# Moors and Christians of Villena

The Moors and Christians festival in Villena, Spain (Spanish: Moros y Cristianos), is celebrated from the 4th to 9th of September in honour of Nuestra Señora de las Virtudes, (Our Lady of the Virtues), patron saint of the city and advocate against the Plague. This festival has been declared a Festival of National Tourist Interest. With approximately 15,000 participants in the main parades, who dress as Moors, soldiers, warriors, farmers, etc. The Villena Moors and Christians Festival has a high participation level compared to similar festivals in Spain. 14 Comparsas (musical groups) take part in the festivities, half of whom belong to the Moorish side and the others to the Christian side. They go on a pilgrimage in honour of the Virgin of La Morenica, as the Virgin Mary is referred to in the region.
Parades such as La Entrada (The Entrance Parade) on September 5 or La Cabalgata Nocturna (the Great Night Parade) on September 6, can last for seven or eight hours. These parades involve a significant portion of the local population and bring together up to 120 marching and music bands from various regions of southeastern Spain.

## History

The festival's origin dates back to 1474, when the Virgen de las Virtudes (Virgin of the Virtues), was proclaimed patroness of the town and protector against the Plague.
The current Moors and Christians Festival is the result of the merger of three different festivals:
* The Patron Saint Festival, a religious event, which consisted of processions accompanying the Virgin Statue.
* The Military Festival or Alarde, the origin of which is in the creation of the Militia of the Kingdom, later called soldiery, which participated in the patronal festival. Notable is La Entrada (The Entrance Parade), which consists of a parade in which all the festeros (celebrants) participate, grouped in comparsas in costume and to the rhythm of Moorish marches, Christian marches or pasodobles composed for the festivities.
* The historical element, which consists of the fight, harquebusier, embassies, loss and recovery of a castle that symbolizes the population, recalling historical events that occurred during the History of Spain. It represents embassies, guerrillas, shooting, landing, conversions of the Moors to Christianity or other similar acts.
Las Embajadas (the Embassies) plays consists of a series of old plays, of which the current version was written between 1810 and 1815. In them, an ambassador presents a parliament to the defenders of the castle of the city, the Atalaya Castle. The dialogue escalates, revealing the intentions of taking the fortress. After a battle with arquebuses, the invading army takes the castle. The roles are reversed two days later.

## The Comparsas

In Villena, there are 14 comparsas or associations: seven of them are from the Moorish and seven from the Christian side:
Moorish side: Moros Viejos (Ancient Moors), Moros Nuevos (New Moors), Bando Marroquí (Moroccan Band), Moros Realistas (Royalist Moors), Moros Nazaríes (Nazarite Moors), Moros Bereberes (Berber Moors), and Piratas (Pirates).
| Moros Viejos (Ancient Moors) | Moros Nuevos (New Moors) | Bando Marroquí (Moroccan Band) | Moros Realistas (Royalist Moors) | Moros Nazaríes (Nazarite Moors) | Moros Bereberes (Berber Moors) | Piratas (Pirates) |
Christian side: Estudiantes (Students), Marinos Corsarios (Corsair Sailors), Andaluces (Andalusians), Labradores (Farmers), Ballesteros (Crossbowmen), Almogávares (Almogavars), and Cristianos (Christians).
| Estudiantes (Students) | Marinos Corsarios (Corsair Sailors) | Andaluces (Andalusians) | Labradores (Farmers) | Ballesteros (Crossbow- men) | Almogávares (Almogavars) | Cristianos (Christians) |

## Special Squads and Costume Industry

Interest in the historical authenticity of the costumes has grown through the proliferation of so-called special squads (Escuadras Especiales), a phenomenon that has spread in the second half of the 20th century. In each comparsa, the number of special squads has been limited to one per every one hundred participants to preserve traditional costumes in the parades, and their new costumes are worn for the first time every year on the day of La Entrada parade.
These costumes are created and produced in Villena, promoted by the same groups that will later wear them for the first time. After the festival they rent those special costumes to squads from other towns to help recoup some of their costs. As a result, a costume industry has developed in Villena since the 1970s, leading to the creation of jobs and the organization of specialized fairs, particularly for footwear, leather goods, precious stones, textiles, metals, makeup, and other crafts related to the festival.