As part of celebrations for the Day of the Valencian Community, the city was treated to a highly authentic recreation of 1428’s civic cavalcade, originally commissioned by Alfonso the Magnanimous (not a bad moniker, that) to honor the memory of King Jaume I. Unfortunately, the parade suffered the torrential winds and rains which have been tearing up the region the last few days.
The storm had held off all day on the 9th, allowing the procession of the Senyera to occur, but just as the cavalcade was due to get underway at 17:30, it hit. Nasty weather, though, couldn’t stop Valencians from turning out in force. This particular parade is not a yearly thing and no one wanted to miss it, even if that meant getting wet.
And the cavalcade truly was something to behold (even if it could only be beheld in quick glimpses through a wall of umbrellas). More than 700 marchers were dressed in medieval clothing and equipped with authentic weaponry recreated with the help of historians. Some musical instruments, in fact, were made from scratch, just for this march. Horses were clad in regal vestments, matching their riders, many of whom wore full suits of armor. There were jugglers and jesters, ornate ladies-in-waiting, and gigantic bulls.
It’s really a shame the weather wasn’t nicer, but hopefully they’ll do this parade again next year. There’s a rumor that they might.
