New Civilization News: Welcoming autumn with a fiesta    
 Welcoming autumn with a fiesta15 comments
picture 22 Sep 2005 @ 06:03, by Silvia M.S

These days I've been enjoying the 10-days-fiesta that takes place every September in Oviedo, my city (located in Asturias, northern Spain). This holiday finishes the same day as summer does, so it's a sort of a welcome to the autumn, with its warm breeze and golden veil of leaves. I love autumn! They are our local holidays and although we are a little city, hundreds of people come from everywhere to enjoy these days with us. The city was really crowded, full of people talking and eating in the streets and parks, laughing and enjoying the time...

There are many concerts in different places at night, also traditional music and dances, fireworks and many other events. Children are the protagonists in the mornings, as there are many activities for them to enjoy in the company of their families. For example there is a little train which tours them around a park in the downtown. Besides, many parents dress their children with the traditional asturian custom and the kids enjoy it thinking that it's a carnival day :-).

As a part of this fiesta, on Sept 19 we celebrate "the day of America in Asturias", where people from many countries of America (North, Central and South) and also from Asturias participate in a parade, wearing their traditional costums, playing their music, dancing, showing up aboard original floats...

Here in Asturias we usually celebrate the especial days going for lunch to the meadows and parks to enjoy the day all together. These days we enjoy eating our typical 'bollu preñao', which consists on an especial bread with a hole inside, where a 'chorizo' (sausage made of pork and paprika) is inserted. Also we drink a typical beverage called 'sidra' (an especial kind of apple cider), which is served in a very original way ('escanciar'), as it is shown in the pic below: holding the bottle (always green) very high above the head, pouring then the cider into a big glass with very thin walls, and filling the glass only up to one quarter of it. When you are in a group of friends, you usually share one or two glasses between the whole group, it's a community drink :-)

Well, what else... Ah, yes, I've uploaded a short video that I recorded this holiday during a concert of 'gaita' (bagpipe), a traditional instrument in our region: Link

Now the city is slowly coming back to its daily routine, but leaving a joy flavour in the hearts of its inhabitants.




[< Back] [New Civilization News]

Category:  

15 comments

22 Sep 2005 @ 13:16 by jerryvest : Very nice Silvia...I think that
cultural events are a great way to unite families by celebrating their history together. Here in southern New Mexico we also have an annual "Whole Enchilada Fiesta" with lots of events, music, dancing, food and more.
*************

Enchiladas, I like them!! :-). These kind of events are so wonderful to keep people together and breathe a bit of fresh air in our daily routine!  



22 Sep 2005 @ 13:24 by swanny : Hmm?
Are you sure you're not an artist?
hmmmmm
a artistic scientific sensibility very interesting

carry on

swanny
**************

Thank you Ed, I'm a cocktail of different things, as everybody is :-)  



22 Sep 2005 @ 13:24 by swanny : Robert Pursig?
Have you read any Robert Pursig?
**********
Not yet, but Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is on my waiting list of books to read. Any other book recommendation from him?  



22 Sep 2005 @ 14:23 by jeffreyiam : a beautiful way to share
what a wonderful way for the culture of your country to come together. Who was the beautiful woman you took a picture of?
*************
Hehehe, thanks Jeffrey ;-)
I had missed this fiesta so much last years when I was living abroad... I enjoy it since I was a baby, and it's in the memory of everybody here.  



22 Sep 2005 @ 15:59 by aaronb : treasuring man's diversity
You did a delightful job of sharing your culture with us.Thank you!
**********
Thanks for your comment Aaron. I had a great time during these days, and also taking the pics and organizing them to show them to all of you :-)  



22 Sep 2005 @ 17:47 by martha @24.205.65.251 : Sharing
Thanks so much for sharing about your country Silvia. I love the pictures. Did you take them all? I enjoyed the bagpipes. It shows how ignorant I am becuase I usually associate them with Scotland.
I notice you live in northern Spain. Are you in the Basque region?
I love the concept of "the day of America in Asturias". Here in the US we have many celebrations of immigrants celebrating their homeland.
*************
Thank you Martha. Yes I took all the pics, except the one of the lady eating the "bollu" (it's me hehe), that was taken by a friend of mine.
I'm not in the Basque region but in Asturias, at about 4 hours driving from there, more on the west but still on the North coast. It's a beautiful green land. Everytime I'm far from Asturias and listen to music coming from a bagpipe, a great nostalgia invades my heart.

The day of America in Asturias is wonderful, I enjoy watching people from so many countries, sharing their traditions with us! That day the city is really crowded, it's worthy to arrive early to get a place in the first row to see the parade. While in San Francisco I enjoyed a lot celebrating the Chinese New Year, and also the Pow-wow Indian Festival in Stanford, they were amazing!  



22 Sep 2005 @ 19:23 by swanny : Carlos Castenada
Well Actually Zen the only one I've read back in colledge
in 1976 and there was allan watts (philospopher) but hes tough
and hmmmm Well Castenada's Socialogist/anthropologist) quite masterful though tricky
and of course the Little Prince by Exupery? (priest)
And C.S.Lewis and Tolkien (writers) and Ursala Le Quin
shes a gem.(Sci Fi )... and Robert Frost (poet) Oh and Simply Sane (psychology)
can't place the author and Focusing by Eugene Phelman?Psychologist/Philospher
Abraham Maslow, Fritz Perlz, B.F. Skinner,(psycologists) Skinners hes a little authoratarian, and yes C. Jung (psychiatry) and Joesph campbell (Mythology)
I suppose Pursig (philosophy) though was the most consise.
and gosh I'll admit I read Ann Rand (dictatorial) she had a unique style
and Frank Lloyd Wright (architect)

too much info hee hee


anyway enough name dropping
**********
Wow!! I've read only some of those authors, thanks for making my book waiting list longer :-)  



22 Sep 2005 @ 19:39 by jstarrs : A lovely report, Silvia...
...hearing about places we can't visit, knowing that these gems are happening in towns we may never have heard of.
I wonder what other magic is happening today?
;0)
************
Thanks Jeff :-). That is in my opinion one of the best things of travelling: to discover the magic hidden in so many little corners of this world.  



22 Sep 2005 @ 23:28 by swanny : Autumn wishes
Welcome to autumn all
and best wishes
and prosperity in the days to come...
Hello to the autumn full moon.

sir
*************
Thank you, very nice welcoming :-)

He brings in the breeze
secrets of an ancient time,
he shines in the mountain
with his golden scarf,
do you hear a whisper?
it is the autumn who comes.  



23 Sep 2005 @ 13:11 by swanny : Paul Hawken
Actually the only real book I've picked up "recently"
is "Natural Capitalism" by Paul Hawken
very compelling but not so much news as
a reconfiguration or transfiguration
of good proportion.
**********

My reading speed is slower than the accumulation of books to read. Well, at least I'm having more time to read since I'm taking the bus to go to the lab (my car hasn't still been repaired since the accident in August). 1 hour trip x 4 times = a lot of time to read :-)  



23 Sep 2005 @ 18:10 by sprtskr : great pics Silvia
Your history is filled with lots of fun and friendships all shared with the surrounding people. America needs some of that, it would create such lovingness that is so missing.Thanks for sharing.
**********

Thank you, Marie. Here we tend to enjoy the time in group, and also we do it when we travel abroad. When I started to live on my own in USA I didn't know anybody in the whole country and wanted to immerse myself in the new culture and language, so I tried to keep Spaniards far from me. But it was impossible, Spaniards started to come from below the rocks :-). In less than 6 months I ended up organizing Spanish meetings for lunch at university twice a week hahahaha.
Well, anyway, I met wonderful american people there, especially my landlords, who are in my heart forever.  



23 Sep 2005 @ 19:12 by hgoodgame : A sharing of cultures,
This is wonderful, Sylvia. I appreciate your contributions to my enriched awareness of your world. Thank you. :)

***********
And I appreciate your comment very much ;-). Thanks, my friend!  



24 Sep 2005 @ 13:43 by swan : Fall is my favorite season.
Thank you for sharing the pictures and writing about The Day of America in Asturias. What a beautiful country you live in. I love the traditions that bring people together to celebrate. I read the article twice and I still can't figure out how Castenada got in the comments.

PS. I loved the music video.

**********
Thank you Swan, I'm glad that you liked it! And welcome back :-) Autumn is my favourite season as well!
I enjoy very much the traditional celebrations, and everytime I travel to a new country I like to enjoy theirs as well. They are our origins, we are a part of them and they a part of us.  



13 Feb 2006 @ 15:26 by nikhil @202.75.200.9 : nice :)
nice .. :) like the way you look at things.

********
Hello nikhil, thanks for leaving a comment. I try to enjoy life as much as I can, hope you do too! :-)  



22 Oct 2006 @ 04:43 by Prem @59.88.116.163 : Autumn
Silvia

I do like Autumn and your experiences are very nice. I am waiting for a real Autumn in my life. Best wishes, Prem  



Your Name:
Your URL: (or email)
Subject:       
Comment:
For verification, please type the word you see on the left:


Other entries in
1 Jul 2010 @ 22:02: The Utter Uselessness of Sports and the Purpose of Life
26 Jun 2010 @ 20:45: A game has 90 minutes, ehh, or 120, plus overtime...
6 Jan 2009 @ 06:58: GAMES POSTULATES
11 Dec 2008 @ 06:48: Divinity Rising: My (bra) cup runneth over...
11 Dec 2008 @ 01:14: Strong with the force, that one is...
7 Dec 2008 @ 16:23: An Open Letter to Enlil and Enki ("Sermon of the Holy Rock")
16 Jan 2008 @ 11:00: What Are You Like?
22 Nov 2007 @ 19:01: The purpose of the white rabbit...
30 Jul 2007 @ 14:52: The REAL purpose for the creation of pets
25 Apr 2007 @ 18:05: Git ve gör! Çok geç olmadan



[< Back] [New Civilization News] [PermaLink]?