Moros y Cristianos
Over 150 different festivals of Moros y Cristianos take place in Spain every year. If you're only able to see one of them then it must be the one in Alcoy in the province of Alicante which commemorates the Battle of Alcoy in 1275 when St George helped defeat the Moorish forces lead by Al Azraq.
Although there is no attempt to achieve historical accuracy, this is one of Spain's great festivals, or the greatest of all Spanish Fiestas if you ask any Alcoyano.
This festival takes place from April 21st to April 24th.
It is very difficult to find accommodation in Alcoy during the festival so we recommend that you book either a hotel in Alicante or a hotel in Benidorm and travel from there.
For the people of the city the fiesta is serious business. All year round they prepare for their four day festival in which a total of 28 armies do battle. This means a never ending task of fund raising, planning for the next April and preparing costumes. The end of the fiesta is a sad day for the town, the only consolation being that it all begins again in a year's time.
Noise, colour and fun abound as the Christian and Moorish armies march around the town all day long accompanied by their own bands. The Spanish love of fireworks is evident during the fiesta and the balconies of the whole town are decorated with red cross flag of St George. In the streets mock battles take place between the armies of the Moros y Cristianos and the city is covered with the fog of gunpowder.
On the final day the Christians are defeated in the morning then after the appearance of St George they surround the Moors in the afternoon and defeat them.
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