THE ROOTS OF A PEOPLE

The visitor who comes to us with even a moderate fondness of etymology or semantics is surprised by the name of Castellón for a city that extends across the plain, without any trace of military fortress to which its name seems to allude. On the other hand, it must be said that the walls of our village were not raised by mythological heroes, not did any Moorish king construct marvelous fortresses upon which the imagination could freely fly.

The fundamental history of Castellón, experienced up to now through the traditional popular version and mixed with a multitude of folk details, is still open to investigation. In addition, anthropological and archaeological studies are not beyond historians’ interest in order to find scientific support for the popular tradition.

On the hill of La Magdalena, Castellón has its old ancestral home. It is located at the foot of the Desierto de las Palmas (Desert of the Palms) mountain range, and moving towards the plain, it faces the sea, which is nearby. At its peak, there are the remains of walls and towers that certify the paternal achievement of its old Castelló (diminutive of castle), which gazes in the distance -about eight kilometers-, at its offspring “la Plana” (the Plain); open and clear, extended over the green dark tapestry of garden, and in its urban prime.

Castellón’s birth certificate is dated on September, 8, 1251 in Lérida, where Jaime (James) I gave his royal permission to relocate from the mountain to the plain. With this move, which tradition places on the third Sunday of Lent in 1252, Castellón de la Plana was born.

The annual reminder of this historical event is the reason behind the “Fiestas de la Magdalena” (Festival of La Magdalena), the center of which is the popular and massive “romeria” (pilgrimage) called the “Romeria de les Canyes” (Pilgrimage of the Canes) which goes to the white ancestral chapel named after Saint Mary Magdalene. Tradition says that during their move to the plain, the people of Castellón carried lanterns that were lit on the curve of their crooks, which was the origin and symbolism of the monumental and luminous Gaiatas (small statues adorned with light bulbs) that illuminate the nighttime procession that comes to an end on Sunday during La Magdalena festival.

On the eve of the festival, the famous Cabalgata del Pregó (Procession of the Pregó), travels through the streets. It is a true living and dynamic ethnological museum, in which history and the legends, the traditional dress, dances and customs, not only of Castellón, but of the entire province are exalted.