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body of Christ
"I left all the neighbors of this city [...] on the occasion of the next Corpus feast being celebrated tomorrow that all the inhabitants of the return of the aforementioned procession cleaned the streets and adorned the balconies and windows with curtains and others corresponding to such a solemn function [ ...].”
Municipal Order, 1753
The Corpus Christi Procession of Xàtiva takes place in June, it has been documented since the 14th century, it is one of the oldest in the Valencian community. From the 1980s onwards, the community began a process of recovering this procession, taking it to its current splendor.
It is a Corpus Chisti Procession that combines the religious solemnity with the profane part of the fun. Both sides count on the huge collaboration of the public.
School students rehearse for several weeks to perform a wide range of dances. The city's School of Dance also collaborates in this element of the celebration.
In the religious part, there are many characters that represent biblical scenes.
Another significant element is the “enramada”, before the procession passed, neighbors spread aromatic plants along the street, forming a vegetal carpet.
The Corpus procession has numerous dances and religious elements.
The most characteristic is the Moma, which contains the most symbolic content and considered the oldest. The “Moma”, dressed in white and the central element of the dance, embodies virtue, while the “momos”, dressed in red and black, represent deadly sins. The figures they represent, to the sound of a simple melody in ancient tones played with “tabal” and “dolçaina” (traditional instruments of Valencian popular culture), and that symbolize the struggle of virtue against sin. Music is an element indelibly associated with the celebration of the Corpus, as it is inseparable from dances and theatrical performances, whose richness is exceptional.
Other remarkable dances that have to be mentioned are those of the Gegantes, linked from the first hour to the Corpus Chisti; the Nanos; the Paloteig, originating from the archaic ball of bastons, the Magrana, a specific element of the Valencian processions of the Corpus; the Archets; the Cavalletes; the Biblical Characters; between others.
Popular and religious syncretism has a perfect marriage in these celebrations. Since its origins in the 14th century, the Corpus Chisti coincided with the dates of ancient profane celebrations, ancestral rituals linked to the agricultural cycle. On the other hand, dances like the Moma, or the different representations of the Biblical "Mysteries", are a legacy of the didactic-moralizing current of the church in the early modern era.
The Corpus Chisti Procession is a must-attend event for anyone in the city in June, and is also an excellent reason in itself to visit Xàtiva.
Biblical elements, dances and characters from the Corpus Christi Procession.
Places of Dances
1. Placa de la Seu
2. Calle de la Corretgeria (junction with Calle Roca)
3. Santa Tecla Square (center)
4. Calle del Taquígraf Martí (corner of the Mercè Church)
5. Plaza de Sant Jaume (centre)
6. Plaça de la Bassa (off Calle Hostals)
7. Plaça de la Bassa (at the entrance to Calle Sant Francesc)
8. Porta de Sant Francesc (next to the baroque fountain)
9. Calle de Montcada (opposite Dominiques)
10. Portal del Lleó (junction with Calle Montcada)
11. Plaça de la Trinitat (Gothic Fountain side)
12. Calle de l'Àngel (cross calle Barranc)
13. Portal de València (in front of the Consolació Church)
14. Plaça de Benlloch (intersection with Calle Sant Pere)
15. Plaça de Sant Pere (in front of the oven)
16. Calle de Segurana (intersection with Calle Sant Cristòfol)
17. Plaça d'Enríquez (crossing Calle Sant Vincent)
18. Plaça de l'Abat Pla (in front of the Seu's rear door)
19. Placa de la Seu (center)