Halloween has arrived in the Marina Alta to stay. The Anglo-Saxon festival has taken over the autumn calendar for years now, filling the streets of our towns with zombies, vampires, werewolves and other monsters. But it is worth remembering that before all these beings with foreign accents, creatures that we have forgotten roamed freely in our streets and mountains and terrorized the neighbors of the region at night.
Many municipalities in the Marina Alta are trying to bring the celebration of Halloween closer to the Valencian tradition, although many of them have mistakenly decided to refer to it as the Nit de les Ànimes or Festa de les Ànimes. This celebration took place during the night following Tots Sants Day. That is, from November 1 to 2, and not the 31st, which is the traditional date of Halloween.
Be that as it may, the goal is to return to the roots, and what better way to do it than by remembering what terrified our ancestors? Next, we review the monsters that starred in the nightmares of the residents of the Marina Alta thanks to different conversations with our elders and supported by the recommendable Unfinished guide to Valencian fantasy, by Joan Borja, Francesc Gisbert and Víctor Labrado. But these beings we are talking about are not only Valencians, but also ours, from this region.
Boogeyman
It is probably the most famous and international on the list. He is still alive today, although he no longer frightens new generations as much.
It was said that this mysterious figure arrived in the towns of the Marina Alta from no one knew exactly where. She had a relaxed appearance and an introverted character. In short, very suspicious. But what caught the most attention was the bag that he always carried with him, sometimes bulging, in which some movement could be perceived and even the odd cry came out from inside.
They warned the boys and girls of our municipalities about him, but also those whose parents said they had not grown enough.
Mare dels Peixos
Our Loch Ness Monster, but rather the Granadella monster. It is a creature that drove the fishermen of Xàbia. A fish shaped like a snake, but with three heads and two tails, and larger than a man.
Although her appearance obviously caused fear, it is said that her character was rather friendly, although annoying, as she continually got tangled in the fishermen's nets and started conversations with them to have her tails and heads cut off, returning her to the sea so that she could eat them. new ones would grow again.
More than an evil being, they refer to her as a protective being. She became known thanks to the eponymous rondalla by Enric Valor, where she describes the encounter of this creature with a fisherman from Granadella.
If you have been wanting to know more about her, we will tell you everything here: Mare dels Peixos.
Bubota
Our ghosts, halfway between spirits and demons. They are very ill-intentioned, as they haunt the living with not very good intentions.
This name may not sound familiar, as it receives different names depending on the town. In Xàbia, Xaló and Sagra it is known as buberota or bumberotes; bumberota or bumberoto if you are in Teulada or Alcalalí; and marmot in Parcent and Castell de Castells.
Although there are not many stories of appearances of these, it is known that it was common to dress up as them to scare the little ones. To do this, a pumpkin was hollowed out, using the inside to make fritters, and holes were opened for eyes and mouth, exactly like those at Halloween. After this, it was covered, a candle was added inside and everything was covered with a sheet, carried by the elders of the towns to chase the children.
The Joanaina
Speaking of bubotas, the best known in the region is located in Teulada and has its own name: Joanaina. It is said that it appears during the Nit de Sant Joan in the surroundings of the fountain of Jana.
If you walk around the area that night, you may notice a weight on your back. She is the Joanaina who has the habit of attaching herself to the clueless who approach and, although she does not let herself be seen, they feel her on them. But she won't make it easy, you have to arrive with that weight, which will increase as you progress, to the Santa Caterina church, in the center of town, so that it can dissipate, and she will also let you make a wish.
Although it sounds terrifying, they say that its appearance is friendlier than one can imagine. They refer to her as a beautiful, mysterious and seductive woman. In fact, therein lies the main torture. As he walks behind her back, he constantly tempts you to look back, whispering in her ear. Thus, if one turns away, one would lose the promised desire.
La Reina Mora
The Mora Queen is a mythical character closely linked to different towns in the Marina Alta. In Calp we have the Queen's Baths, built by her lover so that she could bathe in peace every night. With the Christian conquest she preferred to enter the sea from there and not return.
In the Clot de la Reina de Xàbia, legends claim that an enchanted woman of great beauty can be seen some nights, who is called the Moorish Queen. Will she be the same?
In Teulada-Moraira they have also been seen enchanted in different places bathing, such as in Clot de la Reina or l'Andragó cove. It is said that it could also be Queen Mora. The same one that, according to legends, preferred to jump into the Cavall Verd ravine during the Christian conquest rather than allow herself to be captured by the occupiers.
The most striking thing is that there are real records of her appearance in 1897 in l'Alcúdia, but in the form of a stone and she was given a name that has transcended so much as to make us forget that it is really the Moorish Queen: the Lady of Elx. If you like know more about this story we will tell you all about it here.
Saginer
Like a Bogeyman, but more vile, Saginer toured the towns with a huge sack into which he put the clueless boys and girls he found along his path. It is not very clear what he does with them, but his profession (in Spanish he is known as the mantamanteca) predicts the worst.
It is said that since butter was so valuable during the time, there were people who tried to extract it from humans, specifically from children. And they were scared by talking to them about saginer. In fact, records of inquisitorial processes of saginer cases have even been found.
