After more than two years of forced hiatus due to the pandemic, Cieza will once again be medieval during the last fortnight of October, when the mid-year celebration of the "La Invasión" Shield Festival will take place.
The program of activities was presented this Wednesday at a press conference attended by Mariano Martínez Béjar, president of the "La Invasión" Coat of Arms Festival Committee, along with the mayor of Cieza, Pascual Lucas, and the councilor for culture, Concepción Villa.
The kick-off will take place on Friday, October 15, at 8:15 p.m., with the conference "Women and Festivals, Image and Similarities" at the Siyâsa Museum, led by Teresa Elena Martínez Riquelme, president of the Moors and Christians of Abanilla.
Two more activities will begin on October 18th. The first will be the 2nd Festival Window Display Exhibition, which will adorn the windows of various Cieza businesses with festive attire and will run until the 31st. Also on the 18th, guided tours of the San Bartolomé Chapel and its conjuring ritual will begin, taking place from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM until October 21st.
On October 21st at 8:00 pm in the Siyâsa Museum, the first conference "Other towns, other Moorish and Christian festivals of Molina de Segura" will be held. This is part of a new series of conferences that will be held periodically and will serve to raise awareness of the Moorish and Christian festivals of different municipalities in our region.
The highlight of the program will take place on the weekend of October 22nd-24th. From the 22nd to the 24th, you can enjoy a medieval market in the Plaza de España. That same Friday, October 22nd, a concert of Moorish and Christian marches typical of the Coat of Arms Festival, "The Invasion," will be held at 9:30 p.m. in the Capitol Theater, performed by the Cieza Municipal Band.
On Saturday the 23rd, starting at 11:00 a.m., an open house will take place in Plaza de España, where various festival groups will host various activities, including medieval games for children, face painting, tea tasting, and a medieval costume workshop. There will also be a communal bar.
A festive gathering will be held on Sunday the 24th, and the program will conclude with a mass at the San Bartolomé Chapel, which will take place on October 30th at 7:00 p.m.
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