La Vida Alcalaína

Mother's Day in Spain is celebrated on the first Sunday in May.  This is the month of the Virgin Mary, and who better to represent motherhood with all its joys and sorrows? In Alcalá the local representation of the mother of Jesus, Nuestra Señora de los Santos, arrived yesterday on her quadrennial visit to the pueblo of which she is patron.  Her image was transported on an ox-drawn cart from the Santuario where it is normally kept, a few miles from the town, accompanied by hundreds of alcalaínos in festive mood and a band comprised of fifes and drums. Meanwhile back in the town the image of Jesús el Nazareno was carried from the newly restored Franciscan church on the Alameda, known as La Victoria, down the steep street named after the Virgin - Calle Nuestra Señora de los Santos. Eventually the two came together on the Prado, a stretch of meadowland next to the the Rio Barbate. The whole process has taken about six hours so far but we're not finished yet.  María was trans...

Easter in Spain is a big deal, and unlike Britain it's not all about chocolate eggs and Easter bunnies, but the crucifixion of Christ and the suffering of his mother.  It goes on for over a week and involves street processions - lots of them. There are four  hermandades  or brotherhoods in Alcalá, each with its own costume and images, and each one organises its own procession, carrying heavy floats called  pasos  bearing statues of Jesus and Mary ( imagenes ). Some go back centuries, others went into remission in the 19th century and were revived more recently. They are closely-knit societies, often family-based, and spend the year raising funds to repair and maintain their kit. In theory anyone can join if they pay the fees and obtain the approval of the other members. Women have been allowed in since the early 1980s, but with a limited role. So let's get the pointy hat thing out of the way - it has nothing to do with the KKK.  It dates back the 15th Centu...

I'm not sure how extensively International Women's Day is celebrated in England these days - most people had pretty much lost interest when I left 18 years ago, believing the job was done.  But here in the land of machismo it's a still a big thing and events go on all week in Alcalá, organised by the town hall in conjunction with the adult education centre (SEP Maestra Inmaculada Almagro) and the Asociación de Mujeres de Alcalá de los Gazules (AMAG).  To understand why IWD is still a big deal here, you need to be aware that women's rights arrived much later in Spain than in most of western Europe, held back by nearly forty years of fascist dictatorship under Franco and the influence of the Catholic Church which played a major role in supporting it.   IWD march in Cadiz March 2926 By 1975, the year of Franco's death, men and women in the UK had equal rights in the eyes of the law.  But in Spain adultery, divorce, homosexuality, abortion and owning contraceptives ...

Christmas in the pueblo is very different to what I remember about Christmas in England. It's about family, primarily, but the Nativity itself isn't forgotten. There isn't the same orgy of consumerism beginning in September, as most people don't start shopping until well into December.  Although Papa Noel is a bigger presence than he was twenty years ago, it's the three wise men, los Reyes, who bring the main gifts on 5 January. People gather in the street for zambombas, meeting old friends who have come home for Christmas and enjoying flamenco carols you can sing along with and dance to. The stress of one person cooking a meal for twelve people on the Big Day making sure everything is hot at the same time just doesn't happen, because different family members bring contributions to the Nochebuena and Nochevieja dinners, which take three hours to eat rather than twenty minutes - then after midnight the younger generation heads for a big party organised by the tow...