One of the 'big deals' that takes place during the month of October in El Campello is its Moors and Christians Festival. These have been taking place for centuries in the Valencia region. they have evolved over time and each community has its own twist on how they are done. Overall the general format is some kind of historical enactment, with much music, parades, fireworks, etc. all over a number of days. Here is some information about the festival in El Campello.
In the Moors and
Christians festival of El Campello, the different groupings of participants are
organized into self-contained clubs or associations known as comparsas.
These are social and fraternal organizations that operate year-round, preparing
for the annual celebration.
Comparsas are the organizing unit:
Rather than being based on geography like neighborhoods, participation is
defined by membership in a specific comparsa. There are separate comparsas
for the Moorish side and the Christian side. In 2025, for example, El Campello featured
17 comparsas.
Voluntary membership: The festival brings together local
residents and visitors who voluntarily join a comparsa. This creates a
sense of community and allows participation to span multiple generations within
families.
Social and fraternal structure: Members of a comparsa are called festeros and work
together throughout the year. They hold social events, make costumes, and
organize the details for the parade and festival. Each comparsa
typically has its own headquarters (cuartelillos) where they gather.
Leadership roles: Within each comparsa, specific leadership roles are filled,
particularly the "captain" and "standard-bearer" (banderera).
These roles are handed down from one year's festival to the next.
Distinct identities: Each comparsa has its own name and identity. For instance, some
of
El Campello's comparsas
include:
- Christian: Cavallers de Conquesta,
Cristians del Campello, Jaume I, and Cavallers de Montesa.
- Moorish: Marrocs, Meixemet, and Zaidies.
External
participants: While the comparsas are local
groups, other organizations are often invited to participate in the festival.
For example, music bands (bandas de
música) from throughout the region often travel
to El Campello to accompany the parades, contributing to the spectacle.
The parade schedule for El Campello, the Moorish comparsas do not always
lead the main parade. The festival includes different parades and battle
reenactments, and the order of the processions changes depending on the
specific event, reflecting the different narrative stages of the conflict.
Here is how the
order works:
- The initial Moorish victory: The festival's narrative begins
with the historical recreation of the Moorish landing (Desembarco)
and their temporary victory over the Christians. The subsequent grand
parade on October 12, called the Entrada Cristiana-Mora, symbolizes
this initial Christian defeat. Therefore, the defeated Christian side
marches first, followed by the victorious Moorish side.
- The Christian counterattack: On the next day, October 13,
the parade is called the Entrada Mora-Cristiana. This signifies the
successful Christian counterattack, and the parade order is reversed. The
Moorish side marches first in retreat, and the Christian side follows.
- A contrast to other festivals: While some towns, like Villena,
have a fixed parade order with the Moors always going first, the
alternating order in El Campello reflects the festival's unique narrative
structure, which reenacts both the Moorish invasion and the Christian
reconquest over the course of the celebrations.
Last year we were only vaguely aware this was going on. This year we decided that we were going to aggressively dip our toe into it. We started with the initial event, the reenactment of the Moorish pirate raid.
This entailed our getting up way early in the morning when it was pitch dark and making our way to the beach and trying to get in position where we could actually see something. RMG was much more aggressive about this, with Wife not far behind her. As you will hear on the videos, there was constant musketry fire enactment which was playing havoc with my tinnitus ravaged ears. Much like the Christians, I had to escape the battlefield to save myself.
Here is some of what it was like.
There is much attention to historical accuracy including reenactment of the use of children in the battle, the cowardice of the band supporters,
and the general blase/ineffectiveness of the musketry.
If you want to see ACTUAL, GREAT PHOTOS, of the event, go to Wife's Blog Post.
As the Moors are triumphant on this initial day, and we were mightily hungry in supporting the Moorish cause, we rewarded ourselves with the traditional post-victory meal of pizza from our favorite place, Restaurant Lami. It did not disappoint. Wife had pepperoni, I had one with a local sausage and mushrooms, RMG's was red onion, olives, and feta cheese.
