In the 17th century, children and adults used to go to the port of Dutch cities like Amsterdam every December 5 to sing “Hij komt, hij komt, de lieve goede Sint” (here comes, good old Saint Nicholas is coming). The excitement increased when, in the distance, a ship flying the Spanish flag was seen arriving loaded with Vinalopó grapes, almonds, oranges and toys.
Many believe that the spirit of Saint Nicholas, a Turkish saint and precursor of Santa Claus, came to travel on a ship that departed from Alicante to the northern ports as a result of the peace treaties of Münster and Westphalia, signed between Holland and Spain in 1648, as narrated by the professor at the University of Alicante Pablo Rosser.
Fantasy or not, the truth is that we wouldn't be surprised if Santa Claus left with his sleigh from the province of Alicante. Especially when we talk about the municipalities of Xixona, Ibi and Alcoi.
From Havana to Marseille, passing through Sicily or Lisbon, nougat is a sweet that is as universal as it is consumed by different countries as the Christmas period approaches. However, to understand the essence of this delicacy we must travel to Xixona, a town in Alicante where there are more nougat factories than bars and up to 80% of the population lives immersed in the nougat industry throughout the year.
The nougat culture in Xixona has been linked since time immemorial to its almond fields and honeycombs made from thyme and rosemary. The result is a sweet born from ancient production processes that are still maintained under the supervision of the protected geographical indication. A combination of almonds with honey and a pasty texture that speaks of old mills, boixets (or cooking cauldrons) and a Christmas celebration that cannot be understood without this signature snack.
In addition, nougat also encompasses various events as Christmas approaches. If you drop by this eve in the province of Alicante, you will discover that all eyes are on the Xixona Christmas fair, which takes place from December 3 to 8.
A massive occasion - the 2022 edition brought together more than 127,000 visitors - in which the magic of San Nicolás floats among the booths of more than 100 local exhibitors where the attraction lies in getting lost in a sea of flavors, textures and bites to choose from. through food trucks, theatrical guided tours of the old town and the castle, storytelling, food pairings, parades and exhibitions.
At Christmas, more than ever, Xixona lends a hand to Santa to display his heritage to the rest of the world with nougat as the common thread.
Behind us are the almond trees that will bloom in February, the centuries-old furrows and a castle that stands out on the horizon. We need gifts, and the town of Ibi knows a lot about it. The Toy Capital is not only the town in Spain with the most toy factories - at one time there were up to 70 - but every corner is an ode to Christmas thanks, in part, to references such as Payá Hermanos S.A.
This family factory was born in Ibi at the beginning of the 20th century as a way to diversify the economic activity of a town of barely 3,600 inhabitants dedicated to agriculture. At that time, Payá Hermanos only sold small tin toys in local markets, until their collection presented at the Valencian Regional Exhibition in 1905 changed the fate of the business: people from all over the country came in search of toys, with the first electric locomotive from Spain, called Santa Fe, as the most coveted item. By 1936, there were already more than 800 different products in its catalogue.
Ibi's toy legacy has endured over time and today it sighs in the Ibi Toy Museum (or Museu Valencià del Joguet), born in 1986 and set up in the original Payá family factory. An ideal Christmas oasis to visit with the little ones and discover a toy display that will awaken the innocence of the inner child that lives in each of us through different exhibitions, workshops or educational projects such as El Caixonet de la Faena, an oral story accompanied by various materials that illustrate the tradition and processes of making the toy.
If you travel as a family, you can also go to the Vintage Arcade Video Game Museum and play a game, or visit the Biodiversity Museum as alternative plans.
Every January 5, children look up in search of that shooting star that attracts the Three Wise Men along an exotic journey from the East. Showers of candy on the main avenues, floats worthy of a winter dream and gifts waiting under the tree. The parade of the Kings is an icon of our popular culture, and much of this merit belongs to the Alicante city of Alcoi.
The capital of the pericana and modernism, located in the Hoya de Alcoi region, was also a precursor of Christmas by celebrating what is now the oldest Three Kings parade in Spain. Although the celebration dates back to 1885, many claim that there were already references to the event in 1866. Designated a Festival of National Tourist Interest in November 2001, the one in Alcoi is a parade in which thousands of Alcoyans participate in the form of pages and artorcheros, dance groups such as Carrascal and Sant Jordi, or the music bands that enliven such a dreamy event.
On January 4, the proclamation of Their Majesties of the East takes place between little donkeys loaded with mailboxes and thrown by the royal pages. The next day, hundreds of packages follow the procession of trucks that begins on Avenida Elx at 6:00 p.m. and ends at 10:00 p.m. at the end of Avenida del País Valencià. An afternoon of magic whose peak comes at that moment when the pages themselves climb up to the houses through the facades using stairs.
Christmas comes closer to Alcoi than any other place when January arrives and, only then, with the car back loaded with smiles, toys and nougat, we wonder again if Santa Claus went on vacation to the Bahamas after an intense outing. sledding in the province of Alicante.
