As part of the festivities in honour of their patron saints, in many Andalusian towns and villages there is still a popular public performance known by the generic name of Moros y Cristianos (Moors and Christians).

It is difficult to know the exact origin and even who conceived them, but it is historically proven that these performances have existed for several centuries. According to the Chronicle by Condestable Don Miguel Lucas de Iranzo in 1463, as a reminder of the victories of the Christians over the Arabs in the border skirmishes, he ordered the celebration of certain spears and rods games, where one side was disguised as Moors. It seems that this was the first Moorish and Christian festival, at least the first one described in detail.

Today, there are still some 200 towns in Spain that celebrate these street theatre performances every year. They include the regions of Andalusia, Aragon, the Balearic Islands, Castile, Catalonia, Extremadura, Galicia, La Mancha, Navarre and Valencia. Particularly well-known are the Moors and Christians Festivities in the town of Alcoy in the Valencian Region, having been declared an Asset of Cultural Interest.

In Andalusia, more than 50 performances continue to be celebrated nowadays. Therein, the most characteristic feature is the festive importance placed on the relations between the two squads, not forgetting other significant moment: the battles of assault, seizure or rescue of the image of the patron saint of the town -during the procession-, especially because of the veracity with which they are carried out most of the times. Parliaments and challenges are used by the generals or captains, long invocations and harangues to the troops. There is also a comic side, performed by a character whose mission is to entertain the audience, telling jokes or dancing to the sound of music.

It can be established that the Moors and Christians festivities have the following common characteristics:

1) They are popular dramatic representations

2) Intervention of two bands or troupes, one of Moors and the other of Christians.

3) They include parliaments or communications -in verse- between the main actors of each side (king, general or captain, ambassador…).

4) Collective war scenes are performed (skirmishes, assaults, sieges, theft of shotguns, armed battles with swords, fire…).

5) They take place in the village itself (square, streets, castle, countryside).

6) They are held in honour of the patron saint of the village.

7) The patron saint intercedes on the Christian side to ensure victory.

8) They are elevated to the rank of town local festival.

 

It seems clear that this dramatized and popularised drama, elevated to the rank of a festival, commemorates two specific events in the history of Spain: first, the Conquest of the Kingdom of Granada by the Catholic Monarchs in 1492, that put an end to the Muslim occupation of the Iberian Peninsula, which had begun in the year 711.

Secondly, the Moorish uprising of 1568, motivated by king Philip II’s prohibition of the uses, customs, festivities, dress, language, names, etc., of the Moorish population.

 

Period/Occurrence:

The following is a list of the Moors and Christians Festivities that are regularly celebrated in Andalusia, together with their date and the saint to whom they are devoted:

Province of ALMERÍA

ALCÓNTAR: Virgen del Rosario. 7th October.

ALCUDIA DE MONTEAGUD: San Sebastián. 2nd weekend in August.

ALQUERÍA, LA (Adra): Virgen de las Angustias. 4th weekend in August.

ANGOSTO (Serón): Purísima Concepción. 8th December.

BACARES: Santo Cristo del Bosque. 14th September.

BAYÁRCAL: San Francisco Javier. 3rd-4th December.

BAYARQUE: San Sebastián. 4th weekend in July.

BÉDAR: Virgen de la Cabeza. 23rd-24th September.

BENÍNAR (Berja): San Roque. 16th August.

CARBONERAS: San Antonio de Padua. 13th June.

GÉRGAL: San Sebastián. 19th-20th January.

HIGUERAL (Tíjola): San Antonio de Padua. 13th June.

HUEBRO (Níjar): Virgen del Rosario. 24th September.

LA LOMA (Serón): San Miguel. 4th weekend in September.

LAROYA: San Ramón. 4th weekend in August.

LUBRÍN: San Sebastián. 20th-21st January.

LÚCAR: San Sebastián. 20th January.

MOJÁCAR: San Agustín. 4th weekend in August.

OCAÑA (Las Tres Villas): San Bernardo. 3rd weekend in August.

PATERNA DEL RÍO: Sto. Cristo de las Penas. 14th September.

SENES: El Divino Rostro. 2nd weekend in August.

SOMONTÍN: San Sebastián. 20th January.

TURRILLAS: San Antonio de Padua. 13th June.

VELEFIQUE: San Roque. 2nd weekend in August.

Province of CÁDIZ

BENAMAHOMA (Grazalema): San Antonio. 1st week in August.

Province of GRANADA

ALBONDÓN: San Luis Rey de Francia. 25th August.

ALDEIRE: Virgen del Rosario. 4th Sunday of May or 15th Autust.

BENAMANUREL: Virgen. de la Cabeza. 4th Sunday of April.

COGOLLOS DE GUADIX: Virgen de la Cabeza. 4th Sunday of April.

COJÁYAR (Murtas): San Antonio de Padua. 3rd weekend in August.

CÚLLAR-BAZA: Virgen de la Cabeza. 4th Sunday of April.

JORAIRATAR (Ugíjar): Arcángel San Gabriel. 3rd weekend in August.

JUVILES: Virgen del Rosario. 2nd weekend in August.

LAROLES (Nevada): San Sebastián. Closest weekend to 20th January.

MOLVÍZAR: Santa Ana. 26th de July.

MONTEJÍCAR: Virgen de la Cabeza. 23rd-24th-25th August.

ORCE: San Sebastián. Closest weekend to 20th January.

PICENA (Nevada): Virgen del Rosario. 11th-12th September.

QUÉNTAR: San Sebastián. 4th-5th October.

TREVÉLEZ: San Antonio de Padua. Closest weekend to 13th June.

TURÓN: San Marcos. 25th April.

VÁLOR: Sto. Cristo de la Yedra. 15th September.

VÉLEZ-BENAUDALLA: San Antonio de Padua. 13rd June.

ZÚJAR: Virgen de la Cabeza. 4th Sunday of April.

Province of JAÉN

ALCALÁ LA REAL: Santo Domingo de Silos. 20th December («Fiesta del Arrabal»).

BELMEZ (Bélmez de la Moraleda): Señor de la Vida. 1st Sunday of May.

BÉLMEZ DE LA MORALEDA: Señor de la Vida. 3rd Sunday of August.

CAMPILLO DE ARENAS: Virgen de la Cabeza. 2nd Sunday of August.

CARCHELEJO (Cárcheles): Virgen del Rosario. 14th-15th August.

Province of MÁLAGA

ALFARNATE: Virgen de Monsalud. 12th-16th September.

BENADALID: San Isidoro. 27th-29th August.

BENALAURÍA: Santo Domingo de Guzmán. 4th-5th August.

BENAMOCARRA: Cristo de la Salud. 4th weekend in October.

Embajador moro. Campillo de Arenas (Jaén). Photo: Eva Cote Montes. © Instituto Andaluz del Patrimonio Histórico

IAPH image under the conditions established under license cc-by 3.0 de Creative Common. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/

Desembarco en la playa. Carboneras (Almería). Photo: Ana Belén Garcia Muñoz. © Instituto Andaluz del Patrimonio Histórico

IAPH image under the conditions established under license cc-by 3.0 de Creative Common. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/

Comitiva abriendo la procesión. Bayárcal (Almería). Photo: Ana Belén García Muñoz. © Instituto Andaluz del Patrimonio Histórico

IAPH image under the conditions established under license cc-by 3.0 de Creative Common. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/

Representación de la lucha entre moros y cristianos. Grazalema (Cádiz). Photo: Rosa Satué López. © Instituto Andaluz del Patrimonio Histórico

IAPH image under the conditions established under license cc-by 3.0 de Creative Common. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/

Representación de la lucha entre moros y cristianos. Benadalid (Málaga). Photo. Rosa Satué López. © Instituto Andaluz del Patrimonio Histórico

IAPH image under the conditions established under license cc-by 3.0 de Creative Common. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/

Prensa Carboneras. (2022). FITUR 2023. Video: Moros y Cristianos aspiran a Fiestas de Interés Turísticos de Andalucía. [Video File].

Reference:
LA FIESTA DE MOROS Y CRISTIANOS: UN COMPLEJO CULTURAL.
TEXTO Y CONTEXTO EN ANDALUCÍA Francisco Checa, Universidad de Almería.