Holidays

No, the title is not about the holidays I am having here, but about festive days that suddenly "leap up" and catch you by surprise.
Today I wandered down to the paper factory - closed. Then I decided to take the bus to Alcoy. When I came into Cocentaina, I saw closed shops and boys playing on the street... So I asked an old man: "Si, hoy es un dia festivo, la feria de fallas de Valencia, y fiesta de San Jose - y aqui parece un desierto." Yes, here it's like a desert. And I wandered up again. The weather is cloudy and cool, which made the walking easier. The egret was not home, but I did see a griffon vulture. Sorry, the photo is not so good.

Now I have time to do a bit of house- and computer"work".
The other fiesta, of which I only saw the rests, must have been the Festa dels Nanos on the wednesday when I arrived.

The little guide about Cocentaina says it's on the third wednesday of lent. We saw some fireworks and wondered what it is about. It is mainly celebrated in the old moorish quarter of El Raval.
Those owls certainly were part of the decoration. Aren't they sweet? I have to try to make one - it's an egg carton!

Finally, I will give you a nice quotation from the guide-leaflet: "Its (Cocentainas) population of 11.000 inhabitants, enjoys holidays and celebrations almost all year round, culminating in April with celebration of the Virgen del Milagro and in the middle of August with the traditional festival of Moros y Cristianos in honour of San Hipólito, declared of national tourist interest. The importance of the Fira de Tots Sants should also be emphasized. It has been celebrated since 1346, attracting numerous visitors, in early November."