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Fiestas
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Oliva is a town that always has something to offer. The shared feelings of its residents are reflected in their popular
fiestas. Its mild climate, the open character of its people and the wide cultural offer made possible by its geographical location has created a rich mosaic of possibilities that only shows its great wealth in its fiestas. It
does not leave many moments of rest during the year.
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Moors and Christians
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For their spectacle and elegance, the Moors and Christians fiestas of Oliva have carved a niche in the circuit of great
processions of this deeply Valencian festival.
This high
level of processions and quality of the fiesta has been reached by strengthening other aspects of the event to make it more participatory and more solemn at the same time: the day of the disembarkation, the “Saturday at
daybreak” (which people attend without having slept after the street parties) the fiesta proclamations, embassies and visits to the clubhouses... So it is that these fiestas recalling the Christian re-conquest of the
territory occupied by Arabs for more than 500 years, are enjoying a period of splendour that improves in quality, participation and above all in spectacle year after year in Oliva.
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Carnival
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Oliva Carnival recovered some years ago has a long tradition. Right back in the 18th century, the people of Oliva asked
for the opinion of the enlightened Gregori Maians on the convenience of carnival masks and fancy-dress, a request that was answered negatively as they were seen as elements of temptation.
There is also
evidence from the 19th century of parades of people covered in flour and dragging cans and saucepans… Historical testimonies apart, Oliva Carnival has come back with a bang and its parades in the old town, street parties,
fancy-dress dances and processions and children’s attractions have brought back the splendour to this fiesta that marks the start of Lent.
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Fallas
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If the carnival marks the start of Lent, in the middle of this period of reflection the Fallas fiesta maintains its attraction
celebrating Lent in a pagan way: with a great bonfire burning the old to make way for the new. The parodies of the papier-mâché monuments paint a portrait of everyday life in a way that is both easy-going and spectacular. In
Oliva there is evidence that these fiestas were already celebrated in the 60s but they have been consolidated as we now know them since 1982. Now the five Fallas commissions prepare a great fiesta that lasts a week and in which
there is every type of ritual (the naming of the fiesta queens, erection of the monuments, early-morning awakenings, flower offerings, lunches in the clubhouses, prize-giving, firecracker displays, the burning…). It is a
great spectacle to which everyone is invited.
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Holy week
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Oliva’s Holy Week has a special attraction: the beauty of its processions.
From Palm Sunday until Easter Sunday, Oliva’s old town with its unmistakable Moorish air fills with worshippers
following the solemn passage of the brotherhoods under the tenuous light of candles and the moon.
The climb to the Calvary at daybreak on Good Friday allows us to watch the sunrise from the vantage-point of Oliva Castle
at the same time as a rosary of brotherhoods winds between each Station of the Cross.
Oliva also
has a biblical performance of great tourism interest that has been preserved over the centuries. On the evening of Good Friday in the parish church of Santa María they perform the “Desenclavament” or
“Desenclavamiento”, a drama presented by the brotherhoods and in which they enact the torture, death and taking down of Jesus of Nazareth.
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Fiestas of the Cristo de San Roque
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The fiestas of the Cristo de San Roque have been celebrated in Oliva since the 17th century. In these fiestas, celebrated on
May 3, we can enjoy a great number of acts representative of our most ancient traditions. At the “pregón”, with all the revellers dressed in traditional style, the start of the fiesta is announced to the whole town. A
Novena is celebrated in the chapel of the Cristo, considered a jewel of the baroque because of the symbolism and beauty of the paintings covering its central vault. In the streets there are fiestas for everyone: theatre and
children’s events, thrilling games of the Valencian ballgame “pelota”, colourful fancy-dress parades and, of course, the lively parties that fill our streets with revelry and fun. The fiesta ends with a solemn procession
in honour of the Santísimo Cristo.
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Oliva fair. Main fiestas
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In ancient times the fair in Oliva was an annual meeting of merchants to negotiate commercial sales and interchanges, although
they also closed marriage pacts and family agreements.
The fairs were born of the privileges granted by the kings in order to stimulate and consolidate the economic activity in
their dominions, although they became an annual economic event for every type of cultural and social interchange.
Nowadays
their commercial function has disappeared but we preserve the fiesta and fun part from the old days such as the “Tío de la Porra”, the fun band that starts off Oliva fiestas. For a week there is the grand funfair to
delight the children and youths, accompanied by a sports week, diverse cultural acts, a thrilling race by waiters and street parties until the early hours of the morning.
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Porrats
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In the Valencian language, “porrats” are fairs selling a great variety of products (sweets, salted fish and meat, honey…)
They are of medieval orgin and the first is the “porrat” of Sant Antoni celebrated in January, in which there is the
ritual blessing of animals formerly work animals but now household pets.
Stalls are set up in the streets of the old town and we can savour traditional dishes such as the “pa benet”
(“blessed bread”) or the stew prepared with locally-grown vegetables.
They also
take advantage of this fiesta to celebrate a medieval market with live shows in the streets and different fun activities. In February they celebrate the “porrat” of San Blas, set up in the Plaza de Enguix with children’s
games.
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Fiestas of the Virgen del Rebolet
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The Virgen del Rebollet is Oliva’s patron saint and is represented by a beautiful Roman carving (the oldest Marian
representation found in the Valencian region). It was discovered in the Castle of the Rebollet at the end of the 12th century and the mass gathering and procession to the ruins of the castle is the central act of these popular
fiestas.
In a large procession, the worshippers go to the castle to celebrate an open-air Mass and a lunch of brotherhood. It is also
traditional in these fiestas to sing the “aurora” (“flush of dawn”), songs in the Valencian language in homage to the saint, while parading in the streets of the old town at daybreak. The Novena, which begins with a
solemn proclamation, supports the day-to-day life of this fiesta.
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Neighbourhood fiestas.
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These fiestas have a pleasant neighbourhood feel in which the spontaneity of the people is outstanding, bringing to light the
most characteristic aspects of the neighbourhood. There is the savouring of local cuisine, a great variety of fun events for children and popular street parties at night. We should highlight:
- Fiestas in the Calle San Miguel
- Fiestas in the Calle San Jaime, Oliva Beach, July 25
- Fiestas of the Kiko
- Fiestas in the Pinet neighbourhood
- Fiestas in the Calle San Vicente. Bull-running.
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