The 12th Harvest Festival organized by the Valencia Rice Designation of Origin (D.O. Arroz de Valencia) brings together more than 5,000 attendees. The Port of Catarroja was filled with gastronomy and tradition on a day focused on Valencian rice, with actor Arturo Valls as Honorary Reaper. The Valencia Rice Designation of Origin (D.O.) held its 12th Harvest Festival this Sunday at the Port of Catarroja. More than 5,000 people gathered at the pier to enjoy a unique day focused on the cultivation, tradition, and culture of Valencian rice. The event culminated with the presentation of the Honorary Reaper award to Valencian actor Arturo Valls.
The new edition offered a full programme of activities, which extended into the afternoon. Attendees enjoyed boat rides, a manual harvesting demonstration, live cooking classes, children’s workshops, a ‘Cant de Batre’ competition, and several musical performances. They also enjoyed tasting rice dishes at affordable prices. “A wonderful opportunity to enjoy the sector and the surrounding area, which is experiencing a renewed surge after last year’s DANA,” said Santos Ruiz, manager of the D.O. Arroz de Valencia.
Rice Culture
The Harvest Festival kicked off early this Sunday with a visit to the Tancat de la Pipa, where attendees were able to discover the birds that live there firsthand; and boat rides through the Albufera de Valencia. Aboard the traditional Albufera, attendees learned more about the relationship between the stages of rice cultivation and the water cycles in the Albufera.
Mid-morning, it was time for cooking classes and a cooking demonstration. An activity led by Eva Davó, from La Cantina de Ruzafa, who is also a descendant of illustrious Catarrogins. The chef explained the marshland through rice with duck, cuttlefish, and crab, along with a mixture of nuts and aromatic plants. Shortly after, the famous Rice Tunnel was inaugurated, which consisted of a gastronomic tour of some of the restaurants that best know Valencian rice. Children also enjoyed the day thanks to the various free workshops held at the Rice Museum stand.
Recognition and Tradition
This time, the Harvest Festival takes on even more significance. In a year so marked by the DANA last October, the twelfth edition wanted to pay special tribute to the victims by presenting awards to three representatives: a farmer, a fisherman, and a resident of the affected area.
Afterwards, the day continued with the traditional manual harvesting demonstration. In it, some twenty farmers dressed in traditional costumes entered the dock at Port de Catarroja, riding on the traditional albuferencia, loaded with sheaves of rice. They threshed an entire field while the presenter explained the different stages of the crop. The scene was enlivened by the performance of La Muixeranga del Carraixet.
While the farmers were harvesting the rice field, the 8th ‘Cant de Batre’ Competition took place, won by Tatiana Prades (Tati de Godella). The competition was a way of paying tribute to the traditional work song that Valencian farmers sang to accompany themselves during the long days of harvesting. The competition featured two rounds and various participants from the Valencian Community. Among the finalists were Rubén Buj, Nerea Piqueres, Pura Mahiques (Pura de Montitxelvo), and Francisco Soriano (Paco el Pouero).
At the end of the harvest, the President of the Regulatory Council, accompanied by the farmers, presented the 2025 Honorary Reaper award. This year, the award went to actor Arturo Valls, who a few months ago presented his own brand of rice, ‘Socarrón,’ with the Valencian Designation of Origin (D.O.) quality seal and grown in the Albufera Natural Park. “For me, it’s an honour, and I’m very grateful to receive this distinction, because you make paellas at home, in Madrid, and to do so, you have to speak with authority,” said the Valencian performer, who dared to sing a “batre” (a traditional drum song).
The celebration concluded with rice tastings at a popular price and performances by the dance group La Chicalla and the musical group Tres Fan Ball, who brought the icing on the cake to a festive day that restores rice culture to its rightful place.
Report by Will McCarthy
Article copyright ‘24/7 Valencia’
@arrozdevalenciado
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