Valencia's Festivals and Feast Days Part 2

March / April – Easter's Holy Week

Semana Santa or Easter week just like elsewhere is a kind of flexi-holiday celebrated in either the end of March or in April. Valencia's own particular celebration involves even more parades and processions. They bring their own dramatic and humorous twist however by dressing up as Roman or Napoleonic soldiers. More than anything it's a great excuse for the family to take time off and have a picnic in the country or along the beaches of Valencia. This is the signal that summer is just around the corner.

April – Saint Vincent Ferrer

This is the other, somewhat luckier Vincent. He was born into great wealth in the very heart of the city of Valencia. This guy was way ahead of his time. He was like a modern-day Public Relations expert while also being a hugely influential politician. His friends included the powerful Roman Popes, Machiavelli, and a certain scholar named Erasmus. He even managed to create his own mythology. He led people to believe he was responsible for countless miracles. His greatest miracle was getting people to follow him and in turn make him a saint, with a little help from the Pope, of course. His feast day is celebrated on the first Monday after Easter.

May – The Holy Cross

Valencia is blessed with countless amount of crosses. They can be found in any given square, alleyway or garden. In May these crosses are adorned and decorated with great care and detail. Flowers, ribbons, farm and maritime tools and even food are heaped upon every cross in the city. The churches, of course, are the sight of the most beautifully decorated crosses.

June / July – The Festival of Carmen

This lady gave her name to the old quarter of Valencia city. Her feast day is celebrated in two different parts of the city. In the old part of town, the aptly named Carmen quarter, a parade takes place with imagery of butterflies poetically suspended in front of the church of the Holy Cross. Down at the port, meanwhile, the lives and times of fisherman and sailors are celebrated with people throwing floral offerings into the sea as a blessing.

July – The Battle of the Flowers

Once a strictly religious festival, nowadays it's more of a celebration of every blooming thing. Decorative floral pageants, parades and floats are the hallmarks of this particular festival. It's also an excuse for the Fallas queens and kiddies to dress up again and stroll down the catwalk showing off their exquisite gowns.

August – La Tomatina

This is one of the most fun, exciting and original festivals anywhere. It is a messy food fight on a monstrous scale. Historically, it stems from the surplus amount of ripe tomatoes that remained after the summer harvest. Upwards of 50,000 people cram into the tiny countryside town of Buñol, which lies some 20kms to the west of Valencia city. The festival last an entire day, during which time trucks loaded with ripe and mushy tomatoes are paraded down the main street and the crowd endeavours to pelt each other with the juicy red tomato. Our advice - bring a spare set of clothes!

October 9th – Saint Dionysus

This saint, not to be confused with Greek son of Zeus, is Valencia's very own Saint Valentine. It's an occasion for lovers of all ages to share sweet marzipan and gifts. The date stems from October 9th in the year 1238. On this day the good King James 1st converted, yet again, the city of Valencia back to Christianity.

<<<< Back