The town of Alcoy or (Alcoi) is known for their annual Christian and Moor Fiesta. It is one of the oldest festivals of this kind in Spain. The fiesta original began (it is believed) the year after the battle in 1277.  It has been internationally known and declared of International tourist Interest, since 1980.  The three-day event consists of parades, music, and reenactments of the battles between the Christians and the Moors. They wear elaborate costumes, ride horses and use replicated weapons and fireworks as part of the reenactment. The Alcoy festival commemorates the battle between the Christians and Moors which was fought in 1276.

We went to the Christian/Moors museum in Alcoy, it is situated in a modern three-story building. We went to the third floor and began our visit eventually going down to the first level. Our first stop was in a small theater to view a movie of the event. Below are a few images from the video depicting the activities of the Fiesta.

We watched the video which had parts of the amazing reenactment of the battle and some history of the event. There were also mannequins in costumes situated in the theater.

We then walked through the museum admiring the exhibits and the ornate costumes. On the second floor, we came to a large room with costumes that were used in the fiesta over the years. There were costumes for the children of the fiesta.

The displays were very impressive and each mannequin had an information plaque depicting the year it was used in the fiesta.

There were also adult costumes on display from different years of the fiesta. There were rows and rows of very impressive and ornate costumes. We took our time and walked the rows of displays. Below are a few images of the costumes. There are even a few cameo appearances in some of the photos.

The costumes were extremely ornate and very impressive.

We then went to the next level of the museum where we saw some of the exhibits on the making of the costumes. There is a very detailed and complex process for the creation of the costumes. Every year the “Boatos” which loosely translates to mean “the pageantry designers” create new designs for the important roles in the fiesta. They conceptualize the sketch, choose the materials and colors and coordinate all the artisans that take part in its creation. Then the new costumes is created for the fiesta.

There was also a meeting room which is used for the organization. The room is also decorated with costumes and images from the festival.

The museum also had on display artifacts and old books of the history of the Christian and Moor fiesta. The first recorded photograph of the fiesta is dated back to 1876.

There were historical books, art and other documentation depicting the long history of the fiesta.

The visit to the Alcoy museum was very interesting. We enjoyed walking through the museum admiring the costumes and reading about the history of the fiesta. It is amazing to see how they maintain the history of a battle between the Christians and the Moors that occurred in 1276.

“Adios y que tenga un grand dia”