Esparto work, for centuries and throughout the Valencia area, a part of the lifestyle has revolved around the use of esparto, a fiber from which all kind of objects were manufactured, from shoes, baskets, ropes, mats, or the tools used for working the land.

So important in our town, apart from the esparto, the Mediterranean dwarf palm, known as margalló, were also used in El Poble Nou de Benitatxell, taking out the eye, the tenderest part of the plant, and exposing it to the sun until getting a yellowish-white color. Later, they split the leaves into two, using their fingers. Finally, they split and matched them to make the yata.

The yata was used to weave products, or even to make alfarrijas, so they got a tough frame for the ceilings. The esparto work was very hard and needed an elaborated process. When it was picked, it was loaded on a donkey, or directly on the back, to be weighed on a balance.

The harvested esparto was left to dry until it lost its green, so the tenderness disappeared. The bunches were spread to dry under the sun, at least for two weeks. Then, after seven or eight days, the esparto was removed in order to dry all its sides well.

Afterwards, depending on the uses of the esparto, it was dried or soaked in the saltwater of Javea’s cove, to let it dry, and thus a malleable but tougher fiber was made. When the days were very cold and going to work the land was not possible, the whole family chopped and modeled the esparto around a fire. The families often enjoyed themselves singing popular songs and telling stories while they were working the esparto at home. It allowed the families to transmit history generation after generation. This is why one of the most popular proverbs survived until now in the town. Quan el mangó porta capell, pica espart i fes cua d’ell.