What Spanish festival would be complete without a procession or two through the streets of the town? The Hogueras de San Juan is no exception. There are two main processions: The Flower Offering and The International Folk Parade.
Desfile de Ofrenda de Flores
This procession through the streets of Alicante is in 2 parts over 2 consecutive days. Men and women show off their traditional festival costume from the local barrios (neighbourhoods) and from other towns and cities in the Valencian community that also hold a similar event. The costume style has its roots in the agricultural villages of the area and no expense is spared on these beautiful jacquard and embroidered outfits.
For the participants in the festival, it is a great honour to be able to take part and some enjoy it with their children, even babies in prams and pushchairs, also in costume. Brass and wind bands accompany the groups playing traditional folk songs from the area.
You may have noticed that each woman is carrying a bunch of red or white flowers, usually carnations. These flowers are to be 'offered' to the Virgin Mary, whose imagen is awaiting them at the end of the desfile (parade) in the Co-cathedral of St. Nicholas.
What they actually do each year is spectacular... The bunches are tied to a temporary structure in front of the cathedral so that the different colours form a design. Every year it is different. This year they also decorated the doorway. Everybody goes at some point during the days after the design is finished (on the 2nd day of the parade) and before the hot Alicante sun destroys the flowers and the whole thing gets dismantled.
Larger and more elaborate 'offerings' by the participants in the parade are also left outside the cathedral for everyone to appreciate that day.
The parade lasts between 2 - 3 hours each day and once it is over, people go back to their barracas to enjoy the evening's entertainment of music, food and drink (lots of drink!).
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