly perform the Moorish march Chimo in Plaza Mayor. At 23:30, the Great Parade of Alardos (Gran Desfile de Alardos) will take place. And the day will end with a performance by the Matrix Band in La Glorieta Park.

All the following days, groups of Moors and Christians of Ontinyent will recreate the historical events that preceded the capture of the city. Guests of the festival will see colorful processions of both armies and impressive reconstructions of duels. The culmination of the festival will be on Monday, August 26. At 11:00 the battle of arquebusiers will begin, and at 12:00 on the Plaza Mayor the ambassadors of the Moors and Christians will have a duel for power in the city. At 17:00, after another duel of arquebusiers, the processions of both armies will take place. At 18:00 the Christian embassy will gather on the Plaza Mayor, after which the Final Parade will begin, which will conclude the festive events.

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Photo by Dan from flickr.com