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Nit dels Fatxos de Onil

Onil, L'Alcoià, Alicante

1 Villages · 3 Monuments · 2 Nature · 3 Activities · 1 Historical milestones · 1 Food and drink

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Nit dels Fatxos de Onil

Activity · Onil, L'Alcoià, Alicante

The Nit dels Fatxos, one of Onil's most notable traditions alongside the Moors and Christians, is held every 24 December to commemorate the Nativity, although its origins as a fire celebration are clearly pre-Roman and it was only later associated with the Christian feast. The fatxos are made from green and dry esparto grass gathered a few days beforehand in the Sierra de Onil: the dry esparto is braided and bound with the green, forming a wheel or catherine-wheel that, once lit, rolls through the streets. At around seven in the evening on the 24th, a contest is held in the plaza Mayor with prizes for the biggest fatxo, the smallest and the most artistic. The tradition has spread, with variants and other names, to neighbouring towns, such as the Rodà de les Aixames of Jijona.

24 de diciembre

Photo: Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)

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