The Cordà of Paterna

When is it celebrated

La Cordà takes place on last sunday of august, within the Major Festivals in honour of the Santísimo Cristo de la Fe and San Vicente Ferrer. The main shot takes place at night; The time and access measures must be checked each year in the municipal security programme and plan.

La Cordà is not in itself a public holiday. The work calendar and local holidays are approved through different administrative channels, so it is advisable to consult the current official calendar.

Major Street and the fire enclosure

The historical setting is Calle Major de Paterna. During the celebration, the enclosure is delimited, facades and urban elements are protected, and gunpowder boxes and shooters' stations are distributed along the road. The bronze plaques installed on the pavement preserve the traditional numbering that orders these stalls.

The spectacle is experienced differently inside and outside the perimeter: the authorized shooters act equipped to withstand the fire, while the public watches from the areas established by the security device. It is not an activity open to spontaneous participation.

Origin and documented history

The historical documentation collected in the heritage declaration places antecedents of the Cordà in the festivals organised by the brotherhood of the Santísimo Cristo de la Fe. In the 19th century it is already confirmed in municipal festive programmes, and the transmission between generations consolidated a local culture specialized in the ritual use of gunpowder.

The current form brings together municipal organisation, knowledge of the shooters, space preparation and a coordinated sequence of fire. Figures and institutions like the Coeter Major, the Cordà Sector Council and the clubs help maintain and transmit the celebration.

Rockets, shooters and continuity of fire

The figures vary depending on the edition, but the City Council documents celebrations with more than 70,000 rockets, around 350 shooters and more than a ton of gunpowder fired in approximately twenty minutes. Traditional artifices include coetons y femelletes, distributed in boxes along the street.

The value of the Cordà does not depend only on the amount of gunpowder. Participants seek rapid, intense and continuous fire, the result of experience, coordination and knowledge transmitted by the shooting community.

Seguridad, formación y participación

Participation within the venue requires authorization, training and protective equipment. The City Council approves a specific plan and coordinates access controls, health services, firefighters, police and environmental protection. The specific conditions change and must be consulted before each edition.

The culture of fire is also transmitted through training activities and related events of the Major Festivals. The City Council, the Sector Council, clubs, shooters, technical and emergency personnel, neighbors and visitors participate.

Reconocimientos oficiales

The Secretary of State for Tourism granted the Cordà the title of Festival of National Tourist Interest by resolution of 4 May 2017. In 2022, the Consell declared the Cordà de Paterna bien de interés cultural inmaterial, a protection that recognizes their knowledge, practices, organisation and community transmission.

Sources

• Paterna City Council: the Cordà and the Major Festivals.
• BOE: declaration of Cordà as an asset of intangible cultural interest.
• BOE: granting of the title of Festival of National Tourist Interest.
• Paterna City Council: development, figures and security of the Cordà.
• Paterna City Council: shooter positions on Major Street.