August fiesta day in Alicante - Asunción de la Virgin María

Today is a holiday or fiesta in Alicante which commemorates the day that the Virgin Mary died and rose to heaven.  (You can read more about it in Spanish here).  I'm pretty sure that years ago there were processions through the streets and special events happening so that the devotees could honour the Virgin and there may well be some going on in some other parts of Spain.

But nowadays, as people go to church less and less, and many people do not follow the Catholic religion as strictly as before, this fiesta day today, in the middle of August, is mostly an excuse to close up shop:

and go down to the beach:

This was what people were doing in Alicante today.
The photo above is of the beach of San Juan, or playa de San Juan. It's a wonderful beach that is 7km long which is why there is space for everyone to place their towel on the shoreline.  It looks empty in this photo but it is just so long.  I will devote a post to it soon because there is lots to say about it.

Misterí d'Elx

The Elx Mystery is a play held on the 14th and 15th of August each year in the Basilica de Santa María in the city of Elche commemorating the Assumption of Mary.  The origins of the play date back to the 15th Century and in 2001, was declared by UNESCO as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.  FYI, 'Elx' is Elche in the Valencian language.

Nit de l'Albà

One of the other attractions of the fiestas at the moment in Elche is the Nit de l'Albà (the night of 'white' or 'having a white colour') which takes place on 13th of August each year. From 11pm until just before midnight, palmeras (big fireworks that look like a palm tree when exploded) are set off from various points of the city.  This idea started in the Middle Ages when each rocket was an offering to the Virgin Mary for each child in the family.

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Just before midnight, all the firework activity stops and the city lights are turned off ready for the moment of la Gloria. The hugely enormous white-coloured palmera de la Virgin is fired into the sky above Elche from the Basilica lighting everything up for a few seconds.  When the lights come back on, a small Virgin de fuego can be seen in the tower of the Basilica while the locals sing from their balconies and terraces.  Then the night is ended for some by eating copious amounts of watermelon!

For others, the guerra de carretillas starts and goes on until the early hours.   All you safety-concious ('normal') people run and hide because in this 'war of wheelbarrows' a dedicated area is set up where a number of people dress up in special jumpsuits protecting their faces, hands and feet and throw crazy fireworks at each other!  Yes, you read it right.  They THROW fireworks at each other!  Wheelbarrow is the name of the type of firework.  People get injured every year with burns when some fireworks get caught in their clothing.  Not surprising.

I don't know what it is with the Valencian community but they absolutely LOVE fireworks. The louder, the bigger and the more dangerous the better.  Any fiesta there is around here is guaranteed to include a firework display.  Every now and again I hear fireworks and firecrackers going off randomly in the distance and know that someone, somewhere is having a fiesta!