Rain stops play at the burning of the Christmas tree at the Benissa Fiestas!

Here at Jacaranda Spain we try our best to be present at some of the most loved fiestas in the Valle de Pop (aka the Jalon Valley). This is no mean feat here as most weekends there is a fiesta. You might think that fiestas would be thin on the ground in the month of January, after Christmas and Día del Reyes (Kings day)- you would be wrong! Unknowingly, we decided on a quiet dinner on Saturday evening, last weekend, with friends at our favourite little eatery in Benissa- Chaplin. We arrived suitably layered up considering it was very chilly and had been raining, on and off, all day. As we pulled into the car park we realised it was almost full and there seemed to be a lot of people about, which is unusual around here when the weather is wintery! As we got out of the car there was a loud bang and the sky lit up with fireworks. We walked into the centre of town and straight into a procession that led to the Plaza mayor. 

The “Fira i Porrat de Sant Antoni 2026” was in full flow. With plenty of time before our table at Chaplin was ready, we stood with the locals and watched the build up to what we realised, was the burning of the christmas tree. This fantastic fiesta is a wonderful display of culture, tradition and music and, according to our waiter that evening, it has grown every year from its modest beginnings as a procession to bless the towns animals, into an extravagant display of local heritage.

Earlier in the day, the local people bring their pets and farm animals to be blessed by the priest.

Then horses are used to drag the tree across the plaza, where it is part of a ceremony, conducted by the parish priest.

Lots of the locals are dressed in traditional costume

Some locals dressed in red devils costumes. They danced around the tree, to music played by a traditional orchestra, and taunted the audience with their forks. 

The firework display is spectacular and the crowd enthusiastically cheer the participants on. Following the build up, the fire under the tree is lit. 

With the local Bomberos (Fire Brigade) well represented and ready for any rogue sparks, the tree goes up in flames, to the cheering of the crowd- At least, that was the plan!! This tree proved to be fireproof, thanks to the rain showers and the dampness in the air. After many attempts to restart the fire, they gave up and carried on with the fiesta anyway!

The fiesta started on the 16th and will finish on the 25th with a medieval market still to come this weekend. There is a fairgound in the centre of the plaza with rides, game stalls and food vendors. It is wonderful to take part in the festivities, even just to walk around, enjoy the atmosphere and experience the culture.  

If you would like to have a closer look at the fiesta so far, take a look at Benissa Digital facebook page. For those expats who have recently relocated to the area, we highly recommend joining these groups to be aware of what´s on, that way you can really immerse yourself in the Spanish lifestyle. For the whole programme of the Fira i Porrat- click Programación completa Fira i Porrat de Benissa 2026 | Noticias de Benissa - Benissa Digital, actualidad informativa

The Medieval market is held from Friday 23rd- Sunday 25th. We recommend parking outside of the town and walking through the charming streets of Benissa, into the centre.