Enter The Kings




Welcome to Twelfth Night.  As we are in Spain it is also  Cabalgata de Reyes - the parade of the Kings.   The first documented is the Three Wise Men parade in Alcoy in 1866 . This was interrupted by ‘events’ and it is not until 1885 that the continuous tradition of parades began.  The tradition spread to Granada and In Seville it took place from 1918 onwards.  In Madrid, the organisation of the parade was mixed with the old "staircase festival" of the early 19th century, when the populace carried ladders to climb the walls to announce that the kings were arriving, then walking through the streets of the city asking for wine on the night of 5th January. The parade is now widespread.. In Logroño the Kings arrive by helicopter, in Gijón by boat,  in the Pyrenees area on skis, in Pamplona.




Every year on the evening of 5th January, public television channel RTVE broadcasts the parade from Madrid on La Primera, open to the entire nation (except in Catalonia, where the procession is broadcast from Barcelona instead). Cities such as Barcelona and Madrid organise large parades with the sponsorship of municipal services and entertainment companies, while smaller cities and towns tend to use more traditional props , holding parades with shepherds, Romans, camels, marching bands or regional peculiarities. The Kings are usually accompanied by pages, the royal postman and even Herod .  Sweets are often thrown to those who have turned out to watch and grown adults will push small children out of the way to get them.  I believe an upturned umbrella may be deployed to some advantage.











So, why Arnedo.  We were involved in commemoration events in Mora d’Ebre.  We had a holiday planned in Asturias.  We wanted a budget hotel somewhere in between and Arnedo came up trumps.  We had not bene to a Ibis Boutique hotel and so we arrived.  I assume it was constructed in better days - this was a couple of years into The Crisis.  It was fairly empty.  The restaurant was to be reached by going round the back and going up some stairs.  We were not alone.  Another party were in but I think, mostly for the drinks.  We ate.  The waiter then said did we want any more because it wasn’t going to be served to anyone else.  We said yes.  Next day I think the son and heir peaked. It was a buffet breakfast. They had many caklelets  He had seven different kinds of cake for breakfast.






We didn’t visit the caves but they have them.  The complex of the Caves of the Hundred Pillars waseExcavated under the San Miguel hill, iIt is probably the remains of the ancient monastery of San Miguel, which appears in 1063 in the will of Sancho Fortún, then Lord of Arnedo. Next to the Cave of the Hundred Pillars, the Ethnographic Interpretation Centre of Life in the Caves tells us the history of the caves used as housing or for economic purposes (barns, beehives, corrals, wine cellars...) where more than 200 families still lived until the middle of the  20th century .












More Arnedo tomorrow.






















 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Much a do about something

Image
  In North Lincolnshire there is an OS square which is all but empty,  In a single corner stretches a few metres of power cables to spoil the virgin whiteness.  Today’s walk is not so blessed with flat calm.  We will see trees.  We will see ups.  Views are compulsory.  Houses aren’t.  Let's talk about Asturias in the years from 718 to 757. In 711 the full force of the Islamic tide swept from North Africa into Visigothic Spain. At the Battle of Guadalete King Roderic and much of the nobility were killed and the Iberian Peninsula collapsed before the all conquering crescent.  The thing is, Asturias is a long way from the main body of Spain. It is a bit wet and more to the point lacking the plunder which was the way of paying the Army of the Conquest.  The Caliphate’s hold on Asturias was tenuous to say the least.  Enter  Pelagius. Pelagius has many myths swirling around him and a very butch Victorian statue in Gijon.  Accord...
Read more

In which a Roman Bridge and a Funeral Parlour are reviewed.

Image
  We are rising again. We are rising 20 of your earth metres today. We will be 818m above the level sea. We are about at the highest point in the Cheviot Hills. We cross the Rio Porma and into Villarente and Puente Villarente. Both these twin settlements, lurking along the roadside, have generally grown in size since 2000.   https://www.turismocastillayleon.com/en/art-culture-heritage/great-routes/way-saint-james/puente-villarente First we must cross the Roman Bridge. Coyotuco is back with a five star review: A beautiful BRIDGE with a lot of history but it is not PEDESTRIAN. For pedestrians they have made a PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY right next to it. We are passing by the Artesanias Luyma so let us gaze at their ceramic goodness. Let us wonder  https://www.artesaniasluyma.com/categorias/pereruela/ While we are here and we are passing the Tanatorio Camino de Santiago let us visit this 39 reviewed funeral home. It gets an average of 4.9 stars.  https://www.antamontalvo.es/esq...
Read more

Mini Pieces of Supposed tuna

Image
  Pina de Ebro has something for everyone who enjoys the architecture of Spanish pueblos.  It has the tiny lanes, on which houses have been rebuilt for generations without a care for the needs of the modern motorist.  We have the pathways which have been tiled over but once were dirt tracks.  We have the modern suburban developments of low rise houses and 80s hopefully aspiring shacks.  First all, however, we have a park. One thing we noticed, especially with a small boy in tow, was the number of parks with interesting play equipment.  This is because, in Spain, people seem to like children.  This does make them a semi-public property and people feel free to indulge them with sweetmeats and pass comments. ‘I think sucking thumbs makes children look ugly’ said one elderly woman.’ My Spanish for ‘well desiccated prune face, no one asked you’ deserted me.  The play equipment is in the Plaza Pilarin Artigas.  Honestly I’ve looked and was giving u...
Read more