Fiestas Patronales- Celebrating the wonderful Spanish lifestyle!

The summer here in the Vall del Pop (aka the Jalon Valley) brings with it the "Fiestas Patronales" - the Fiesta of the Patron Saint. This is a week to two weeks period of the celebration of the cultural identity of the villages. Each village holds their fiestas on different weeks. The villages in close proximity to each other have an agreed time period on the calendar. So, for example, this year 2024, Jalón fiestas are 31st July- 11th August and Llíber fiestas are 13th- 22nd August. The geographical proximity of the many villages in the Jalon and Orba Valleys means that there is always a fiesta somewhere!

History of Fiestas Patronales.

The history of the fiestas can be traced back, at least to the 14th and 15th centuries. The origin of these celebrations are deeply rooted in Spain´s devoutly, religious past. To understand this you have to remember that religion was a part of everyday life. When there was drought, pestilence, plague, extreme weather, it was believed that it was punishment from God. To combat this, patron saints were elected to defend and protect the land and people. Fiestas were  mainly religious years ago. Solemn mass and services were held at the end of gruelling processions, carrying the effigies of the saint to be worshipped.

Modern day fiestas have an altogether, more relaxed vibe! They are still based on religion but they have evolved over time to celebrate the individual, cultural heritage of each village. They are organised by the "festeros and festeras", the young people between 16 and 22 years old, who rally together and work, year round, to raise funds and build the timetable for the next year celebrations. Even the initiation of the new festeros is a spectacle. Doorways are decorated with flowers in the name of the newly inaugurated festero and a marching procession takes place around the town to collect each individual.

Programme of events.

The celebrations include music events, dancing, parades in traditional dress, childrens games and events, food festivals such as the "giant paella"  and "cocas". Each day usually begins with a parade by the village orchestra to wake the townfolk up and then there will be a full programme of events!

In most of the towns in the Vall del Pop, the second phase of the fiestas is the "Running of the Bulls". This tradition started in the towns with bull fighting arenas, when they would herd the animals toward the bull ring to watch the spectacle of the Bullfight. Nowadays you can watch at a safe distance and normally there are no casualties, animal or human, but it can be perilous for those that get too close and there is always an ambulance on standby!

During the fiesta period, the whole town or village literally closes for business, and in the larger towns that is usually two weeks. Music goes on well into the next day, sometimes finishing at 6.30am with the orchestra waking you up at 8.30 am! If you are a native, you are used to it, the Spanish locals accept it as part of life and they find a way to navigate it. For us foreigners it can be daunting.

Our own experience is "if you can´t beat ´em, join ´em!".

Our advice is to make a plan that includes joining in as much as you can;

-Buy tickets at the townhall for events like the "Paella Gigante" or the "cocas" (a traditional Spanish pastry with different toppings).

-Watch some of the traditional costume and dancing events.

-Get the kids involved, especially in the water fights.

-Download the programme of your town fiestas, or visit the tourist information office in the Rastro car park in Jalón, who have copies of most of the programmes.

-Do some research on the bands that are playing on any given night or ask around for recommendations, some of them are really good and there is something for everyone.

Download the programme of events in Jalón for the Fiesta in honour of Sant Doménec:

https://valldepop.es/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/festes-xalo-sant-domenec-2024_programa.pdf

The music is loud! So, if the late night music events are not for you, our advice is;

-Unless you live out in the sticks, close your windows, turn on a fan, use earplugs and remember, it is only for a few nights!

-Some people go travelling for the fiesta period, especially those that live in town, where "opting out" is not an option.

 Of course there is no obligation to join in. Whatever your plan, we would ask you to be good natured about it. Sadly the townhall receives complaints every year, normally from foreign residents, about the disruption to their lives.

The fiestas are intrinsically Spanish and part of the Mediterranean lifestyle we love to promote. Most of us like to join in, even in a small way, just because it is great to integrate and it is a privilege to witness, and help celebrate, things that have been part of the Valencian culture for centuries.

Bones Festes! Felices Fiestas! Happy Fiesta time from the team at Jacaranda Spain, to all our friends and clients!