¡INOCENTE¡ Did you fall for our Xàbia “colourful zoo” story?

¡INOCENTE! ¡INOCENTE! Did you fall for it? Or did you see through our little joke? Of course, there is no proposal to build a new colour zoo and safari experience in Xàbia! If you did fall for it, don’t worry; you weren’t the only one. If you didn’t, well done. But be prepared for next year! (If you missed it, see the “news report” below.)

Today – December 28th – is ‘El Día de los Santos Inocentes’, which is the equivalent of April Fool’s Day in other countries when pranks are played on unsuspecting victims, the ‘inocentes’ or ‘innocents’.

However, it is an important day in the calendar of the Catholic Church for it commemorates the story of the massacre of all the male babies in Bethlehem on the order of Herod, King of Judea, after being told that the future King of the Jews would be born there. They are considered to be the first Christian martyrs, the ‘Holy Innocents’, although the story has long been thought to have been an invention of the Gospel of Matthew, rather than based on any real event, and these days the religious aspect of the feast day has been largely forgotten and replaced by the pranks, the supposed justification being that Jesus escaped the hands of Herod.

The traditional joke is to put a puppet or a ragdoll – known as “monigotes” – on people’s backs whilst celebrities from TV and screen are often made the butt of jokes on a TV special to raise money for a good cause. In some areas it’s rather like the American phenomenon of ‘trick or treat’ which children going from door to door, making plenty of noise and demanding a ‘payment’ to stop, normally something sweet like the traditional ‘polvorones’ that are sold at this time of year. And if you’re dipping into the sugar bowl to sweeten your tea or coffee, check first as it’s a popular trick to substitute salt for the sugar.

At javeamigos.com, we have produced several classic ‘inocente’ tales over the past few years, including:

• 2012: The rumour that a new four-lane tunnel was to be dug underneath the Montgó mountain to provide quick access to Dénia.
• 2013: The proposal to build a three-stage cable car from the Plaza de la Constitución to the summit of Montgó.
• 2014: The intention to turn the mountain road between Xàbia and Dénia into a toll road.
• 2015: The plan to charge foreign-plated cars to pay for parking by the Arenal beach.
• 2016: The rumour that the Arenal zone was going to declare itself independent from Xàbia.
• 2017: The Province of Alicante planning to adopt GMT along the Costa Blanca region.
• 2018: The proposal to introduce ANPR technology in Xàbia to monitor traffic in the town and check for proper registration.
• 2020: EU-subsidized infrastructure could soon be off-limits to British citizens.
• 2021: Fish and chips awarded regional dish for Costa Blanca region in 2022.
• 2022: Direct connection with A-7 motorway given go-ahead by regional authorities
• 2023: Spain’s bars prepare for new legislation to protect Spanish gastronomy

Xàbia will soon have its own colourful zoo and safari experience

Xàbia will soon have its own zoo and safari experience, according to proposals put to the local council in the past few days. And in a bid to provide more attractive options for the discerning tourist, the facility will only feature colourful animals rather than the usual exhibits of elephants, monkeys and small black insects.

The provincial councillor responsible for Animal Welfare, Economic Development and Motorways, Jareb Moko, explained that the zoo, which will be located on land previously put aside for social housing, will have small cages filled with the most wonderful colourful animals that will be sourced from across the world, filling the whole enclosure with an explosion of delightful colour. In addition, there will be a 280m long safari drive through magical areas where the whole family can try and spot other exotic animals.

There will be modest charge of around 30 euros per person (28 euros for children) with a 2.8% reduction for local residents who can provide proof through a padrón certificate.

Moko added that if the project proves to be successful, it is planned to expand the facility to cover the entire plot which is located just inland from the Arenal beach area as well as build several luxury colourful million-euro apartments to help finance the infrastructure. The first phase is expected to be open by June 28th.