Picture Library
The photographic archive of the Feast Museum, with more than six thousand images, contains a very important visual heritage of the history of our festivities captured by different devices that had been used throughout the history by professional and amateur photographers.
The first images date back to the dawn of our feasts in the last decades of the nineteenth century, and were utilized to capture the various “comparsas” when they entered the Major Square in the great days of the festivities. Nowadays, we can enjoy the costumes of the “comparsas” who participated, with snapshots taken in the main events of the Big Week. When the twentieth century was very advanced, the photography became a hobby for an important amount of festive members that have immortalized the great days of the feasts since then.
This window shows an important part of this legacy that the museum preserves and exhibits publicly on this website.
Joaquin José Cervino
More than one thousand two-hundred towns around the world celebrate the Moors and Christians, the only thing we have in common is the texts, the parliaments: the Embassies.
Among all, Ontinyent has a number of circumstances that make them unique:
Their age, as they are dated in 1860.
Knowing its authorship: Judge Joaquín José Cervino Ferrero.
Being written to Ontinyent because they are constant references to their places and their people.
That still carry on being represented how since its inception, the text has not been changed a comma and its verses have the same freshness as the first day.
And, above all, they reach the heart and excite us every year as if it were the first time that we hear it.
The author, JJ Cervino (1818-1883) is, among other things, Judge of the Supreme Court and Secretary of HM Queen Elizabeth II and writing the embassies of the Moorish and Christian to the feast that be held in Ontinyent, put all his affection, passion and skill as a writer.
The Cervino literary work can be summarized in:
7 own books, including poems, novels and plays,
17 books in the company of others contemporary writers.
And a handful of compositions in verse published in newspapers and magazines of the time, here as in America, mainly in Argentina, where on occasion, to publish his works speak of him as “the Mexican JJ Cervino.”
The document shown below is a manuscript copy made by a fan of the festivities, which is preserved in the Feast Museum.
Original text of the book “Decisions practice” Pablo Cardellach Busquets (1862). ” Al Señor D. José Joaquín Matterhorn, Knight Commander of the real number y orden distinguished Spanish Carlos III, Secretary of SM Officer of the Ministry of Grace and Justice, first “Gefei” (sic) section of the Directorate General of Records of the Property, etc. Muy Señor de toda mi amigo y mío considerations: V Permit to stamp its name on this page, do not ya yo puedo Add luster to them that triunfos V. has logrado the field Letras y the improvement of the Institution of attorney, in whose class pertenezco honestly, manifieste at least a todos mis compañeros dignos of Profession that también soy between ellos of them that I should esfuerzos V. them in our favor, and to them that your atestiguan probity, its intelligence and its sellotape. Receive V. additionally todas las attentions afectísimo su amigo y seguro server. QBSM Cardellach Pablo. “
The extras nineteenth century
The mere presence of a camera at the end of the nineteenth century in all areas of social life was enough to draw people present curiosity. A widening clear images are captured in our streets in the early years when the party joined the photographic world Ontinyent and corn Christian celebrations.
The museum exhibits a significant amount of photography, taken from the first meter with the groups made their entrance to the Plaza Mayor until they have been awarded in competitions photographic Society Festive organized in several stages. But are the oldest ones that attract the visitor’s attention because you can see how different parties were already more than a century.
In these pictures you can see how Square, packed, waiting for the groups, properly trained, their parade ended at the foot of the entrance of the castle. Smugglers dresses, Marines, Moros Marinos, among others, are all the details; you can also see how the tradition has been respected in the groups clothing oldest kept their costumes as they began to march in the late nineteenth century, but we can also see extras dressed as missing, such as Zuavos or Churros of which little or no documentation can be found already; also as people poured filled with fiestas and the square as buildings already adorned for the summer festivals of our city.
Dresses old
Much of the museum is exhibited by the Museum Fester dresses are the oldest of the Moros and Christians Ontinyent, and how could it be otherwise, these dresses are also very important in our library.
The groups, throughout their history, have changed his clothing; difficult access to raw materials for the production and the high cost of some materials have been reasons, among others, that have produced these changes. In almost all of these examples, the Museum has stored images of the dresses that the groups have taken to the street. But in this collection are particularly important suits the groups that today no longer participate in the festivities: the priests, the Churros, Cavalry Mora extras that can only remember, in some cases, through these photographs.
The composition of the pictures is also very different and varied, not only did the parades in the streets Login or targets, but also asked the festive collaboration with professional photographers to immortalize these festive dates so important in the lives of Ontinyent.
Festive Building Society
Festive Society was founded in 1865, although our party had gone on the street since 1860 organized by a Board of parties; since that time, the Company is located, to meet and organize parties in different locations Ontinyent: private residences, casinos as it was located on the small porch, among others, were the prelude final location in the building acquired in the Square Latonda by the Board in 1921 President Jose Maria Selva Escolano.
That building, which at present is still the headquarters of the Society Festive has undergone many different works of qualification, adaptation and repair up to the imposing aspect that currently has. The original building had access to the first floor of the Latonda Square, which houses those years from the Casino Society Festive and a second floor devoted to the offices of the Company; over the years, this would add a new distribution plant: which today houses the offices and the boardroom. But this building would be added later which gave access to the Plaza and Low connected with the principal and where the three floors house the Museum Fester.
The passage of time has made the headquarters of the Society serve festive meeting place for various cultural and sports associations of the city of Ontinyent of location to be able to dance during the difficult years of the Spanish civil war and, of course, the traditional game in the Casino. But if there is an event has not changed venue was the Breakfast of tears, since 1960, brings together the revelers at the start of our holiday to remind revelers who are no longer among and we will show that the positions of the parties each year.
QUEENS Celebrations
To mark the centenary of the Moors and Christians Ontinyent, the Company decided to establish festive figure Festivities Queen, accompanied by ten bridesmaids participate in the celebrations to Ontinyent in 1991, when it was considered that the representation of women within the party was already fully accepted the participation of women in full twenty-four troupes Ontinyent.
These thirty-one Queens and their Courts of Honor were leading figures of the Moors and Christians in this period and participated in lots of events organized specifically for retre’ls tribute: On the night of Sunday Proclamation before the Great Week, the crier his speech focused on the image of the corresponding Queen and her Court of Honor, the Gala Dinner held on Wednesday at Casino Party Society Festive also served to honor them.
Among all, note that the name was the first Queen of the Moors and Christians in 1960, Maria Amor Latonda Tortosa, who unfortunately died in 2012.
Castles
Since the nineteenth century the Moors and Christians used something that until now has been silent witness to what has been the evolution of the parties Ontinyent: Castle holidays.
Far left that house painted backdrops initial imitating ancient fortresses and installed on top of what was then the Constitution Square. In the late nineteenth century, these curtains were replaced by wooden planks with the same structure as the original castle, which was used until 1917. In 1918 inaugurated a new and imposing castle; This, which was used until the Civil War, also occupied the top of the Plaza de Alfonso XIII and installed in front of the facade. In the harsh postwar years was replaced by a burlap that barely withstand a decade of existence. In 1948 a new castle was installed in front of the town hall and filled various decorative elements. This lasted until 1984 since, gradually lost its initial structure as installed just a small part.
It was in 1985 with the commemoration of the 125th anniversary of our parties, when built the castle that still today makes our Square, imposing a work containing the characteristic architecture in the time of the Reconquista and as its predecessors is the perfect backdrop for the Embassies of the last day of the Moors and Christians.
Charges
In the history of the Moors and Christians Ontinyent the main positions of the parties have made unique images where we can enjoy the various costumes that were used and their evolution. The passage of time can be seen in this gallery where they are captains of the nineteenth century, when the fake beards and wigs are an important part of this dress. Later velvets and feathers have been replaced metals and leathers that enrich these dresses from different textile materials -sedes, smooth skins and richly autentiques- truly treated us back to the time of the Reconquest.
The parade of these charges on our streets has also been performed in many different ways. The steadily through the middle of the route to the entrance gave way to the use of animals, although in distant years were the same that accompanied the Ontinyent in the work of the field in the 80 camels were already even elephants were used to transport captains, to bearer or to Ambassadors. In the second half of the twentieth century began to be used floats of different sizes and designs, which are also accompanied our positions. We have seen walking our streets very reliable reproductions of what could be a Moorish palace, a Christian cathedral or castle different interpretations of our party.
The images Museum preserves your files from these positions make us an idea of how our party has evolved in the way of developing these positions, not only in shape, but also in the organization of its accompaniments, ballets , black squares or floats participating in our posts and fit perfectly into a narrative screenplay increasingly careful and worked for the groups of Moors and Christians Ontinyent.
The festivities of the XXI century
The library of the Museum Fester, with more than 6000 photographs, contains a lot of old images with special importance to know who is the Moors and Christians throughout its history, but also home to a collection important images taken in recent decades that help us to know and understand what are the celebrations today.
The Entrance, Embassies, the Descent of the Holy Christ moments are captured by amateur photographers that make unique images in which the party in their natural sense, is the protagonist. The positions of parties are also participants in these photographs in which you can enjoy highly detailed costume, year after year, are made specifically for the holidays Onteniente.
The splendor of the Entry of the Moors and Christians afternoon at night cameras fills the route of the parade, the streets of Almaig and Daniel Gil are the scene of spectacular Tickets Ontinyent: squares black horses hitters, camels, floats, ballets and several squads of twenty-four masquerades parading on a wonderful event share the spotlight with boatos, accurate down to the last detail, from the groups who hold positions Captains, Ambassadors and bearer. Embassies have their special section in this collection: images of Trabuco, the audience and the uniqueness of our embassies are caught every year in thousands of unique moments.
