´Tis the season of festivals here in Spain, apparently. I think they are a great way to learn about culture and history, so I´ve been participating when I can. And since they all seem to involve standing in crowds, my new-found height is put to good use.
Almudena Day
Yesterday was a Madrid holiday, in honor of one of the two patrons saints, Our Lady of Almudena. She disappeared or reappeared at miraculous times (I´m not quite sure of the details). With some friends from class, I attended part of the outdoor mass held in front of the palace, and then I got to see my very first pageant. Living in a very Catholic country, I am sure these will soon bore me, but it was fun to stand in the large crowd and watch the statue, carried on an ornate platform by a team of churchgoers, slowly glide by. We trailed the procession for a while, the peeled off to head to the main plaza. Almudena is also turns out to be patron saint of bakers, and there is a sweet bread filled with cream associated with holiday. The city was handing out free servings, which we eventually secured, but only after some semi-heated arguments with little old ladies about whether we were cutting in line. (Which we were most definitely NOT doing. But Spain is turning out to be a country that takes standing in line very seriously.)
Since everyone has been asking, I´ll just say that Halloween is barely a thing here, and is very much seen as an American import. I saw a handful of kids wearing costumes, but mainly it´s the equivalent of Cinco de Mayo in the US - an excuse for adults to go to the bar and drink, with or without costumes.
A royalty sighting
October 31st was important for a different reason - it was the 18th birthday of Princess Leonor, who will inherit the Spanish throne after her father dies. Democracy is quite new here, and one of the ways they protect it is the tradition that the heir publicly swears loyalty to the constitution in front of the Parliament on their 18th birthday. I happened to be downtown that day and got to see her procession from the palace to Parliament - she is in the antique car, accompanied by the royal guard. I was just tickled pink by the whole thing, both because the presence of a royal family is so foreign to me, and because I live in the capital and can just stumble upon things like this.
All Soul´s Day
November 1st is All Soul´s Day, a national holiday. I don´t have any family graves to visit or tidy, and the only other activity seemed to be attending mass. It turns out that my interest in experiencing local traditions doesn´t include attending outdoor masses held in cemeteries if it is cold and rainy, so I basically skipped this holiday.
A few weeks ago, they invited a lot of artists to create light and music installations for local landmarks. A video would capture this much better, since the lights were timed to change to the music. It was cold and rainy that day too, which seems to be a theme in November.
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
5 comments:
When we were in the Alicante area last spring, many of the towns were touted for their festivals. Most of these seemed to be in the Spring and Summer and associated with some overthrow of the local area Moors by Christians.
Evidently, those of the Valencia region like their festivals in the warmth rather than in the wet and cold like those in Madrid do.
At least winter holidays brighten up the dreariness of the cold wet darkness of winter.
I'm learning so much from your adventures - I Google when I need more information - your posts are educational.
I'd like to request more photos of bread-y things if they are handed out at these holidays. Inquiring minds want to know. The picture you got of the princess is pretty darn good!
It seems that there is never a dull moment in Madrid. Great you have been able to experience so much.
Post a Comment