Moors and Christians of Villena

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The Moors and Christians festival in Villena (Spain), is celebrated from September 4 to 9 in honor of Nuestra Señora de las Virtudes, patron saint of the city and is recognized as a Festival of National Tourist Interest.^[1] It is a massive representation of several thousand people, with about 15,000 participants in the main parades, who dress as Moors, students, warriors, farmers, etc. over five days, being the most participatory Moors and Christians festivities in the world.^[2][3][4] The festival itself is celebrated from September 5 to 9 and is structured through the participation of fourteen Comparsas or companies, seven of them belonging to the Moorish side and many others to the Christian side, each one made up of several hundred participants.

Parades such as La Entrada (The Entrance Parade) on September 5 or La Cabalgata Nocturna (the Great Night Parade) on September 6, can last for 7 or 8 hours, actively parading almost a third of the local population and bringing together up to 120 marching/music bands from various regions of the southeast of Spain.^[2]