Entroido on Trial

It's curious. When you look at a map of Traditional Entroidos in Galicia, the vast majority are in the province of Ourense, near the border with Portugal or León. In that region they have Carnivals that are considered Festivals of National Interest, and Galician Interest, too. (Not sure what the parameters are to be declared so interesting.) Then there's the Entroido Ribeirao, which is in the province of Lugo, but right on the border with the province of Ourense, so that makes sense. Next we have the Xenerais de Ulla that I mentioned the other day. They're a conglomeration of essentially the same celebration throughout the center of Galicia. Aside from these two main focal points, there are a handful of traditional Entroidos that are scattered randomly across Galicia, each with their own special character. That is the case for the second Carnival I attended this year.

Val do Franco is a bucolic, green valley in Castro de Rei, Lugo. If I was impressed the other day by the party the residents put on in a parish of less than 600 people, I've really gotta hand it to the folks of Val do Franco. This festival combines the forces of three parishes, and for good reason. Their total tally of inhabitants is not even 250! But they put on quite the show, with a local traditional band of all ages, a DJ, Carnival customs, and a full-fledge orquesta. Wow! I'm sure that all cost them a pretty penny. 

The ¨Prosecution¨ Arrives

We got there at the start of the party, following the tune of a multigenerational band. They had bagpipers, tambourine players, and other percussionists. The most endearing thing was a special recital by the littlest members, who stumbled through their own little Muiñeira dance. So cute! And extra sweet, because the Galician countryside has a population problem. More specifically, an aging population problem. Galicia is home to a lot more elderly than youth, so it was cute to see that in this village of just a few hundred people, there were a dozen residents representing the next generation. 

Two fareleiras protecting Entroido

The Galician folk music was eventually switched out for a DJ spinning Latin beats. Just as things were getting heated up, it was time for the Trial of Entroido. Entroido, also known as a ¨meco,¨ (an effigy, in this case of Carnival personified) was paraded in. Reminded me of my first Entroido 10 years ago! Except back then, it was meant to be a specific person. Escorting the Meco were two fareleiras. These masked bailiffs protect the figure of Entroido on its journey to trial and burning afterwards (if Entroido is found guilty, which of course he always is). They are a character specific to the Val do Franco Carnival. The fareleiras wear white jumpsuits and each have a stick with a fluffy bag of flour attached to hit people. In addition to thwacking people who get too close to the Entroido effigy, I think they also went after people without costumes, which is quite typical in Carnival characters.  Following the Entroido and his fareleira posse was a quartet of the costumed ¨prosecution,¨ pulled in by a tractor.

A few hundred of us gathered around the big stage to witness Entroido's Trial be carried out by two adults and two children. They took turns reading couplets about local happenings over the past year. Someone kicked their husband out of the house, someone found love abroad, someone got pregnant out of wedlock. At first I thought they were just kind of making stuff up, but then someone near us in the crowd muttered, ¨I know who that's about.¨ Therefore, they must have been real current events. Afterwards, a round man very aptly dressed as an English-style judge declared Entroido guilty as charged. Burn him in effigy! So off they carried poor Entroido (again, just a replica of a person) and lit him on fire as the crowd looked on from a safe distance. They even blew him up with fireworks! 

Left: Entroido about to be set on fire
Right of Center: Fareleira in action!

After the fire died down, we turned our attention back to the tent where the DJ had started up again. A while later, they raffled off a bunch of gift baskets. Then it was time for the orquesta to play some lively tunes. Another Entroido in the books!

Bye bye, Entroido!

Countryside Carnival: Os Xenerais da Ulla

Apparently, apart from being on time, among my students I am also known for being a huge fan of Carnival. Guilty! A few weeks ago, when to make conversation I asked one student if she liked Carnival, she replied, ¨Not as much as you.¨ And another was surprised when I told her I still hadn't decided on a costume. So to make up for lost time (as I haven't truly celebrated since pre-COVID times), this year I'm joining in on not one but two Entroido festivities. After all, I have a reputation to uphold!

There are so many traditions and special characters throughout Galicia, and since Entroido/Carnival comes but once a year, I've decided no repeats! Every year requires a new Carnival location or else I'll never get to see them all. And on my quest for witnessing first hand all of Galicia's plethora of Carnival celebrations, this year I landed on Os Xenerais de Ulla, the Generals of Ulla. This colorful figure rides horseback in multiple towns and villages surrounding Galicia's capital Santiago de Compostela. On their website they have a calendar of all the places they will be, as they celebrate in different places all throughout the monthslong Carnival season. (You can also see some better pictures than I was able to take.)

Sunday we went for the ¨evening show¨ in Sergude. And they threw quite the party for a parish of less than 800 people. Apparently the morning session involved following the Xenerais to neighbors' yards and singing. I'm sure it would have been a fun and unique experience, but as three foreigners with no ¨in,¨ we decided to go to the less exclusive evening events. When we arrived, there were already other cars parking, but we saw little action. There was a huge tent set up with a bar and two small stages. One would clearly be for the late-night orquesta-- a Galician staple. (Although the word in English may conjure up images of dozens of string instruments seated around a conductor, in Galicia it's quite different. Here orquesta are showy bands that do cover versions of hits, performing in the smallest of villages.) Then the first band started playing and I realized that their stage was the hitch of a tractor! Que enxebre! We rocked to the traditional Galician tunes as more people started pouring into the tent area, seeking protection from the rain that had also started to pour.

After two hours of musical entertainment, the tent area was now packed with a few hundred people. The generals are coming, the generals are coming! First came the dancing band, wearing an array of costumes and playing mostly percussion. Leading the band was a young couple with elegant clothing who I assume to be the King and Queen of Carnival. Behind the band, about a dozen colorfully-clad ¨Generals¨ strode down the hill on their horses. They remained at the front of the tent, behind some metal barriers. It kind of seemed dangerous to us. Imagine one of the horses got freaked out for whatever reason. Stampede, anyone? Luckily that was not the case. Meanwhile the band paraded into the center of the crowd to play their songs. I know they changed the lyrics of some well-known songs to be fun or social commentary, but unfortunately, with all the hubbub I didn't catch much.

Finally, it was time for the Xenerais to do something. When we had arrived to the ten we noticed (and mistook for real) two life-size horses. I thought it was just for decoration. But as the ¨Atrancos¨ got under way, we realized they were being done while on the fake horses. The ¨Atrancos¨ are the closest thing to a rap battle you can find in Galicia. Traditionally they were invented on the spot, but now they are written down and recited with a very marked rhythm, which got in our heads for the rest of the night. The first to participate in the atrancos were kids, not even teenagers. One recites something to the other, brandishing a sword (obviously, they're generals!). The next replies, and they go back and forth for a minute. Again, it was pretty hard to make out what they were saying, but current events in the village seem to be the topic of choice. We heard a few of these pairs having their little spoken duels before we had to go.  Like Cinderella, we had to be home by midnight. So I'm not sure if there was more to the revelry or not. Perhaps only the children perform from the fake horses and then the adults perform from their real horses. But I don't know. That's why I would allow myself to repeat and go back one year, to be able to join the party all night long. Maybe I'd even sign up to ¨march¨ with the Xenerais' morning ¨army.¨

This afternoon I'll be headed to a different Entroido experience, so stay tuned!

Dolmens, and Altars, and Petroglyphs, Oh My!

Galicia has loads of ancient ruins, some of them well-preserved and cared for, others not so much. This weekend on a group hike accompanied by an archaeologist, we learned the stories behind some hidden pre-Roman monuments on the outskirts of Lugo. 

If you squint, you can see the dolmen

The first stop was a dolmen in a field. A mini-dolmen if you ask me. But of course, as the archaeologist explained, it was likely much taller than it appeared, still mostly buried underground. Dolmens are tombs, and she noted that in Galicia there are rarely any bones left in them because of the ground's acidity. Fun fact! But they are found all over Europe, so they know dolmens are for burial.

Next was a ¨roda,¨ an elevated circle in a clearing amongst pine trees. Honestly, if I had been hiking by myself I would not have thought it were millennia old. It just looks like a hilly clearing. But from the top of the ¨wall,¨ you can see it isn't natural, the circle even has a little opening which would have been an entrance. Our guide had worked on excavations here, and said that in the small portion of the circle that they had worked on, they only found pitchers and tools for grinding grains. Surrounding the circle they also discovered purposefully worked quartz, which would shine in the sunlight. They're not sure what this place was, but it reinforces the idea that Adai was a special place. A fellow hiker theorized that it was a place for congresses and politics, where they gathered from far and wide to decide on important matters. My slightly less formal theory is that it was a place for festivals and raves. Whatever it may have been used for, the archaeologist agreed that it was probably something that involved socializing among the numerous communities and tribes.

View from atop the ¨wall.¨
To the left you can see the dip which would have been the entrance

Our next stop was the Altar of Adai, a misnomer. It's actually a large, flat stone with holes carved into it, likely for beams to support a longhouse. It's one of the only known specimens in Europe. Assumedly there are more around, yet to be discovered.

¨Altar¨ of Adai

The last stop was a quick one to see some petroglyphs on a large boulder. There were several that were ¨crosses.¨ The circle was quite clear, with a cross inside it. Apparently they were from the Middle Ages. On the far side of the boulder were grooves likely for grinding grains. Milling was an important ritual ages ago.

Timeliness is Godliness

This past week, not one but two of my students brought up my punctuality, mystified. ¨You always arrive right on the dot!¨ Well, yeah, did you not expect me to? One of them even chalked it up to ¨British punctuality.¨ Uh, I'm American, remember? In my case, I do strive to be on time, and because of this I start classes at very random times rather than at -- o'clock and half past. My schedule includes classes starting at 5:40 or 6:20 because I know that that is how long I need to get there from my previous class.

Despite this recent ¨culture shock¨ by these students, as far as I am concerned after living in Spain/Galicia for a decade, the stereotype of Spanish people being tardy is inaccurate. It is worth pointing out that Galicia is a special corner of Spain, and does not usually bow to Spanish stereotypes. In fact, some people here have told me that ¨That's in the South,¨ referring to their perception of Andalusians' lack of timeliness. Here the few friends who have a reputation for being late are hassled by the rest of the group. So maybe the Northern regions are punctual and the rest of Spain is not.

But more than timeliness, the biggest cultural difference I have found here when it comes to time is how they measure it, especially in social situations. Time spent socializing is limitless. Like during my first few years when local friends would suggest ¨getting a drink¨ which implied being out til 1 or 2 AM. In my book, that was ¨going out,¨ but in theirs, it was a casual evening. Or when with teachers or a hiking group, we just always had to stop to get a coffee together before heading home. I'd just want to get home, but that's not how it was done. My most recent example is what I call ¨Marathon Hang-Outs.¨ We have people over for lunch, and naturally they stay for coffee. But now it's gotten to a point where they stay the whole afternoon and for dinner, too, maybe leaving around midnight or even later. Be it my introverted self talking, or be it my American nature, that to me is just too much time! I feel like Americans would want to get back to their places sooner than that. But such is life in Galicia, at least. When it comes to being with friends, no amount of time is too much.

Along the Streets of Ferrol

As I mentioned before, early December this year came with an incredibly long 5-day-weekend. So as not to go stir crazy at home, we took a quick trip to Ferrol. 

Out of Galicia's seven cities, it's fair to say that Ferrol is the most underappreciated. A Coruña and Vigo are the biggest cities and on the seaside to boot. That combination alone makes them quite cosmopolitan. Santiago de Compostela, in addition to being the capital, is a hub of pilgrims trekking the Camiño de Santiago. Lugo has its free tapas and UNESCO-recognized Roman Wall. Ourense attracts visitors with its abundant thermal springs. Pontevedra may not have much compared to Vigo less than 20 miles away, but it does boast a charming (and pedestrian only!) old town. 

So that leaves us with Ferrol. It's a port town, but unlike Vigo or A Coruña, it has such a low population that it doesn't enjoy as many useful amenities. Add that to the fact that the city is Franco's hometown and holds a naval arsenal, and Ferrol looks less appealing by the minute.

Casa Pereira I

One thing that Ferrol does have going on for it, however, are streets lined with glass-enclosed balconies. Art Noveau architecture with its intricate details and lines is also characteristic of Ferrol's Old Town. There is even a street tour organized around the architect Rodolfo Ucha's modernismo work around town. Unfortunately, it was not available during low season. So we explored on our own. It doesn't take an art/architecture degree to appreciate some pretty buildings! Plus when we went, we were expecting rain the entire time, but actually lucked out and barely needed the umbrella. According to the plaque, Casa Pereira I was commissioned by a sailor. Perhaps that's why the architect made the lower balcony windows on the second floor look like fish tails. How fun!

Pretty building from 1914

Flower Menina

Another more recent addition to Ferrol's art/architecture scene are the Meninas de Canido. ¨Las Meninas¨ is a famous painting by Velázquez portraying a princess and her ladies in waiting, all wearing hoop skirts typical at the time. The connection between the painting and Ferrol is lost on me. But in 2008, an artist began making street art of the Meninas in the shabby neighborhood of Canido. It caught on and now there are hundreds of Meninas painted all along the (abandoned) houses. Each year they have a festival where more and more artists come to leave their Menina mark. The idea was to liven up this dilapidated area. The art is nice, but the buildings are still mostly falling apart. Aside from being a tourist attraction to Ferrol, I don't really see the project injecting change into the neighborhood's economy. But we walked around this outdoor art museum in the morning-- maybe there are new cafés/bars open in the afternoon.

To round out our visit, we stopped by the Castle of San Felipe just outside of Ferrol (although certainly not walking distance). More than a castle, I would call it a fortress. This large naval complex is centuries old, and went through several changes and additions over the years. From the castle to a smaller fort across the river, there was a chain used to stop enemies from getting into the harbor, a little further inland. The Castle was also crucial in protecting Ferrol from an attempted English invasion in 1800. The citizens of Brión nearby were also key at defeating the Brits, who apparently didn't expect a fight. That story is told very well with interesting infographics in the Castle's museum. By the way, the castle was free to get in; had a small museum recounting the English attack of 1800; included a map; and had bathrooms stocked with toilet paper and soap. In my book, a homerun! I couldn't help but compare it to our experience in Athens, visiting the outstanding Acropolis for an entrance fee and not even getting a little map. I understand that the two tourist attractions are lightyears apart in terms of size, importance, and popularity. It just stuck out to me. 

Family Foliada

This week in the teaching sector of Galicia, everyone's looking forward to that mega-long weekend. Since December 6th and 8th are public holidays in Spain, this year Galicia took the 7th as its yearly bonus day off, to create a superpuente. Two day work week! 

This time of year, I am reminded of the long December weekend right before the pandemic when I went to the Foliada da Fonsagrada. A foliada is any gathering to play and dance to Galician folk music. In the village of Fonsagrada, their annual dayslong celebration attracts tons of people from all around Galicia. Won't be going back this year, but this past weekend we went to a little family foliada. It was a surprise birthday party hosted in a stone structure, now used as a cellar, but 100 years ago was likely the house. The five-person band strode in playing, dressed in their Galician garb. The group included bagpipers, drummers, and an accordionist. For hours, they sang and played melodies for the musical guests to sing songs that the band didn't even recognize. In addition to lots of enthusiastic clapping, there was also dancing: with partners or in circles. The whole time I kept thinking how enxebre the evening was. Enxebre is a Galician way of saying typical, authentic, something pure (Galician).

Adding to my delight, I found out that one of the guests went to high school where I was first assigned as an auxiliar de conversación. Obviously, because she was around my age, I knew we hadn't been there at the same time. But it turns out, her brother had been in one of my first classes! I couldn't get over it. It's a small world after all! Then suddenly it dawned on her-- she had heard of me way back when, either from her brother or one of their neighbors. I felt proud. Almost famous.