Galicia's Smallest Cemetery*

*Allegedly.

Cemiterio de Soutomerille

Last weekend we got back to hiking. We set off on a trail in Castroverde,  marked with poetically-written information panels. Away we trekked, past flat pastures of cows and little Celtic pigs, around a pair of churches from the pre-Romanesque to the last century, and through an enchanting forest with some enormously wide trees. The highlight for me, however, was the Cemetery of Soutomerille. Lost in the middle of the woods is this tiny enclosed cemetery. The moss covering it helps it blend in with its environment. The cemetery has only three vaults, less than a dozen ¨residents.¨ As far as I could tell with the tombstones, the oldest was buried in 1918. The stone edifices weren't as simple as modern-day mausoleums. Their shapes reminded me of hórreos, with two posts at either end. This could be attributed to stonemasonry being a typical trade long ago around these parts. 

On a different note, but related to Galician flora and fauna: the other day while driving home at dusk, I stopped just in time to observe a family of wild boar crossing the road! How exciting! It was the first time I had seen them in person, and from the safety of my car. There were two adults and three little piggies. In the past years, videos have circulated of wild boars running wild in the city streets at night. I think especially when we were confined back in spring 2020, they felt free to run the streets. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's the equivalent of seeing deer by the side of the roads back home. This is my first boar-sighting, whereas back home we see them so often it's almost no big deal. But according to my sources, I am equally lucky that they didn't storm my car. Apparently they can do as much damage as a deer would. 

A Candeloria: Galician Groundhog's Day

There's no emblematic groundhog here, but the idea is the same. A Candeloria--February 2nd-- is a day to predict the winter's end. Will it stay cold and rainy? (Actually, this year has been really abnormal and it hasn't rained since last year) Or will spring start soon with Entroido right around the corner? There are several proverbs about the day in Galician. Summed up, they all claim that if A Candeloria is rainy or windy, winter is just getting started. 

So sorry, Punxsutawney Phil, but I beg to differ! This year on Februrary 2nd it was a clear day with spring-like warmth at lunchtime. And since it didn't rain, that means spring is right around the corner! The forecast concurs. While the Midwest USA gets battered with snow, it's supposed to get up to 60ºF in the coming week. 

Another saying about February 2nd is, ¨Pola Candeloria casan os paxariños.¨ Apparently on this day, the birdies wed. How sweet! Maybe that makes it a combination of Valentine's Day as well as Groundhog's Day! Even with an ocean between them, both holidays might have the same origins. February 2nd is around the day of the Celtic festival of Imbolc, celebrated in between the winter solstice and spring equinox. Then it got Christianized with St. Brigid's Day and Candlemas. And while nowadays not everyone around here even knows what A Candeloria is, the tradition makes for a good Galician comparison for English students learning about Groundhog's Day in the USA.

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