Fire, crosses and ... The Nazarene

Jávea/Xŕbia offers a wide range of celebrations, rooted in the maritime and obviously Mediterranean traditions of its people, the chief protagonists in whatever festivals take place throughout the year. Religious and pagan festivals thread through the festive calendar with one common denominator: the participation of the people.

Jávea/Xŕbia misses no opportunity to display the open and extrovert character of its people. If the carnival and the “Enfarinŕ” anticipate the March celebrations, the summer is announced by the “Fogueres do Sant Joan”, a festivity rooted in the Mediterranean like no other, which in Jávea/Xŕbia still retains its magic and ancestral meaning. Fire takes on great importance in the middle of June, as in other towns along the Costa Blanca. Papier-mâché monuments, sometimes alluding to current affairs, decorate the streets of Jávea/Xŕbia reminiscent of the old tradition which involved burning old junk on the 23rd of June, in the magical belief of purifying body and soul before the summer solstice. The “Focs de Sant Joan”, which light the streets of the town, are small bonfires over which young people jump, one by one, attired with garlands and flowers, which are burned when the last fire has been vaulted. Finally on the 24th of June, the feast of Sant Joan, all the monuments are burnt, putting an end to the festivities.

The largest religious festivals are celebrated in honor of the Nazarene at the end of April. The Calvari Hermitage becomes one of the main scenes of the celebration. From there, the statue of Jesus of Nazareth is taken in procession to the San Bartolomé Church, one of the Mediterranean’s most beautiful places of worship, situated in the old town. This takes place on the Third Sunday of Lent in a display of popular faith. On the 3rd of May, the statue is taken back to the Calvari Hermitage.