Mojácar can well claim to be one of the stars of the summer in the province of Almería! This town has become one of the most fashionable tourist resorts and over the summer months is visited by thousands of people from other parts of Spain and abroad. Its superb location, its weather, its beaches, its cuisine and its wide range of leisure possibilities make this the Peninsula’s very own Ibiza.
This season’s hectic activity in Mojácar gets under way with its well-known Moors and Christians festival. Locals and outsiders alike split into groups parading through the village with eye-catching and luxurious Arab, Christian or Goya-inspired costumes, depending on which of the groups they represent. Accompanied by their dancing troupes and musical bands, they dramatize the negotiated and peaceable surrender of the county to the Catholic Monarchs, which took place in the late 15th century. This is an event in which the respect existing between Moslem, Christian and Jewish believers is brought to the fore, also highlighting the peaceful coexistence now enjoyed in this coastal town.
This year the celebration will be held from 8 to 10 June. The first historical depictions will be on Friday evening, when the troops will gather at La Fuente and the key of the city will be handed over by the Moorish King to the Christian King. Later on, the troupes will go up to the village to announce the presence of hostile troops. Music, fireworks and salvos of gunshots will all be part of the fun. In the village they will read the proclamation and open up the kábilas and the “barracks”.
Then on Saturday there will be a horse-riding show and dressage display on El Lance beach, which will then to on to the encounter of the reinforcements of the Moorish and Christian troops. There will also be a Medieval Tournament in which knights from both sides will strive to get the greatest number of handkerchiefs from the ladies. A dance and fire show will round off the second day in great style.
On Sunday, at 6:30 p.m., the long-awaited parade of Moors and Christians will start. On the Christian side, first of all the bandoliers will go by, then the cisneros under the swan coat of arms and finally the Templars. The order of appearance of the Moorish side, which will like the others be dressed in full gala outfits, will be as follows: Aljama mudéjar, Moros viejos, Tuareg moxacar and Moriscos ali ole.
Visiting Mojácar during its fiestas means a trip back to an earlier age. An experience which can be even more unique if one discovers the delicious Mojácar cuisine. Gurullos, migas, fish and paprika soup, soupy rice dishes, meatball stews and even couscous are some of the most outstanding dishes of a town that quite unquestionably excels with its fish. The “Gallo pedro” (John Dory) is perhaps one of the most widely used in its restaurants. Beside this there are spitted sardines or mackerel, squid, anchovies, the famous local pearly razor fish, red mullet, Ray’s bream, cuttlefish, octopus and the prawns from nearby Garrucha. All of these are served along with the province’s greens and vegetables, not forgetting the superb Almeria oil and the best wines of the region.
