LOOKING BACK AT CORPUS CHRISTI FESTIVAL 2024

THE TRADITIONAL CORPUS CHRISTI FESTIVAL TOOK OVER VALENCIA LAST WEEKEND, WITH MANY IMPRESSIVE PROCESSIONS, PROPS AND DECORATIONS RICH WITH HISTORY AND CULTURE.

With balconies and shop windows decorated spectacularly, enormous figures being spotted around the Ciutat Vella, and buckets being hung from balconies, an unaware visitor to Valencia would find it hard to piece together what was happening. One of the oldest and deeply rooted Valencian traditions, The Corpus Christi festival, came to Valencia last weekend. The religious festival which takes place sixty days after Easter Sunday each year, dates back to 1263, although it was not until 1355 that Valencia established the procession.

As the city prepared for the festival on Saturday, there was an abundance of interesting sights to see. After their monumental transfer the night before from the Casa de las Rocas, special carriages known as ‘rocas’ were laid out in Plaza de la Virgen and encompassed mythical creatures such as the Drac de Sant Jordi and La Tarasca i Santa Marta. Water-filled buckets were hung from balconies on the Carrer dels Cabillers and the Carrer de les Avellanes, in preparation for water to be dumped onto the soldiers of the parade to represent Herod’s guards being attacked. On Saturday evening, Plaza de la Virgen was bustling with spectators eager to view the ‘representation of the mysteries’ event and the traditional costume, dance and music of the Unio Musical D’Alaquas. After an extraordinary 11pm concert by the Municipal band of Valencia, the Nit de Festa took place and prizes were distributed to the best window decorations.

Church bells rang out throughout the Ciutat Vella all of Sunday morning, commencing the most significant day of the festival. After the Solemn Pontifical Mass in the Cathedral, the Cavalcade of Convite began at 12pm. The procession began from the Plaza de Manises, continued along C/ Caballeros and crossed Plaza de la Virgen, Plaza de la Reina and finished at the Palau. The dynamic procession included performances from the Cabezudos characters which represent the 4 continents of Europe, Asia, Africa and America, and the iconic Danza de la Moma.The liveliness continued after the end of the procession, with a 2pm Mascletá display at the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, attracting an enormous crowd of spectators.

The solemn procession began at 7pm from the Cathedral, with biblical characters stepping out onto Plaza de la Virgen to commence the route of the final procession of the festival. The significant cultural event of Corpus Christi brought a feeling of patriotism and community to the city this last weekend, and was surreal to witness first-hand.

Report by Polly Watton