I
didn´t take any pictures, so all you get is words. Magosto is an autumnal
celebration in Galicia which consists of gathering with friends to eat
chestnuts. It’s not on a set day—and in fact next week I’ll celebrate Magosto
at school—but Friday we celebrated with friends. There were about 15 of us: five foreigners and the rest Lucenses. Lauren and I knew mostly everyone from last
weekend or earlier, as I feel we have been adopted by the coolest cuadrilla (group of friends) in
Lugo.
Dinner
was at someone’s house—and I mean a legit country home that reminded me of
America. We had tortilla de patata, which was a real treat since I can’t make
it myself and thus haven’t had it for a while. We also had Diego’s homemade
beer, with labels that had the cartoon “Go Diego Go” on them. Amusing. After the meal came the Magosto
part—chestnuts roasted over a fire, in a wood-burning stove. I don’t even like chestnuts, but I ate two anyway (which is the amount I contributed to the dinner, having collected two measly castañas the day before with one of my teachers). Someone collected 10
kilos in her yard, so there was plenty to go around and everyone had their own
newspaper cone.
Then
the jam session began: one guitar, one percussionist using bottles, and a room
full of Lucenses singing in Spanish and Galician. The best part was when I
actually knew some of the lyrics! They sang two songs I recognized from the
Heredeiros da Crus concert during San Froilán: ‘Eu quero josar’ and ‘Non quero
nada de ti.’ It was delightful. Then they played some songs in English,
thinking we’d know the lyrics but we didn’t. Except for ‘Just like Heaven,’ a
classic in my own words. Unsurprisingly, the night left me feeling that I had
found a place just like heaven. (So
cursi, yet so true)
