Good afternoon everyone! The 9th of October is an important day for us. We celebrate the day of Valencia. Do you know why we celebrate the 9th of October? And twice! We will tell you right away. Pay attention:

A long time ago, back in the year 1238 there was a king named Jaume I called “The Conqueror” King of Aragon and the Principality of Catalonia. In that year, he made it his goal to conquer the lands south of his kingdom. Those lands were the Valencia region. On the day of San Dionís, October 9, 1238, he entered Valencia and conquered its territory. Since that day, we have celebrated this with a great festival and firecrackers, eventually becoming a very popular festival throughout the land.

We tell you that we celebrate it twice because in the 17th century, after the War of Succession and with the victory of the Bourbon Felipe V, the Nueva Planta Decrees prohibited the celebration of the entry of Jaime I into Valencia. So the confectioners, in response to the ban, decided to make candies shaped like the forbidden firecrackers. A custom began then that has been maintained to this day. These sweets, in addition to copying the firecrackers also represented the fruits and vegetables from the gardens of Valencia.

These fruits were wrapped in a handkerchief (mocador in Valencian) and were a gift for the beloved woman. Over time, the handkerchief (mocador) gave its name to the festival: “la mocadorà”. It has even got further, as since a long time back, it is a tradition throughout the Valencia Community to give the “mocadorà” to the loved one on Valentine’s Day.

Well, you know, if you are in the area and want to surprise your partner with typical products, do not hesitate! They are really good!