Sax celebrates its patron saint festival

The town celebrates its Moors and Christians festival from 1 to 5 February in honour of St Blas. During these five days, the town of Sax throbs to the rhythm of the pasa-doble and the air is filled with the smell of gunpowder.

These festivals began in 1627 when the people of Sax took an oath to celebrate St Blas' day to show their devotion to the patron saint of the town. Ever since, the Moors and Christians have been celebrated to coincide with this day, commemorating the reconquest of Sax by James I troops in 1239. They are the town's most important and best-known festivals.

In the early days, this festival consisted of a religious rite in church and a volley of arquebus shots to honour the saint. During the 20th century, customs changed and since 1942 it has lasted for five days (from 1 to 5 February). The 'comparsas' (groups of people who organise elements of the festivals) were started at the end of the 19th century after the appearance of the Moors and Christians, the oldest of which give the festival its name. The youngest, 'los Caballeros de Cardona' was formed in 1989, joining other groups called the Moroccans, the Galibaldis, the Turks, the Aragonese and the Arab Emirs.

It has been declared a "Festival of Provincial Interest".