2007 August 31 - Days 4 & 5 - Fiesta de San Ramón

Day 4 of 5 - 20 August

There were several things going on today, but I didn't take any pictures -

• An Exposición de Manualidades (Handcraft Exposition) sponsored by the Women's Organization
• An Animation Group for the small children
• A Futbol (Soccer) game
• and at 9:pm, dancing with the orchestra "Mambos Cuartet"

Day 5 of 5 - 31 August

Today is the last day of the fiesta.

The day starts out with a mass at noon. Following the mass, the statue of San Ramón is taken for another tour of the village. This will be his last time to see the village until next year.

This is Margaret and Colin dressed for Mass.

Following Mass, everybody goes home to change into something comfortable.

At 2:pm, everybody returns to the Plaza Mayor for a paella lunch. This is an event nobody misses! The paella is cooked in a pan that feeds 500.

It doesn't take long for every seat at every table to be occupied.

As you can see, tables stretch from Lo Portal (the entrance to the Plaza Mayor).....

....all the way to the far side of the Plaza Mayor.

Then the signal is given that the food is ready, people quickly line up with plates in their hands

(Actually, the people who prepared the seafood paella serve it up in plastic plates -- but sometimes the plastic plate bends and you risk spilling your food. Therefore, people take their solid plates and put the plastic plate on it.)

A bunch of happy people with plates of paella!

Andrea, Mark, Emilia and David

After everyone has eaten, groups break-out in song. Here the group is being led by a guitar.



You can't tell in this "still" photo, but the majority of people in the picture are clapping in time to the music.










Well, that's the end of another successful fiesta to San Ramón. But it will take place again next year.

~•~ The End ~•~

2007 Aug 19 - Day 3 of 5 - Parque Infantil & Peña Dinner

PARQUE INFANTIL

At 11:00am the Pista (School Play Ground) would turn into a park for the very small children. Many structures had been inflated – doll house, trampoline, and slides. I arrived early, but a few children had beat me to the Play Ground. I can imagine how it will sound a little later, because I could already hear screams and laughter from the few that were already here.

In the picture above, you can see the back of the school. The blank wall behind the basketball goal is where they will show 2 movies during Cultural Week. In case of bad weather, the movies will be shown in Lo Lonja under the Ayuntamiento (City Hall).

Watching a movie outdoors reminds me of when I was young and we would go to the Drive-Inn. However, this is a little different – there are no cars and no concession stand where you could buy popcorn, hot dogs and cold drinks – instead it’s a “BYOC” (Bring Your Own Chair) Party!

The window above the blank wall, is Jordi’s office. The Library is located where the row of windows are on the upper floor, on the left of his office. Jordi opens the Library twice a week – Tuesday and Thursday from 6:30-7:30pm – for the children and adults to use. Very seldom does anyone check out a book. Usually they come to use the computers to surf the internet.

DANCING IN THE PLAZA MAYOR

Tonight the band “Annubis” played and the village turned out to dance. The band played from 6:00-8:00pm then took a break.

The people love to dance and the Plaza Mayor is quickly filled with dancers of all ages.

The band started again at 9:00pm and played for a couple of hours and took another break. Then began again at 1:00am and played until 3:00am.

DINNER AT THE PEÑA

When the band took a break at 8:00pm, we all went to our Peña to start dinner.

The members of our Peña quickly arrive and grab a beer or cold drink. Many start setting the table. All seats will be occupied with the meal is served.

I have to admit, the meals at the peña are always an “adventure!” Many times they are dishes I have never experienced before, but always tasty – and believe me, I’ve eaten some interesting but tasty foods during my travels in Africa.

Peña dinners seem to always involve a large pan that is approx. 3-feet wide and approx. 1-foot deep. In this pot they cook a combination of meat, snails, chicken, mussels, clams, sausages, intestines, etc. – not all of these things at one time, but a combination of 3 or 4 things.

Then they add either rice or potatoes and other ingredients. And you end up with either a type of paella or a type of stew.

Like I said, the meals are always an “adventure,” but I’ve never had a meal that wasn’t delicious.

Different people cook each night…..well, I should say different people start cooking each night. But as soon as the aroma of the meal hits the air, it seems everybody takes a turn stirring, tasting, and adding what they think the dish needs.

On this particular night, they cooked a combination of pork chops, sausages, ribs, and ham.

Then they added a lot of water, potatoes and asparagus.

When the water began to boil, they added about 2 dozen raw eggs.

When this “type of stew” was served, each person had a pork chop, a piece of sausage, a piece of ham, some potatoes, a couple of asparagus spears, some broth and a pouched egg. It was a great meal for a cool night.

Children love the camera!

~•~ The End ~•~

2007 Aug 18 - Day 2 of 5 - Mass of the Baturros

MASS FOR SAN RAMÓN
The day starts with a mass at noon in honor of San Ramón Nonato. It is also a mass for the Baturros (peasants of Aragon).


A group called “Templanza Aragonesa” sang as the choir, dressed in Baturros costumes.






Last year, only two adults dressed in costumes, Jordi and Nuria. This year there were more.

At the end of the mass, the statue of San Ramón is taken on a platform and carried through the village.

The procession passes right in front of our house.

The Baturros and people follow the statue.

“Baturrita” is a little girl peasant..

“Baturrito” would be a little boy peasant

“Baturros” is the plural form of the word.

It could be a group of young boys and girls.

“Baturra” is a female peasant.

This is the group of “Baturros” we had in costume for mass this year. The basket had holy bread that was distributed to the congregation as they left the church.

“Baturras”

Loli and “Baturro” (Jordi)

Angeles and “Baturro” (Jordi)

“Baturros” Nuria, Jordi and Cristina

After this mass, all the “Pensionistas” (Retirees) are treated to snacks, beer, wine and cold drinks in Lo Lonja. As you can see, our village has quite a few.

Adrian & Bogdan (from Romania), Lillian (from France)

Meanwhile, across the street from Lo Lonja, a few children watched the “Pensionistas.” I guess they realize it will be some time before they qualify for the snacks.

JOTA DANCERS
At 6:00pm in the Pista (School play ground) the “Templanza Aragonesa,” the same group that sang in church, also sang jotas (spanish folk songs) and performed many different folk dances.

The group were really good. And they changed costumes for each dance.

~•~ The End ~•~