Moors and Christians of Villena
The Moors and Christians festival in Villena (Spain), is celebrated from September 4 to 9 in honor of Nuestra Señora de las Virtudes, patron saint of the city and is recognized as a Festival of National Tourist Interest. It is a massive representation of several thousand people, with about 15,000 participants in the main parades, who dress as Moors, students, warriors, farmers, etc. over five days, being the most participatory Moors and Christians festivities in the world.
The festival itself is celebrated from September 5 to 9 and is structured through the participation of fourteen Comparsas or companies, seven of them belonging to the Moorish side and many others to the Christian side, each one made up of several hundred participants.
Parades such as La Entrada (The Entrance Parade) on September 5 or La Cabalgata Nocturna (the Great Night Parade) on September 6, can last for 7 or 8 hours, actively parading almost a third of the local population and bringing together up to 120 marching/music bands from various regions of the southeast of Spain.
== History ==
Its origin dates back to 1474, when the Virgen de las Virtudes (Our Lady of the Virtues), was proclaimed Patroness of the town and protector against the Plague.
The current Moors and Christians Festival is the result of the merger of three different festivalsThe Patronal Feast or religious element that is represented by the processions, pilgrimages and masses mainly.
The Military Festival or Alarde. It is the military element, whose origin is in the old Militia of the Kingdom, later called soldiery, which participated in the patronal festival. The most representative and spectacular act of the military element of the festivities is La Entrada (The Entrance Parade), which consists of a parade in which all the festeros participate, grouped in comparsas with magnificent costumes and to the rhythm of Moorish marches, Christian marches or pasodobles composed expressly for the festivities.
The historical element, which consists of the fight, harquebusry, embassies, loss and recovery of a castle that symbolizes the population, recalling historical events that occurred during the History of Spain. It is represented by embassies, guerrillas, shooting, landing, conversion of the Moor to Christianity or other similar acts.
Las Embajadas (the Embassies) plays consists of a series of old plays. In them an ambassador presents a parliament to the defenders of the castle of the city, the Atalaya Castle. As time progresses, the words become harsher, ending up revealing the intentions of taking the fortress. After a loud battle with arquebuses, the invading army takes the castle. The roles are reversed two days later.
Moros y cristianos
Villena