The first experience of the year begins in a different and special way. In the pages of this edition, we will immerse ourselves in the festival of Sant Antoni, a celebration rooted in our territory that combines history, spirituality and popular culture. We will delve into its origin and meaning, explore the historical and social context that has made it endure and discover, town by town, the traditions and rituals that make this festival an essential event on the regional calendar. Get ready to get to know the pulse of a festival that is a living heritage and shared identity.
A LITTLE HISTORY. We know where we come from to decide where we are going.
The festival of Sant Antoni Abat, better known as del Porquet (in other areas it is known as Sant Antoni dels ases or el Barbut) is the first of the new year's festivals, in some places it is considered the prelude to the pagan Carnival festivities.
Saint Anthony is the patron saint of domestic animals. We popularly know him as Saint Anthony of the Piglet because, according to legend, when the devil tempted the Saint in his cave, some piglets accompanied and protected him.
It is a medieval festival halfway between the paganism of the agricultural cycle and Christian devotion to the devil.
It arrived in Valencian lands, at the hands of Jaume I, and the celebrations are both widespread and varied: Demons and dances, processions and purifying bonfires, blessing of animals and porrats to fill the belly.
Saint Anthony of the Pig celebrates his feast day on January 17, coinciding with the beginning of a new agricultural cycle, which is why he is the patron saint of animals. Especially those that have to do with field work: Horses, donkeys and donkeys, mainly, but also more recently of all companion animals, our pets.
This traditional festival began to fade, but for a few years now it has been recovering in many towns thanks to the work of associations, festival organizers and town councils.
Each town celebrates it with particularities that make it unique and special. On this occasion, we will take a tour of some of the towns that keep this celebration alive, discovering the bonfires, animal blessings, liturgical acts and popular activities among others.
Therefore, each municipality brings its own essence to this festival, turning it into a cultural mosaic that is worth knowing and experiencing.
Will you join us in this experience?
We start with the municipality of Beniarbeig , where the celebration of the feast of Sant Antoni has always been linked to animals and the mountains, with the Serra de Segària as the main setting of the day. Traditionally, the religious activity was held early in the morning with a mass preceded by the blessing of the animals, especially those intended for agricultural work and livestock. A game of pelota followed and then people went to eat paella in the mountains, where at night the argelagues and other bushes were burned, the light of which could be seen from the town. Among the boys and girls, there was the entertainment of dirtying doors and doorways by throwing flour and pulling tin cans and pails making noise while they sang…
“Sant Antoni is in January!
We have to have Carnival!
Whoever doesn't want Carnival!
Let them close their doors!”
Song and information collected by P. Bañó
If we talk about the town of Benigembla we must say that Sant Antoni was the most important festival in the town.
Currently, the festival continues to be held inside the Union building, a space where the whole town gathers to eat the traditional big putxero.
On Saturday night the party continues with a popular dinner and dancing in the same Union building and as for Sunday it is reserved for the blessing of the animals.
Moving on to the municipality of Benissa, it is first worth noting that in 2018 the ancestral burning of the Bonfire of Sant Antoni was recovered, this is the one responsible for marking the beginning of the festival, and for a couple of years now they have also established the dance of the demons around the fire.
The Benissa Fair and Porrat is a festival declared of Local Tourist Interest, with great tradition and history. This town becomes a great commercial showcase for the world of livestock and commerce, as well as a traditional festival of must-sees with a Medieval Market, Craft Fair, Amusement Fair and traditional Porrat.
They already say it over there in Benissa…
"Don't go to the Fair if you don't have money; you'll see a lot of things and not buy anything."
We continue to discover and head to Calpe , where the celebration is almost always the following Sunday (if it falls during the week) to the festival, around noon (from 11:30 to 12:00) in the two parishes of Calpe. With various activities for pets, children and adults.
We go to the town of Castell de Castells , where the festival of Sant Antoni is very well-established. The committee of the Sant Antoni festival-goers is in charge of organizing the bonfire that they make at the door of the church for the party and the night toast. But during the day they also organize activities. They also have the custom of making rolls and blessing them.
We continue our way to Dénia where 2 porrats are celebrated a year, with pilgrimages and various celebrations at the hermitages of each of the saints.
In traditional Porrats we can find sweets, candied fruits and nuts: dates, figs and acorns, cat nougat and caramel hammers, as well as dried beans, lupins, tiger nuts, almonds and roasted chickpeas.
Porrats are markets that are held to celebrate the festival of a saint.
The main ones are those of Sant Antoni, Sant Blai, Sant Vicent, Sant Josep and Santa Llúcia.
Traditionally, what was purchased was placed directly inside the customers' own handkerchiefs, as in "La Mocadorà".
We continue with El Poble Nou de Benitatxell where they have breakfast, a parade and a blessing of the animals. As a curiosity, there is a custom of giving them a roll too. This sweet tradition for the animals is shared by many other Valencian towns. As in the case of Benicarló where the embolicà should be highlighted. There, on Saint Anthony's Day, sweets known as Les Coques de Sant Antoni are given, thousands of them are made -130,000 to be more exact- and are thrown by the revelers of the Brotherhood of Sant Antoni on the day of the big party. Previously, hundreds of volunteers from the town have worked wrapping the sweets in white tissue paper, in the shape of a caramel or polvoró.
Today, the festival and tradition are preserved, although now it is the people who mainly take home the biggest prize...
If we talk about El Verger , the Serra de Segària is omnipresent and sets the rhythm of life and customs of the people who live in its shadow.
So much so that all the boys and girls from Ondara, El Verger and Beniarbeig would go up to the Sierra to spend the day of Saint Anthony. The elders say that when night began to fall they would light small bonfires made of clay and other bushes. Thus, the festival for the children consisted of observing from the village at night the various bonfires that illuminated that stone giant and guessing which one would be theirs.
Moving on to Els Poblets, they make a pilgrimage to the Pedra del Salvador to bless their pets and companion animals in front of the image of their patron saint: Saint Anthony. At the end, they have a lunch (food that is taken when going on a journey, trip or doing work away from home) in the recreational area of the Gironets section.
Towards Gata de Gorgos we find some customs that have been lost and others that are still being done. In the past, the residents of Carrer de les Moreres would release a piglet with a bell, this animal was fed and raised by all the residents. On February 17th it was auctioned to the highest bidder and the proceeds were used to pay for the sermon and the procession. This custom was done all over the Valencian towns and gave rise to the proverb “you look like the piglet of Sant Antoni that goes from house to house”.
After the parade of animals and blessing, horse races and Gropes were held - Valencian scenes in which horses are ridden and adorned with blankets and shawls to show off the animal.
Nowadays, Sant Antoni is celebrated in the Arraval de Gata neighborhood, which is the oldest in the town, and if we head there we will find popular dinners, dancing and hot chocolate. The typical food most associated with the Sant Antoni festival for the gaters is Pa Socarrat, which they distribute after blessing it to all those present. In Gata de Gorgos they say: “Sant Antoni del Porquet, who makes the little ones laugh and the young ones give them little flowers”.
The celebration in the Vall de Laguar , exactly in the town of Campell (which is the lower town) they continue to hold the traditional Trossejada del porc. A festival that is accompanied by children's activities, a dinner, a popular bonfire, dancing and of course the blessing of the animals.
In Llíber the festival is celebrated with friends of the horse and the Parish. On the Saturday before in Sant Antoni there is a breakfast followed by a parade with carts and horses to end with the traditional blessing.
A popular lunch and activities for children are also organized during the afternoon.
If we talk about Ondara, we highlight that the boys and girls would go up to spend the day in Segària and make great toasts of sausage and sausages. Very related, on the other hand, to Sant Antoni and the beginning of raising the piglet until its slaughter. Currently, a popular bonfire with toast has been recovered in the Prado, on the night of Sant Antoni.
In Pedreguer, animals are presented to Saint Anthony with a beautiful satin bow, whether it is a cat, dog or parakeet. This tradition has its origins in the medieval custom of decorating horses and donkeys with the best ornaments, including bells and bells, as it was believed that this noise protected against the devil. A curiosity is that El Porrat in Pedreguer is not held for Saint Anthony but for Saint Blaise, on February 3rd.
Continuing with Pego , the tradition of the Porrat de Sant Antoni is lost in time. Porrat is held at the medieval Hermitage of Sant Antoni, where people bring their lunch and eat it outdoors.
In this hermitage every January 17th the well-known pilgrimage of Sant Antoni del porquet is celebrated, called in the village as the "Porrat de Sant Antoni". It is worth noting that since 2014 the traditional descent of the pine tree and planted with horses helped by carters and carters has been recovered and at night there is a popular toast of sausages at the bonfire.
Passing by Sagra , we highlight that this festival has been celebrated continuously, organized each year by a different group of streets. The bonfire was recovered within the program of events more than 25 years ago!
On Saturday they have a bonfire, dinner and dancing and on Sunday the blessing of the animals. Sweets are also very present at the Sagra per Sant Antoni, the festivalgoers distribute blessed bread for those attending the blessing of the attendees.
Between the 50s and 70s in Teulada Moraira , for Sant Antoni, the "ariçonà" was celebrated. Many families from Benissa, Teulada, El Poble Nou de Benitatxell and Moraira went to catch sea urchins, where they organized popular lunches on the beaches of the municipality. At the Tio Llorenç casino, as every year, Ti Noguera d'Ondara arrived to liven up the Sant Antoni festival.
For about 10 years now, the Colla el Falçó has promoted and revived the devil's dance that the quintos represent around the bonfire in an attempt to fool Saint Anthony. Currently, they celebrate Saint Anthony with a bonfire, a parade, a popular dinner and a 'Devil's Dance' around the bonfire. In the past, a disguised character who seemed to represent the devil would come out and do trivial mischief around the town on the eve of Saint Anthony.
In Xàbia the popular Cremà del Pi is now 26 years old. In this town, breakfast, lunch and popular dinner are held, in addition to the traditional parade of the Pi transfer and the corresponding blessing of the animals. In addition, during the rest of January the Porrat and the Fair of Attractions are set up.
And so, between bonfires, blessings and lots of partying, we have discovered that Sant Antoni is much more than a tradition: it is the living soul of our region, a festival that unites and excites. Each town in the Marina Alta, with its own unique features, brings a special touch to this unique celebration. Hopefully, these curiosities have opened the door for you to enjoy it even more and discover, year after year, everything that makes this festival a true living heritage. Until the next festive adventure!
At MACMA we have teaching materials with the aim of introducing the iconography, as well as the magic, of the festival of Sant Antoni to the students of Marina Alta and at the same time raising awareness among the youngest about the imprint of one of our most deeply rooted traditions.
On the other hand, on the occasion of the celebration of Sant Antoni, one of the most deeply rooted festivities in the Marina Alta, the MACMA reminds you that on our website you can access, before long, to the speaker, "Programació Sant Antoni a la comarca" which offers updated information on municipal programming related to this festival. This online resource becomes a key tool for consulting the activities planned in each municipality, encouraging participation and the dissemination of popular culture at a regional level.