Sagunto opens its patron saint festivities with the chupinazo and xopà
Thousands of people gathered on 18 July outside Sagunto's town hall for the start of the patron saint festivities honouring Saint Abdon and Saint Senen, which will continue until 30 July.
The festivities began with the traditional chupinazo (a rocket launch that marks the opening of a festival) followed by the xopà, a traditional communal gathering. The opening ceremony took place outside Sagunto's town hall (Ayuntamiento), attended by Mayor Darío Moreno, Councillor for Festivities and Popular Culture Patricia Sánchez, and Ricardo Meliá, president of the Associació Cultural Penyes de Festes Patronals de Sagunt (the association of neighbourhood festivity groups, or peñas), together with council members, festivity-group representatives and the Falleras Mayores of the Federació Junta Fallera de Sagunt (FJFS). The programme runs until 30 July with live orchestras, bullfighting events, competitions and children's shows. The closing date coincides with the feast day of Saint Abdon and Saint Senen, the city's patron saints — third-century martyrs of Persian origin also venerated as protectors of farmers in Catalonia and the Valencian Community. The festivities recently gained official recognition too: the regional government (Generalitat) declared them a Festivity of Autonomous Tourist Interest in March 2025, at the request of the festivity groups' association. According to Ajuntament de Sagunt — Actualidad. Additional background: Wikipedia, the Official Gazette of the Valencian Government (DOGV).