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Festivities of Cañada

Cañada, L'Alt Vinalopó, Alicante

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Festivities of Cañada

Activity · Cañada, L'Alt Vinalopó, Alicante

Among the festivities of Cañada, in L'Alt Vinalopó, the Auto sacramental de los Reyes Magos stands out, a theatrical performance dating back to the late 18th century, between 1785 and 1797, when merchants trading with the Valencian coast of Denia, Gandía and Xàtiva brought to the village the text of La Santa Infancia del Niño Jesús, a 1764 work by Gaspar Fernández y Ávila. It is performed every 6 and 7 January: on the first day, the Coming and Adoration of the Magi; on the second, the Flight into Egypt and the Massacre of the Innocents, with more than 120 amateur actors and actresses who change every year and know by heart a text lasting three and a half hours. It is considered one of the oldest such performances in Spain, kept up even during the Civil War.

Photo: Torbas (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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