{"id":8545,"date":"2023-04-13T19:38:45","date_gmt":"2023-04-13T17:38:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitbocairent.es\/?page_id=8545"},"modified":"2023-05-24T13:58:42","modified_gmt":"2023-05-24T11:58:42","slug":"festivities-and-traditions","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.visitbocairent.es\/en\/festivities-and-traditions\/","title":{"rendered":"Festivities and traditions"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Festivities and traditions<\/h3>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″]

JANUARY<\/h3>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row bottom_padding=”40″][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_single_image image=”7264″ img_size=”large” onclick=”link_image”][vc_column_text]Parish panellet offering <\/strong>(3rd<\/sup> January)<\/em>: mass and blessing of the panellet cakes.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_single_image image=”7489″ img_size=”large” onclick=”link_image”][vc_column_text]Epiphany parade <\/strong>(5th<\/sup> January)<\/em>: arrival of the Three Wise Men in Bocairent.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_single_image image=”7260″ img_size=”large” onclick=”link_image”][vc_column_text]Saint Anthony the Abbot<\/strong> (Saturday closest to 17th<\/sup> January)<\/em>: the fiesta starts on Friday with the lighting of a bonfire, and on the Saturday continues in the chapel with a mass and blessing of bread and animals. On 17th<\/sup>January at 5pm a ray of sunlight illuminates the face of the saint\u2019s image.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_separator]

FEBRUARY<\/h3>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Festivities of Moors and Christians in honour of Saint Blaise<\/h3>\n

(first weekend in February)<\/em>: Bocairent honours its patron saint during 6 days of fiestas.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Events prior to the fiestas in honour of Saint Blaise <\/strong>(on different Sundays in January)<\/em>: acts of homage to the troupe captains, the Publication, the Acapte<\/em> Collection, and the Comptes <\/em>Accounts.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”7272″ img_size=”large” onclick=”link_image”][vc_column_text]Novena of Saint Blaise <\/strong>(23rd<\/sup> to 31st<\/sup> January)<\/em>: every night a troupe celebrates the Night of the Candle with a mass when the members of the troupe sing the praises of Saint Blaise from the altar.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”7280″ img_size=”large” onclick=”link_image”][vc_column_text]The Caixes Drums <\/strong>(Friday)<\/em>: the members of the troupes wear their traditional Bocairent blankets, while playing drums and carrying Chinese lanterns around the most characteristic streets of the town in a display of great tumult and ebullience in celebration of Saint Blaise being the patron saint since 1632.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_single_image image=”7284″ img_size=”large” onclick=”link_image”][vc_column_text]The Entrance <\/strong>(Saturday)<\/em>: gives the fiesta a splash of colour. The Christian troupes begin the parade with their cheerful double marches, which conclude around nightfall when the processions of the Moorish troupes take over with their slow and moving marches.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”7296″ img_size=”large” onclick=”link_image”][vc_column_text]Saint Blaise Day <\/strong>(Sunday)<\/em>: at eight in the morning the reveille is performed, and at twelve the church fills with practitioners and festival-goers for the main mass. One of the most emblematic acts occurs during the Saint Blaise Day procession when the reliquary arrives in the main square, along with the banner and the statue of Saint Blaise. This is the high point of the day; the bells begin to toll as the lights are turned off, and in unison everyone cries out \u201cLong live our patron Saint Blaise\u201d whilst a shower of confetti rains down on the saint\u2019s statue.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_single_image image=”7300″ img_size=”large” onclick=”link_image”][vc_column_text]Moors and Christians Day <\/strong>(Monday)<\/em>: the embassies represent the negotiations over the capitulation, of one side and then the other, during the theatrical mock battles preformed to conquer the castle. The day is full of explosions that come from the blunderbusses and canons which are let off around the town\u2019s streets and squares.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”7318″ img_size=”large” onclick=”link_image”][vc_column_text]Holy Christ Day <\/strong>(Tuesday)<\/em>: the festival-goers and musicians form a procession going up to the Holy Christ Chapel, transforming the \u2018way of the cross\u2019 into a river of colours. Following the mass in the chapel the act of the \u2018divestment of the Moor\u2019 takes place.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Eixabeg\u00f3 <\/strong>(Wednesday)<\/em>: a mass is celebrated for those deceased festival-goers no longer with us.<\/p>\n

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Ash Wednesday <\/strong>(varying).<\/em> This marks the start of Lent.<\/p>\n

Celebration in honour of the Blessed Sister Piedad de la Cruz<\/strong>:\u00a026th February.<\/em>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row top_padding=”40″][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_separator]

MARCH-APRIL<\/h3>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_column_text]Panellet cakes<\/strong> of the Espanyolets Troupe (3rd<\/sup> March)<\/em> and the Granaders Troupe (3rd<\/sup> April). <\/em><\/p>\n

Lent<\/strong>: during the forty days of Lent many practitioners climb \u2018the way of the cross\u2019 to visit the Holy Christ Chapel. On one Friday in Lent, mass is celebrated in the chapel. In the Supper of Hunger funds are raised to help the needy. Lent finishes on Palm Sunday with the blessing of the palms.<\/p>\n

Saint Joseph<\/strong>: 19th<\/sup> March<\/em><\/p>\n

Holy Week<\/strong>: Good Friday Via Crucis, Holy Offices and the Procession to the Holy Burial.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”7385″ img_size=”large” onclick=”link_image”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Pas de l\u2019Hort Passion Play<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The passion play takes place once<\/em> every five years <\/em>during Holy Week, and consists of two acts: Palm Sunday and Good Friday. A large number of local inhabitants from Bocairent participate in the play along with members of the Arc\u00e0 theatre group. The Pas de l\u2019Hort Passion Play is performed at open air locations such as the monastery garden or the bullring.[\/vc_column_text]

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