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Moors and Christians of Villena
 The Moors and Christians festival in Villena (Spain) (Spanish: Moros y Cristianos), is celebrated from September 4 to 9 in honor of Nuestra Señora de las Virtudes, patron saint of the city and Advocate against the Plaguend. This festival is declared as a Festival of National Tourist Interest.[1] With aproximately 15,000 participants in the main parades, who dress as Moors, students, warriors, farmers, etc. over five days, the Moors and Christians festivity of Villena is considered to have the highest participation level among all the ones that take place in Spain.[2][3][4] . 14 "Comparsas" (musical groups) take part in the festivities, half of whom belong to the Moorish side and the others to the Christian side. They go on a pilgrimage in honor of the Virgin of "La Morenica", as the virgin is referred to in the region. Parades such as La Entrada (The Entrance Parade) on September 5 or La Cabalgata Nocturna (the Great Night Parade) on September 6, can last for 7 or 8 hours, actively parading almost a third of the local population and bringing together up to 120 marching/music bands from various regions of the southeast of Spain.[2] HistoryIts origin dates back to 1474, when the Virgen de las Virtudes (Our Lady of the Virtues), was proclaimed Patroness of the town and protector against the Plague.[5] The current Moors and Christians Festival is the result of the merger of three different festivals 
"Las Embajadas" (the Embassies) plays consists of a series of old plays which current version was written between 1810 and 1815. In them an ambassador presents a parliament to the defenders of the castle of the city, the Atalaya Castle. As time progresses, the words become harsher, ending up revealing the intentions of taking the fortress. After a loud battle with arquebuses, the invading army takes the castle. The roles are reversed two days later.[6][2][5] The Comparsas or companies   In Villena there are 14 comparsas or associations: seven of them are from the Moorish and seven from the Christian side: Moorish side: Moros Viejos (Ancient Moors), Moros Nuevos (New Moors), Bando Marroquí (Moroccan Band), Moros Realistas (Royalist Moors), Moros Nazaríes (Nazarite Moors), Moros Bereberes (Berber Moors) and Piratas (Pirates).
Christian side: Estudiantes (Students), Marinos Corsarios (Corsair Sailors), Andaluces (Andalusians), Labradores (Farmers), Ballesteros (Crossbowmen), Almogávares (Almogavars) and Cristianos (Christians).
Special Squads and costume craft industry La Entrada parade, 2009 The interest in the historical authenticity of the costumes has occurred through the proliferation of so-called special squads (Escuadras Especiales), a phenomenon that has spread in the second half of the twentieth century. In each comparsa, the number of special squads has been limited to one per every hundred participants to preserve traditional costumes in the parades, and their new costumes are worn for the first time every year on the day of La Entrada parade. These costumes are created and produced in Villena, promoted by the same groups that will later wear them for the first time. After the festival they rent those special costumes to squads from other towns to help recoup some of their costs. As a result, a notable industry dedicated to costume production has developed in Villena since the 1970s, leading to the creation of numerous jobs and the organization of specialized fairs, particularly for footwear, leather goods, precious stones, textiles, metals, makeup and other forms of crafts related to the festival.[2][7] See alsoReferences
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