The Feasts of Moors and Christians in Spain

In Spain, the feasts of Moors and Christians generally evoke the military Reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula which was completed at the threshold of the Early Modern period. In some cases, however, as in Italy, Spanish communities also mix the memory of the liberation from the Arab “dominion” to the invasions of Barbary pirates dating from later periods. Andalusia, for example, preserves the memory of the rebellion of the MoriscosThe term Moriscos was used to designate the descendants of the Moors, after the Christian Reconquista, that had formally agreed to repent and abandon Islam. In reality, the morisca population continued to maintain their traditional ways and to practice the Muslim religion in secret. From 1609 until 1614, on the orders of Philip III all the Moriscos, approximately 300,000 people, were expelled from the Iberian Peninsula. of Granada suppressed by Philip II in the sixteenth century. Spain, in addition to having more festivals than Italy, can also claim to have an older historical tradition, dating back to the years preceding the end of the Reconquista. As a rule festivals in Spain are divided into three phases: the parade of the Muslim “invaders” (entrada), the conquest of the city ahead of a negotiation (embajada) and the procession in honour of Our Lady or the patron saint (preceded by the rescue of the Christian militias). The clash, which often revolves around the loss and recapture of a fortress or a relic (and, sometimes, even around the capture and release of a major figure), culminating in the final defeat of the “invaders” (obtained with divine assistance), which is followed by the removal, expulsion or conversion of the Moors. Most of the performances also include dialogues and disputes over religious dogma. Among the most significant are those of Almansa (Castilla-La Mancha), Caravaca de la Cruz (Murcia) and Alcoy, Orihuela and Villajoyosa (in the Valencian Community). These were all cities that are part of the territories “recaptured” in the Middle Ages.

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