Brown Mucus Instead Of Period?

March, the feast of Nature

In Aínsa celebrated the "Festival of the Tree and the Bird." (Photo: C. Smith)

HOLIDAY ANNUAL CYCLE IN THE UPPER ARAGON

ADELL CAST and José Antonio GARCIA RODRIGUEZ Celedonio

"March Marcero,
that FAIGA Guen
sun and heavy rain falls ..." .

To the Romans it was the first month of the year. This month the weather effects are seen in the expressions of the people, so they say it starts to "mark" when winds are scrambled. It is a month puzzling, as reflected in the following proverb:

"March Marcero;
morning dog face, and in the afternoon
handsome young man."

Plantings have already taken place almost entirely during the month of February, except oats in Matidero and elsewhere, as indicated Arazo and Cañas (1), which reflect the popular saying:

"February Oats
fills the barn, but not Matidero
. "

The marzas

Here in February there was still enough snow in the fields. It was the time when the farmers were engaged in hard work of digging the vineyard. Now they are already scarce. According

says Antonio Beltrán, Ansó were in the river one of the three washes year, using ash for Bleach, the former was in Advent, preparing clothes for Christmas. Arnal Cavero

narrates that the mountains around Alquézar, "March is the month of the ninth: San Miguel, San Antonio, San Jose and San Francisco Javier (2).

The first Friday of March, said that the devil saint celebrated his or her birthday. In Huesca this day did the Stations of the Cross procession, starting from the parish church of San Pedro el Viejo, with the Nazarene, to the hermitage of Salas.

. Alquézar (Photo: C. Smith)

also had a fair. In 1932 he created a new fair livestock of all kinds in Barbastro, for 20, 21 and 22 March. Upcoming dates in Sariñena fair was celebrated Palm Sunday chivalry.

Lent

The Burial of the Sardine (Goya)
.
Carnival Over time, came Lent. There are forty days of fasting and penance, marked by the Church. His conclusion is variable depending on Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Palm Sunday, although the days of austerity will last until Friday. In the early centuries was placed Lent from Sunday to Friday, but then went ahead to Wednesday not to treat on Sundays, when the Church could not conceive of fasting.

This party arose, by virtue Church, for better preparation for Easter. The number forty was established on the basis of being a "number" is widely used in the Old and New Testaments. Forty were the days that Jesus spent in the desert before beginning his three years of the so-called "public life". Doña

Lent is one of the symbolic characters contained in the Book of Good Love, the Archpriest of Hita. Is opposed to Don Carnal, each with his time of reign.
Lent is located between the feast of the pagan-like Carnival and Feast of the Passover, the most important holiday of the Christian world.

Easter is the central feast of the whole cycle: Carnival-Lent-Easter-Easter, Ascension, Pentecost, Corpus. Easter is the feast of the Resurrection of Christ, located at the beginning of spring, while Christmas is the feast of the Nativity, located at the beginning of winter.

Lent is represented in the form of old with seven legs, that meant the seven weeks that it lasted. Children when Sunday Mass became a foot cut. Came to be a calendar of these days, with seven herring dangling from it, symbolizing the prohibition of eating meat.

These days were not allowed theater, you could not hunt and usually not opened in theaters. The time was longer, hence the saying "this is longer than Lent."

Fasting was very rigorous and it only evaded the sick or those who purchased the "bull" to eat meat.

Occasionally Lenten rules were violated. So on Ash Wednesday, the sardine is buried despite being a day of fasting and abstinence was not always respected. Sunday "Piñata" was the first Sunday of Lent and on that day will be continued with the dances, costumes and feasting.

"Old Remolona"
.
Alcubierre (Photo: C. Smith)
.
Some of our peoples still survives the "old lazy" or "old dragged its feet", which is usually held the third Wednesday of Lent. According to Manuel Benito "serves to remind the nature of the emerging spring victory, symbolized here by the children, they are the ones who party on the old and lazy winter not to end to leave and which is drafted by a carnival-like doll '(3).

In Alcubierre children leave school by a gang, throughout the morning, to pray for the houses with a broom covered with a black scarf, which he called "old dragged its feet". In each house they sing:

"The old dragged its feet
not eat bread,
only chulla
chocolate and if you give it.
Children of school,
all pray,
when the rooster crows
give us what we ask. Quiquiriquííí
.

.

Torres de Montes (Photo: C. Smith)

Torres de Montes in children build a snowman or "puppet", with whom he also tour the home.

The celebration of the "old lazy" refers to the "sawing vella" that exists in Catalonia. The fourth Wednesday of Lent the children come in groups of four or five with a basket and saw a big stick pretending to saw at every door, singing a song. Collect eggs, sausage, nuts, etc., and to celebrate the end of a snack. Maybe it's a way of expressing that Lent is long and there is some joy at having reached half of it. Formerly

Lent was full of prohibitions of all types and abundance of fasting, abstinence and sermons. Some municipalities, such as Huesca, paid the preacher or "Lenten" which preach in church or cathedral.

in Huesca, according to the findings José Antonio Llamas Almudébar up "brothels in the city remained lonely and the concubines in the most appalling misery, as the two hundred lashes and other penalties at the discretion of Mr. jurors did not stop being a total brake the momentum of young admirers "(4). This is expressed by the writer Huesca following a proclamation of 1621, as contained in the Municipal Archives.

Something similar must occur in other English cities. Suffice it to say that in Salamanca, after the ordinances given by Philip II, who forced the House of Salamanca was evicted brothel in Lent, called "Water Monday" after the Passover, the Salamanca brought back to boats on the river Tormes those women, whose trade or profit was revised by the so-called "father whores." Even the figure of a doll in that day, the children now called "Father Lucas."

The Tree Festival

"He that planted a tree before he died has not lived in vain"

(Dante)

In the twenties, mainly during the month of March, was extended by Aragon holding a nice holiday called "Arbor Day" to pay "cult" to the tree. The children were the main protagonists are developed similarly in all places: the appointed day, school children and the general neighborhood would gather in the square or near the Town Hall, waiting for the ringing of bells announced the departure of the procession to the place where he was to take place the planting of trees there, the parish priest blessed them, officials read speeches, emphasizing the love of trees, indicating the beneficial influence of trees in rainfall, in temperature regulation, such as flood forecasting, and so on. The children read poetry allusive, and then the City Council gave them a snack.

With the desire to instill in children respect for trees and encourage them to promote this event, once they reach older, gave effect to the Royal Decree of January 5, 1915.

In 1921 he first held this event in Laperdiguera; the Music held a parade on the appointed day (March 14) and half an hour later, a bell ringing all the population concentrated in the village school, the procession marched towards the church to attend mass. During the trip the children, accompanied by the teacher and the music they sang the songs of "explorers" and "Flag." At three o'clock a bell ringing again announced the departure of children from school, with its tree on his shoulder, and girls wearing on his head a nice banner, the site of the plantation trees placed children in the holes that their fathers had done in the morning. Then several children, the teacher, the mayor and the priest made speeches highlighting the benefits of the tree. The children were treated to a snack and, at night, went the round of the boys with the singer Antonio Bareche.

The Paul (Photo: C. Smith)
.
at the Paul, after the ringing of bells started from the Place de la Justice, the national flag colors, turning to the planting site (in 1926 along the river Gallego, at the point called "half-Monreal "and the priest blessed 300 poplars and poplars were planted before the municipal guard), nor missed allusive speeches, snack for children and singing hymns to the tree.

In Aínsa was called "Festival of the Tree and the Bird." It began Monday with a tour through the streets singing hymns, accompanied by the orchestra, who ran the local violinist Pedro Lacambra and which distinguished the remarkable guitarist Miguel Monclús, Morillo de Tou. All balconies looked beautiful tapestries, banners and English flags, in the square stood a triumphal arch colorful and whimsical ornaments placed roads. The trees were planted in different parts of the town, before being blessed by the priest and, as usual, there were plenty of speeches and a banquet. In

Canfranc Costa remembered the words of "Spain in a nation, among others, have the wrong stone, "alluding to the numerous glades. Planting in 1926 was held at the River Walk.

A rondalla nourished Villanúa enlivened the act. The procession gathered in the main square to hear the children recited poems and hymns, a "Save the Tree" and "Hymn to the Tree" original oscenses Banzo Manuel Manuel Montorio and Echenique. In 1926 seedlings were planted during the game called "The Paul "placing 125 Canadian poplar, from the nursery in San Rafael that the Sixth Division, Forest Hydrology was installed in this term.

In Aguero, after planting (in 1926, on the banks of the road) the procession came to a place called "The Garage" where children sang songs alluding, accompanied by musicians Manuel Santamaría, Liborio and Alfredo Núñez Curto, and speeches. In February 1926, the City planted 12,000 pine trees in the vicinity of the village.
Aragüés In the village of Puerto the children were traveling in formation, led by national flags, chanted compositions dedicated to the Tree and the country, the planting site (the "Source" new "is many limes planted in 1927).

Peñalba Children went to "oozes" rather than planting in 1926, singing hymns to the tree and flag. After the speeches were distributed among the children the traditional snack consisting of sausage, orange and the corresponding roll.
.

Salas Altas (Photo: C. Smith)

.
Salas Altas this event held in 1920 for the first time, planting trees in the chapel of the Candelaria and the Plaza Mayor. Pomar from five in 1922. Angüés, Castejon del Puente, Javierrelatre Fonz and the first held in 1926 in Angüés, the term "The Rasal" and planted Castejón Barbed hundreds of poplar on the banks of the Cinca.

Binaced children carried in his hoe on his shoulder and a few pitchers of girls that are watered the trees, all sported flags with the national colors.

Ontiñena (Photo: C. Smith)
. Discover
demonstrating their "religious and patriotic" exercise were: La Almunia de San Juan, Alquézar, Arasanz Benasque, Asin, Bielsa, Bolea, Fiscal (in 1920, on the banks of the River Ara), Huesca (the children in all schools came to the hill of San Jorge, or, as in 1920 and 1922, the road Salas, known as the Cross), Javierregay, Peralta de la Sal (in 1926 on the sides of the road at the entrance and exit of the village), Ontiñena (in 1926 at a place called "Well"), Esplús ( in 1925, by the way Binaced, the hill where stands the church of San Roque), Sariñena, Valfarta, Velilla de Cinca ... Citation

1. ARAZA, A. and ROD, C.: "Matidero, at the head of Alcanadre" in Cuadernos Altoaragonesa . April 29, 1990.
2. ARNAL CAVERO, P.: High Aragon. Zaragoza, P. 144.
3. Benito Molina, M: "The cycle carnival in the Central Pyrenees" in Annals English Village Museum . Volume III. 1990., P. 119 and 12O. FLAT
4. ALMUDÉBAR, JA: "Gloss No. 138: In that the municipality got parishioners" in Folletón Altoaragón . Fascicle 93. Six March 1983, p. 9.

Back to INDEX

Fiestas and traditions, enjoy!

*