Xàbia prepares for Santa Llúcia, the last great traditional fiesta of the year
The celebration includes a procession around the historic centre and a pilgrimage to the top of the hill of Santa Llúcia.
Although the rain is welcome (and even more so after the year of severe drought that the Marina Alta has suffered), hopefully the weather will be kind to the celebration of what is one of the oldest and most unique fiestas in Xàbia. Before the arrival of Christmas, there is an unmissable annual event: the fiesta honouring Santa Llúcia and Santa Bárbara. It is one of the most picturesque traditions of all those celebrated and is deeply rooted in the town.
Everything is in place for the festival to be a success once again. Its mayorales and mayoralesas for 2024 know this very well. Rubén Bisquert, Mateo Cardona, Elena Gil, Xaro Martínez, José Antonio Sapena, Toñi Buigues, Toni Cardona, Judith Gisbert, Paula Guardiola, Nerea Paredes and Fanyud Vanegas are the protagonists of this year and they are finalizing details to make it so.
The events began last Wednesday 4th December with a mass in honour of Saint Barbara in the church of San Bartolomé.
The big celebration continues this Thursday 12th December at 7.30pm with the traditional parade known as La Crida a la Festa (“The Call to Party”), a popular announcement that once served to remind residents of the imminent celebration and encourage them to live it to the full. It will be a parade led by the mayorales and mayoralesas and the Comissión de Santa Llúcia who will walk through the streets of the historic centre of Xàbia accompanied by music and handing out traditional buns and mistela. When they arrive in Carrer Santa Llúcia, they will offer a bouquet of flowers to the saint in her niche.
On Friday 13th December, the feast day of Santa Llúcia, the day will begin with an early wake-up call and at 10.00am the authorities, the clergy, the festival-goers and anyone who wishes to join in will leave the church of San Bartolomé for a pilgrimage to the chapel on top of the hill of Santa Llúcia. There, at 11.00am, a mass will be held inside, followed by the traditional procession of the images of Santa Bárbara and Santa Llúcia around it. Afterwards there will be a hot chocolate party for all those attending.
