The Nit de l’Albà, one of the most awaited celebrations by the Ilicitanos.

On 13th August, hundreds of pyrotechnic artifacts fill the night with light, color and sound. This festival, very characteristic of the city, has its origin in the Middle Ages, in which families honored the Virgin with a rocket for each of their children. Today that tradition has resulted in the launching of hundreds of “palm trees” that are launched in a coordinated way from different points of the city.

The rockets and the fireworks follow from 23:00 onwards until minutes before midnight. At that moment, the pyrotechnic activity ceases, the lights of the city are extinguished, and the Illicitanos wait in silence for the most important moment of the night, while the most significant fragment of the Misteri d’Elx sounds: “Gloria Patri”.

In the middle of the darkness, the palm of the Virgin rises, a large palm tree of white light that is launched from the Basilica of Santa Maria, and that illuminates for a full second, the whole sky of the city.

After the magic moment, the lights come on again and you can see in the tower of the Basilica a small “virgin of fire” while listening to the famous Havana “Aromas ilicitanos” and all the citizens sing it from their terraces and balconies.

To conclude, it is traditional to end the celebration by eating watermelon.

Some will continue to fire rockets until the wee hours of the morning, and others, the more daring, will
join the traditional war of flares in a centrally located place especially limited for it, only suitable for true fire passionates.