L'Alcora Celebrates the Rotllo Festival with the Children's Pilgrimage as its Core

Hundreds of residents, with the youngest as protagonists, participate in this nearly three-century-old tradition.

Image of a traditional pilgrimage with children and adults walking uphill.
IA

Image of a traditional pilgrimage with children and adults walking uphill.

The town of l'Alcora, in the l'Alcalatén region, hosted this Easter Monday the traditional Rotllo Festival, where hundreds of residents participated in the well-known Children's Pilgrimage, with the youngest as central figures.

From early morning, to the rhythm of music, boys and girls have journeyed uphill to the hermitage of Sant Cristòfol. This pilgrimage is unique in Spain for featuring children as the main protagonists, though it is joined by participants of all ages.
This festive day brings together several generations around a tradition that dates back nearly three centuries. A group of children dressed as angels commemorates the origin of the festival, which recalls when a procession saved the town from a period of drought.
The celebration continues throughout the day with the distribution of over 7,000 rotllos and with open-air dances and mobile discos that extend into the early hours of the morning.