The festive nature of the Valencians is manifested in la Costera in a unique way. An extraordinarily popular, rich, and diverse cultural heritage. Religious and secular festivals are mixed, some originating from seasonal changes and agricultural cycles, always with music from the bands. Of special interest are the fire festivals, the fairs, the Corpus Christi procession and the danced.
Many municipalities in la Costera have their own fairs, some of which are historical. A festive and fair calendar deeply rooted within the Valencian territory. The Fira de Xàtiva is celebrated by the privilege of King Jaume I since 1250. It is celebrated from August 15 to 20 and is one of the most emblematic fairs in the Valencian territory.
The Porrat de Torrent d’en Fenollet is celebrated on the first Friday of March by the privilege of King Jaume I, it is a very popular pilgrimage with a traditional market where one can find all kinds of street stalls. A devotion full of curiosities, like the one carried out by young single men and women who want to find a partner or who want to keep it.
In May the Wine Show is held in Terres dels Alforins, an appointment for wine lovers that includes different activities: wine tastings, gastronomic tastings and cultural activities. Also, around wine, in the Font de la Figuera the Tasta la Font gastronomic wine fair is held, an exhibition that offers a selection of its culinary and wine-making crafts. Vallada celebrates in October the Food Festival of la Costera, where farmers, cheesemakers, bakers, cooks, brewers, butchers and artisans display the products of the region. La FIra de Setembre of Canals is celebrated with a wide variety of activities and the cultural, sports and social groups of the town join in.
Bonfires have been gaining prominence over the centuries in the festivities of la Costera towns. Its construction and plantà in the main squares of the municipalities has been integrated into the festival details. The most important and well-known is the one that is burned on January 16, the eve of Sant Antoni Abad, in Canals. It is so voluminous that it begins to be assembled a month before, with the entry of the first trunk on December 8. It is also a tradition in almost all the towns of la Costera to make bonfires on the Night of Sant Joan, the shortest night of the year, a festival that was also celebrated by Muslims.
The corpus of Xàtiva is a party documented from the fourteenth century. Work unions, municipal and ecclesiastical authorities participated. It is celebrated in June, sixty days after Easter Sunday. It consists of two processions, the religious one where characters that represent biblical scenes parade and the civil one that was recovered during the 20th century. In the Casa de Santandreu, a building that is part of Sant Domènec, the elements that participate in the procession are exhibited.
La Dansà de la Font de la Figuera is recognized as a Festival of Provincial Tourist Interest. The festival was recovered in the middle of the 20th century by the hand of Vicent Tortosa i Biosca, who revitalized this tradition. Currently around 120 couples dressed in traditional Fontina clothing from the 18th century participate. La Dansà de Xàtiva is celebrated on the eve of the feast of the Mare de Déu de la Seu, on August 4 at night. It takes place in the Plaça de la Seu and then goes into the temple, where the round is made and albades are sung.
It is one of the most important and oldest Valencian Community. The city has a Brotherhood of sixteen guild and great participation of the city and region residents. It is a religious manifestation with a high cultural and patrimonial value, recently declared a Provincial Tourist Interest Festival. Its origins date back to the end of the Middle Ages.
The pilgrimage to Santa Anna is held every year at the beginning of May. The residents of La Llosa de Ranes walk the path that separates the Plaça Major from the town to the hermitage of Santa Anna. The image of the saint is transported in a cart drawn by horses and in the hermitage, it is received with a dance
In Xàtiva the pilgrimage to Puig is celebrated. Convened by the Salvem el Puig platform and supported by various cultural and ecclesiastical associations. Also, in Xàtiva, on March 19 the pilgrimage to Sant Josep is very popular, starring the Fallas community. The Fallera Local Board, the Xàtiva Dance School, the Colla la Socarrà and the Muixeranga de Xàtiva actively participate in the event.
This variant of the Valencian style song, common in the festivals of Valencian rural towns, already documented in the 14th century, is a tradition found in the festivals of most towns on la Costera. The cant d’albades is characterized by having a satirical and humorous theme. It is often interpreted at dawn, approximately at three in the morning, since the lyrics are usually critical of politicians, institutional or relevant figures of the population.
Music is one of the most deeply rooted arts in the Valencian territory and constitutes an important feature of collective identity in la Costera. Music is present throughout the year accompanying the festive cycle, or any cultural or other act. Almost all the towns have their own band, many of which are centenary. The popularity of band music makes it an essential and inseparable part of our parties.
Xátiva was the first city where fallas were planted, after Valencia, in 1865. Along with the other cities, they have been declared Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. 19 fallas are planted, one for each fallas commission, accompanied by the corresponding children’s monuments. They reach their peak during fallas week, which ends on March 19. These are days to live on the street, with a forced visit to the monuments that satirize reality.
Although it is a more deeply rooted tradition in neighbouring regions, the Moors and Christians Festival is also celebrated on la Costera. A festival with more than a hundred years of history in western towns such as Montesa, Moixent, Vallada and La Font de la Figuera. These festivals commemorate the battles that were fought during the Christian conquest. They are testimony to the entire period of Saracen rebellions, the Berber pirate attacks and the expulsion of the Moors in the 17th century. A party full of music, light and color that commemorates a part of our history.
The game of the Pilota appears in Valencian lands with the conquest knights. In the 15th century its practice and popularity extended from the king himself, the nobility, the curia, to the town people and the little ones on every street. Among the different modalities of Valencian ball, the most played in la Costera is the Raspall. The Pilota Museum in the town of El Genovés, is a space dedicated to the history, dissemination, and research of this sport, which also has a ratchet. Other towns that have a ratchet are Canals, Moixent, Llocnou d’en Fenollet and La Llosa de Ranes.