On Friday, Calpe will begin the programme of events to celebrate the Moors and Christians festivities in honour of the Cristo del Sudor, Patron Saint of the town, organised by the Moors and Christians Association in collaboration with the Town Hall.
On Friday 18th at 13:00 the bells will be rung, and salvos will be fired to announce the start of the festivities. In the evening at 19:00 hours the bands will march through the streets of the town from the Plaza Colón, at 20:00 hours the banners will be hoisted and the opening speech of the fiestas in the Plaza Mayor, which this year will be given by Antonia Avargues.
She is a person closely linked to the world of the “Moros y Cristianos”, founder of the “Moros y Cristianos Association”, standard bearer of the association, councillor of fiestas, for years she has been in charge of the staging of the ‘Miracle’ and she is responsible for the design of the Association's banner.
At the end of the act of hoisting the banners, all the ‘filaes’ and the Commission of Fiestas 2024 will make a parade to the Church to celebrate the Offering of Candles to the Patron Saint. At 00:30 hours the Moors and Christians will gather to begin the typical ‘entraetes’ which will go through the streets of the Old Town and at 01:00 the dance of the Moorish captain of the Filà Moriscos is scheduled to take place in the carrer de Fora.
On Saturday, the 19th, the events will begin at 9:30 am with the reveille from the Plaza del Mosquit. At 6:30 p.m., from Carrer Benissa to Plaça Colón, the Christian and Moorish Grand Entrance will begin, which is the culmination of the work of the ‘filaes’, as it is then that the best finery, floats, dances and other attractions will be on display, making this one of the most attractive parades in the province.
This will be the big moment for the Moorish and Christian Captains of 2024, Kiko Thewinssen Pastor of the Filà Moriscos and Miguel Crespo Pastor of the Filà Contrabandistas, accompanied by the favourite, Andrea Thewinssen Pastor and the First Lady, Fanny Poquet Mut. Another important position is that of Standard Bearer of the Moors and Christians Association, which this year goes to Puri Verdú Balaguer, from Almogávares, and the Christian and Moorish ensigns, Joaquin Pastor Pastor from Mossarabs d'Ifac and Juan Ramón Clares Trabalón from Tuareg. In the evening, at 01:00 hours, the dance of the Association's standard bearer will take place in the Filà Almogávares (Ermita street).
Sunday 20th will be the first big battle between the Moorish and Christian sides, as at 10:45 a.m. the Moorish troops are scheduled to disembark on Arenal beach. This is undoubtedly one of the most attractive events of the fiesta. In the afternoon, the children will be the stars of the children's parade, which will start at 19:00 hours from Benissa street.
On Monday, 21st October, at 20:30, the Moors and Christians will engage in the second battle and the ‘miracle’ will be held in the Plaza Mayor, one of the most significant events of the Calpe fiestas, representing the moment when ‘Caragol’ manages to close the gates of the town after the betrayal of ‘Moncofar’. In the evening, the Christian Captain's Ball will be performed by the ‘Filà Contrabandistas’.
On Tuesday 22nd, feast of the Patron Saint, the Santísimo Cristo del Sudor, the Solemn Campaign Mass in honour of the Patron Saint will be celebrated at 12 noon in the Plaza Mayor. After the mass, a spectacular ‘mascletá’ will be fired and the image of Christ will be taken back to the church.
In the evening, at 8 p.m. a solemn procession will be held through the streets of the old town and at the end a night-time mascletà will be fired in the Plaza Mayor. The events will conclude with a mass for the dead which will be celebrated on Tuesday 23rd October at 19:30 in the Virgen de las Nieves Parish Church.