Elche Festivals

Thus the most outstanding festivities, for its originality, atmosphere and color, occur between the 10th and the 15th August in honor of the patron saint "Maredeu de L'Assumpcio" (Our lady of the Assumption). During these days a number of parades, floral offerings, open air dancing and fireworks are held.

The nucleus of all this merrymaking is the medieval "Festa" or "Misteri d'Elx". Represented in 7th-century Basilica of Santa María, the Misteri is a lyrical drama from the late Middle Ages and represents the Assumption of the Virgin. The actual score (la Consueta) is interpreted by non-professional singers from Elx (the Chapel and the Choir School). Declared as a National Monument in 1931, this is one of Spain's most curious festivities on International Tourist Interest. There are two acts: The Vespra and the Festa, held on August 14th and 15th, respectively.The local Tourist Information Office also provides information on the general rehearsals held on August 11th, 12th and 13th.

On August 13th, "La Nit de l'alba" (The night of Daybreak), fireworks are offered from all the town's and country houses terraces, in honor of the patron saint.

The same day, at 10 o'clock, the "Misteri" takes the street: the procession of the "soterrar" (to bury) of María, with songs of "La Festa" and participation of the actors.
Before, there has been a whole series of actions that approximate us to these days of August and to the world of "La Festa".

The 6th of August, in the Room of the Council, takes place "la prova de veus", in order to select those which will sing "El Misteri", fact by the council to prove the municipal adscription and not ecclesiastic of "La Festa" ilicitana.

The 10th of august , at six o'clock of the afternoon, in the basilica, is accomplished "la prova de l'àngel", by means of which are chosen the resistant infants to the dizziness and, therefore, able to descend from the dome, in the interior of the air appliances.

The linen, furthermore separates the celestial actions from the earthly, and possesses a peep-hole designated door to the heaven that is opened and closed in three occasions to give place to the air appliances.

The Grenade
Receive this name the appliance intended to transport the Angel with the palm toMaría to indicate her the transit.

In its current structure, the device will correspond to the second half of the S.XVI, and by its form as well as by the same name recalls mechanisms of the era, used so much in Spain: boxes, worlds, balls...

Until a little while ago was thought that the grenade term was of a great modernity, product of having altered the traditional color (blue) for the current (red), being considered the cloud term as more ancient and correct. Modern investigations have centered the hypothesis of the appearance of the name in the S.XVI, possibly because of the transformation of an steamier appliance, and built possibly with cotton, paper, fabrics in its external features; in favour the current most compact and strong.

The Araceli
The Araceli enters scene in two occasions, an in each session. In the first decrease the angels to carry the soul of María to the heaven, and to order to the apostles that organize a procession and bury her body. In the second, in the great final scene, in the one which the angel with the soul is substituted by the image of Maria, she is crowned to half of her ascension to the Heaven by the Santísima Trinidad.

The araceli is not an appliance exclusively ilicitano it recalls plastic compositions of the end of the S. XV and above all beginning of the XVI.

The Corridor
Receive this name the great corridor that, traveling in all its extension the building, puts on communication the cadafal with the principal door of the shrine. Its importance is large so much from the scene as symbolic point of view. Respect to the first, it is the only physical element that permits that all the church is converted into a dramatic action framework; an second the walkway is the road that permit communicate what is earthly with what is divine, it is the symbolic representation of the spiritual road that accomplish all the personages.

Maria also accomplishes its pilgrination for the Passion of Jesus, it means, that she carries out the ideal of the christianity, to experience the Passion of Jesus.

The Cadafal
With this name is designated the platform on the one which takes place a great part of the representation. It is located in the central section of the cruise, though being introduced in part in the choir in order to make coincide the spulcher with the shaft of the Door of the Heaven

It is totally coverd of wood to conceal to the public the hollow that it remains below, where they change statues by actors, etc.

The term cadafal appears already in the first news on representations in the interior of the shrines with an invariable meaning: dais or platform where it takes place the dramatic action.

In Elche, the cadafal is in words of Quirante Santacruz "the area of María. Contain the places that they are hers exclusively, her house and her sepulcher. In him, the Virgin experiences all the process of sacralization and glorification that contains the work, it is the only one point where celestial personages and lands live together in Elche".