The festive calendar of Xàbia is extensive, but one of the most outstanding festivals of the municipality and that more people congregate are the Bonfires of San Juan (Les Fogueres de Sant Joan). The beginning of this festivity dates back to the middle of the XNUMXth century.
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When are they?
Les Fogueres de Sant Joan (in Valencian), are celebrated from June 13 to 24, although a week before there are already acts such as the delivery of badges to the festive positions or the proclamation of the queens, bridesmaids and presidents together with the rest of the festeros, the fifth (the girls and boys who turn 18 that year).
History
The San Juan festivities in Xàbia have their origin at the end of 1949. The protagonists were a group of young friends who decided to create the first bonfires by observing the motivation of the people to go to Valencia to enjoy the Fallas.
Moneyraiser: Party in the Air
In order to raise money for the holidays, the Commission began to celebrate in the early 1950s what was known as "Party in the Air", name of a well-known radio program of the time. Throughout the year, evenings were held at the old Cine Espinós, in which young people went on stage to sing or act in plays.
The nights of "Fiesta en el Aire" were very well received by the neighbors, who in addition to having fun, collaborated with the town festivities. These evenings were held every year from the 1950s to the late 60s.
The first festivities of Fogueres
The first Bonfires of San Juan in Jávea were held from June 18 to 24, 1950, only one year after the purpose of starting them. This year's festival commission was made up of 37 men and several women, being Francis Bas Pastor (the Xatet de Xirivita) the president and main promoter of Les Fogueres de Xàbia.
In these first parties, 11 girls formed the group of "festeras" who wore the first traditional Valencian costumes in Jávea. As María Espasa, a partygoer in the first year of Fogueres, explains, "the rental of the complete Valencian dress cost them 20 pesetas." Among these young women, María Teresa Calzada Rubio was chosen as Queen of the Bonfire. In addition, the little ones also participated with the creation of the first Children's Commission in which 13 pairs of boys and girls participated.
The Childish Queen of the Foguera was Gertrudis Tena Sendra. That year, two bonfires were planted, as today: a central one in the Placeta del Convent and a children's one in the Plaza de la Iglesia.
News in the first years of parties
After the success of the first year, people turned to collaborate, and in the second year new features were incorporated such as:
- The election of the queens by popular vote
- L'entrà de bous (the entrance of the bulls)
- The pardon parade ninot (doll or figure) of the Foguera
- The offering of flowers to Jesús Nazareno with ascent to Calvary (before it was offered to Jesús Nazareno, now to San Juan)
- parade of Raïms i bacores (grapes and figs)
- Night of the focs (Night of fireworks): in 1951 a dance was DANSA with garlands on their heads around the fires of San Juan and they ate toasted beans
The incorporation of these acts, together with those held in the first year such as the pilota Valencianafestivals, parades, floats, mascletà or the cremà de la Foguera are the events that currently make up the complete festival program of Les Fogueres de Sant Joan.
The festivals today
Since their appearance until now, the way the commissions work has undergone many changes, but it can be said that in 1984 the parties began to be organized as we know them today, with the fifths as true protagonists.
The party commission that existed until that year resigned in full, and so that the celebrations did not end, the town hall decided to entrust the task of organizing the parties: boys and girls who turned 18 years old were summoned, and for the first time a mixed commission was created whose presidents were Jaime Buigues Bisquert and Pepa Sart Cholbi.
The name "La Rebolica" was the one they chose for the Quintà (grouping of fifths) and on the ground floor of the old cooperative, now municipal library, the fifth elected Tere Andrés Cardona as Queen of Foc and Charo Torres Espasa as Queen Xabiera.
In 1985 the figure of the councilman Festival, position held by Rafael Bisquert Vidal. The peñas began to participate in the San Juan festivities, also helping in some acts of the programming, but the Peñas Association as such was formed in 1993.
Main acts and festive representation
The festivities of San Juan at present are formed by the fifths, the fifths, Les penyes santjoaneres and the Festival Commission of Fogueres de Sant Joan.
Every year, when the bonfire is burned, the work of the fifths of the following year begins, whose first act is carried out around the month of October to elect the representatives of the festivities. The fifths and fifths decide by voting who will be the president, the president and the queen and the ladies who will represent them for a whole year.
In acts of other local festivities, such as representation of Les Fogueres, the queens and ladies of the previous year dressed in the regional costume, and those of the newly elected year, dressed in street clothes, participate. This is done because the reign of the new representative does not become official until the day of the proclamation.
One of the most anticipated acts by the fifth is the day of the gala dinner. It is an act that takes place a few weeks before the proclamation, very close to the holidays. The fifth and fifth dress up for dinner at their accompanying family members of the Festival Committee and authorities. They are marching past couple per couple on a footbridge that is installed inside the restaurant until the departure of the queen.
The proclamation of the queen
The proclamation is the first official act of the festivities. In this event is where the queen of the previous year says goodbye, definitively, and gives way to the reign of the new chosen one. It is celebrated in the Plaza de la Constitución and is presented to all the fifths and fifths dressed in traditional clothing.
The proclamation
With the celebration of the day of the proclamation, the festival program starts. The queen is in charge of making the appeal from the balcony of the Town Hall. The representative invites clubs, neighbors and visitors to take to the streets and go out to have fun and participate.
At night, after a dinner in the Plaza de la Constitución, attended by all the peñas, people go out to sing the anthem of Fogueres through the streets of the town, with the music of the charanga. It is sung to the different images of the saint.
Anthem lyrics Bonfires
Like a flower esclata drunk with kisses,
It jávea for San Juan at parties breaks.
And the sky is covered, from satins and tulles,
green fields, the blue mare
And June is filled with white chimeras,
Song of Solomon aromas, garlands and bonfires.Bulle the crowd in the square,
in the delirium is burned,
the night verbenera
while embroidering a palm tree
on the sky a housing.
Under the triumphal arches,
Murta formed and roses
orlando rich floats
They are marching in abundance
his most beautiful women.And made light verse and chimera,
blatant overflows,
and between Jubilo it stands,
in each square a bonfire
and every street one traca.Fogueres! celebrations that taste like honey,
pouring perfume on your muscatel
Fogueres! piropos grace and color,
flowery garlands, carnation blowout
Fogueres! rancid flashes of brilliance,
women, sighs made flower party
Fogueres! poetry of an immortal people,
who prays that he sings, devotee to San Juan ...'Pray to San Juan !!
'Sing to San Juan !!
Thursdays
The festivities last until the day of San Juan, June 24, with parades, the offering of flowers, bous al carrer, orchestras, discs ... But if there is a day that stands out is that of You Quintaes them. The fifth go out to the street from early in the morning to start the party.
Each quintà meets in a place to have lunch and then go down all together to the games and activities that are carried out with small heifers. Later they celebrate a parade through the streets of Jávea filling every corner with party and color with the clothing of the quintà.
After a meal, each one with their quintà, the Plaza de la Constitución becomes the center of the party where the music does not stop until dawn.
The Offering of Flowers
From its beginnings, the offering of flowers was made to Jesús Nazareno. Hence, all the participants will walk through the streets of the historic center until they arrive at the Calvary Chapel. This tradition was maintained until the 50th anniversary of the festivities, in 1999. In this year, due to the great participation of neighbors, groups, festivities, etc., it was decided to change the itinerary. From this moment and today, the offering ends in the Plaza de la Iglesia and is in honor of San Juan.
The parade of floats
The peñas are also protagonists on the 23rd with a parade of floats in which each peña chooses a critic to dress up and parade to the rhythm of the music through the streets of Jávea.
The Nit dels Focs
Literally the night of the fires. It is a particularly magical night, the night of San Juan, that of June 23. It was named by the Generalitat Valenciana a festival of tourist interest due to its great tradition, its significance and the number of people who participate. Although this festival has been celebrated since the early years of Fogueres, it is in 1990 when the "Penya L'escaldà" begins to take charge of organizing the fires tonight. A total of six bonfires are lit in what were formerly the gates of the Xàbia wall. Thousands of neighbors, clubs, and visitors participate by jumping the fires with garlands of murta flowers on their heads.
The last of the Bonfires, the largest of all, is that of old junk. In it, furniture and junk that were no longer good for anything were burned, as a symbol of dispensing with the old to make way for the new. This Bonfire has also been organized since 1990 by the "Penya El Gerrot" and once in flames the fifths and fifths revolve around it while the emblematic hymn of the San Juan festivities sounds.
According to tradition, the crown of murta that is worn on the head must be burned in this bonfire, while it is thrown a wish is made. Another option is to go down to the beach and get your feet wet and in the seventh wave throw the crown hard into the sea while making a wish on the magical night of San Juan.
La Nit dels Focs continues after jumping the fireworks and throwing the crown with the traditional "Correfocs". The lights of the town go out completely and fire professionals parade through the same place where the bonfires had been set up, launching rockets. The bravest cover their heads and faces to dance to the rhythm of the drums under the rockets.
The "Correfocs" ends in the Plaza de la Constitución with a show of fireworks and music that falls in love and dazzles both those who see it for the first time and those who are lucky enough to experience it year after year.
The Nit cream
La Nit de la Cremà (the night it burns), is celebrated on the night of June 24. This day is carried out by the parade that the fifths celebrate and in which the boys go to pick up their partner from their home. The fifths decorate the front door of their houses with an arch of flowers during all the festivities, if you walk through the streets of Jávea and see a portal decorated in this way, you will know that a fifth lives there. Once the parade is over and all the fifths have been collected by their partners, the Mass is celebrated in honor of San Juan in the Church of St. Bartholomew. A great mascletà around 14:00 p.m. in the Plaza de la Constitución.
Once night falls, the cream of the children's bonfire is held around 23:00 p.m., from which the queen, ladies and children's court say goodbye. At midnight a pyromusical fireworks display is shot from the Plaza de la Constitución. At the end, at 01:00 in the morning, the central bonfire will burn.
Program of events 2023
Every year, and with few exceptions, the festivities are always on the same days, officially from June 14 to 24. On the 14th the festivities start with the proclamation and end on the 24th with the Cremà.
The days that vary are those of the proclamation of the queens, which is usually held the weekend before June 14.
At festival program you can check all the information.
Gallery of current and old images
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Proclamation of the queen, ladies and children's court of the year 2013 of Les Fogueres de Xàbia
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Proclamation of the festivities of San Juan de los quintos y quintas (Year 2013)
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Parade of floats of the Sant Joan festivities in Xàbia
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Cavalcade of floats of San Juan in Xàbia
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Parade of floats in the festivities of San Juan de Xàbia
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Xabieros and children's xabieres in the offering of San Juan de Jávea (Year 2013)
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Offering of flowers in the festivities of San Juan de Jávea in 2013
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Cremà of the Children's Bonfire of the festivities of San Juan de Xàbia
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Nit-del-Foc-de-Sant-Joan-in-Xabia
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Fifths and fifths of the year 2013 at the old junk bonfire of Xàbia
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Queen and child ladies of the bonfires of San Juan in 1956
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Queen and child ladies of the San Juan festivities (1982)
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Festeras of the celebrations of San Juan in the years 60
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MªRosa Vives Torres, first maid of honor of the San Juan festivities in 1956
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Juan Cholbi and MªJesús Cholbi at the festivities of San Juan de Xàbia in the 70s
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Queen, ladies and festeras at the Festival Book of the Bonfires of San Juan de Jávea in 1956
Bibliography
- María Espasa for providing information on the first year of Fogueres.
- Rafael Marí and Sonia Bas, contribution of old graphic material.
I would like someone to clarify a curiosity for me: why is the Valencian fallera costume used much more in Jávea than the traditional Alicante one, since Jávea is an Alicante town? Perhaps it is, I think, because the Valencian is more lucid, while the Alicante is also precious. It is not used much either, except in the dances of the Portichol Dance Group, the typical costume of Jávea, which is also very beautiful. Can any of the readers explain it to me? Thank you so much.
The anomaly photo «Festeras en las fiestas de San Juan en los años 60», the name of the queen is not correct. The queen is Teresa Ferrer Bisquert and she is the queen of the Foguera.
The correct name of the first Regina de les Fogueres is MARIA TERESA CALZADA RUBIO