During the “Hogueras de San Juan” there are many parties and traditions. One of the traditions is called “despartà, which basically means party with no sleep. In the barrios of Alicante the “falleros” which are band members and singers, walk around the barrios beginning at 8 a.m. singing, playing music and setting off firecrackers. The idea is to wake everyone up and keep the party going.
I decided to go and follow one of the felleros bands and enjoy the despartà tradition. I met my friend Felipe and we went to the barrio Santa Cruz to follow the band.
The barrio of Santa Cruz has numerous stairs and narrow traditional streets.
one of the “streets” in the barrio of Santa Cruz
We walked along singing different traditional songs of the fiesta. The Felleros played their instruments and singers would stop every so often and set of loud firecrackers. The awakening is not always welcomed by the residents of the neighbourhood. This gentlemen was sleeping on the side of the road while we played music and sang.
A partygower sleeping on the side of the road while we played music and sang
Along the way there were some beautiful views which made the walk even more enjoyable.
A view of the Santa Barbara castle along our walk with the fallerosA view of the old quarter of Alicante along our walk.
The following video is a small sample of the despartà.
We walked along with them for about a half hour before heading out for breakfast. It was a lot of fun singing and making noise to keep the neighbours awake.
We decided to walk down to the area of the Plaza del Luceros to watch and hear the mascletà’s on Sunday.
Statue in the Plaza del Luceros
The mascletàs are popular in Spain and particularly in our area. Masclaterà’s are pyrotechnics that focus on noise and rhythm. The Mascleterà’s are started at 2 p.m. and last approximately 12 to 15 minutes.
As we got closer to Luceros the crowds became thicker and larger.
crowds gathering towards the Luceros Plaza for the mascletà’s
People gather early and try to get as close as possible to the barrier fences to be as close as possible. The percussion of the noise can be felt in the entire body, when you are fairly close to Luceros square.
We walked to an area that was not too close to the front of Luceros and found a good spot to watch the mascleta. The noise is very loud and we brought ear plugs to protect our ears.
Shelley and Ray with hearing protection at the mascletà
The mascletà last approximately 15 minutes and escalates in loudness and speed throughout the event. The smoke and sound can be seen across the entire city.
Smoke from the mascletà’s in Luceros plaza
It is a cultural thing here in Alicante and families bring children and even babies to the mascletà.
Young family at the Mascletà’s in Alicante
The mascletà is part of the fiesta called The Bonfires of Saint John. In Alicante, the fiesta has been established since 1928 and is celebrating it’s 90 anniversary this year.
Mascletà gets its name from the masclets (very loud firecrackers) that are tied by a wick to form a line or firework display. You will hear them throughout the video below.
It is an interesting and amazing thing to see and hear. It is one of the many unique things about living in Spain.
We went to preview the fogueres on display and take part in the judging of the best fogueres for 2018. Each year a miniature copy of the full size fogueres are made and put on display for judging. Each ticket entry fee comes with two ballets for voting. One ballot for the adult fogueres and the other is for the children’s fogueres.
We went into the large building and came to the first room which contained the adult fogueres.
Shelley and Ray in the entrance area of the fogueres
There were rows of the fogueres on both sides of the room .
Rows of adult miniature fogueres on display for judging.
We went through the room slowing looking at each one. There was one which caught Ray’s attention.
Ray with firefighter foguere
What was unique about the firefighter foguere is what was not visible at first. The back of the foguere was surprising. The firefighter was wearing a thong and angel wings. I think the meaning behind the foguere is that a firefighter could be a women and may be the firefighter you see in gear.
The view on the back side of the foguere
We walked through the room and admired the amazing details of the fogueres. Some of them were very beautiful and extremely detailed.
One of the fogueres with amazing detail
We then went through to the children’s fogueres area. This was also a large room with fogueres on both sides of the room.
Children’s fogueres on display for judging.
The children fogueres were very interesting and there were many beautiful designed fogueres. We looked at each one and made our votes for what we thought was the best in both categories.
Each year we enjoy seeing the different and new fogueres. Some of them are made to make political statements or to make fun of a particular person or group. One which was particularly interesting was of the poisoning of the oceans through plastics and pollution.
A foguere in a tube design with a skeleton of a fish inside
At first glance it is a message about pollution but on a closer look you see a sign which makes a strong statement.
Sign with ominous warning of the pollution and plastics of the ocean.
It translates roughly in english as follows:
“just wield the last tree Follow death, the last poisoned river and the last trapped fish.
You will notice that you can not eat money”
Looking inside the container you can see the bottom which represents the ocean floor and is full of plastics, paints, hazardous materials and other pollutants.
Plastics, paints and other pollutants on base of foguere
Plastic has become a major issue here and across the globe. We see it on a daily basis living on the coast of the Mediterranean sea.
There was another foguere which made fun of a female politician named “Cristina Cifuentes”. She had made a false statement that she had obtained a master’s degree. When she was challenged by the media she produced a certificate which was later proven to be fake. It was a major issue here in Spain and caused a lot of turmoil, she eventually resigned.
Effigy foguere of Cristina Cifuentes a politician from Madrid
In the hands of the effigy are two different “certificates” which do not hold back the feelings of the public.
The “certificate” translates to state ” Master Cristina Cifuentes “major troll of the kingdom”Fake certificate which translates “Cristina Cifuentes, “a very legal blonde”
It is these type of fogueres which make seeing the different ones so enjoyable.
Below is a gallery of some of the fogueres on display for the voting in 2018.
There was a “Street Food Market” event here on the weekend in Alicante. We decided to head down on Sunday and check it out. It was being held in the Plaza Seneca.
Shelley at the Plaza Seneca in Alicante
We walked down to the plaza and were surprised to see rows of different types of food trucks and a beer pavilion with picnic tables.
Some of the food trucks in Plaza Seneca
We walked through the rows of food trucks checking them out before deciding what to have for our meal. It was a difficult decision because of the many options available and the great smells coming from different trucks.
Different food trucks in Plaza Seneca.
Ray found a food truck that was selling pulled pork and he decided to have a pulled pork sandwich.
Pulled pork signs at one of the food trucksRay ordering his pulled pork sandwich
Shelley decided to try a different food truck and ordered a veggie burger. We picked up our food and went to the picnic table to enjoy it.
Shelley with her veggie burger.
We enjoyed our food truck meal and had a great Sunday in the Plaza Seneca in Alicante.
Enrique Mendoza winery is considered one of the better wines in the Alicante Region. Each year they have a weekend where you can buy a ticket and tour the inner sanctum of the winery. We decided to go with some friends and take part in the event. We bought out tickets which were expensive and limited to 250 per day and set out for a day of wine adventure.
Enrique Mendoza Wine ticketTram Station at 6:30am
The day began early because of the distance we needed to travel using the transit systems. We were at the Tram station at 6:30 am waiting for the tram.
The Tram to Benidrom
We took the tram to Benidorm where we disembarked and then took a train to the town of Alfàs Del Pi. This small town is located at the foot of the Serra Gelada mountain. We began our walk up the mountain to the winery.
Walking along the sidewalk in the town of Alfàs Del Pi
We continued walking our way up the mountain towards the winery. The views and scenery were beautiful so we stopped to take a selfie and enjoy the moment.
Shelley and Ray on the way up to the Enrique Mendoza Winery
We continued up the mountain and finally came to the winery.
Reaching the Enrique Mendoza wineryLineup for entrance to the winery
The main entrance was lined up with people getting into the winery. We joined the queue and waited our turn to enter the winery. Once we entered the winery we explored the grounds for a while.
Wine barrels set up for people to use as tables.Sampling area for different wines of Enrique Mendoza
We decided to go and take part is some of the wine education sessions.
One of the wine cellar in Enrique Mendoza WineryRay and Pepe Mendoza-winemakerSamples of wine being served in the wine class
We learned about the different aspects of wine making and the different grapes, soil, temperature etc. There was even an area set up to smell the different aromas of wine.
Aroma sampling containers for the smells of different wines.Shelley trying the different aromas of wine
After the wine class, we decided to take a break and enjoy a glass of wine and a cheese tray.
Christine, Sonja and Shelley enjoying some snacks and wine.
We enjoyed the food and wine throughout the day. The weather was beautiful and we had a great time with our friends.
Marcelo, Ray, Shelley, Sonja, Paco, Christine at the Enrique Mendoza
After sampling different wines and enjoying some food we headed back home. It was a long day but a very enjoyable time.
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