El Dia del Andalucia March 8, 2014
"Un poco mas vino?" I love hearing those words! Of course, the answer was "Si, por favor!" Two young waiters mingled among the crowd at Andalucia Day, generously offering tiny cups of free Malaga wine - on behalf of the mayor, we had heard. He has my vote :)!
February 28 is the date on which, in 1980, Andalucians voted to become a semi-autonomous region of Spain, leading to the celebration of El Dia del Andalucia: Andalucia Day. "Semi-autonomous" is a gentle status, from what we could see, still very much part of Spain but with some independence. We didn't know what to expect for Andalucia Day, having been a bit underwhelmed by Alozaina's Carnavale. The main events were scheduled to take place in the same big white tent that had been plunked in the middle of the main street for over a week. The hours were more to our liking - in the middle of the day!
It was a bright, sunny, windy day for the opening ceremonies, speeches and flag-raising, near the town arch, in front of the currently-defunct tourist office (no funds to pay employees). Flags of the European Union and of Spain were already flapping in the wind when we arrived. The Andalucian flag and the flag of Alozaina were being raised slowly to the sounds of the national anthem, played by the town band. The idea of a town band is such a quaint notion. Its members were a nice mix of old and young musicians, male and female, all outfitted in formal-looking navy blue uniforms. Among the crowd, the older women were all holding vibrantly colored potted primroses, more gifts from the mayor - we heard.
Alozaina town band
As the crowd broke up, we drifted over to the white tent. There, a bevy of young volunteer chefs were dressed identically in black & white checked pants and burgundy shirts and hats. They were preparing soup, putting bread in the bowls, ready to spoon hot tomato/garlic/onion soup on top of the bread, finishing them off with two grilled sardines laid gently across the bowl. This was, apparently, a typical dish - and it was delicious!
Yum!
Next to them was a massive paella pan. When we first saw it, shellfish covered the bottom. A bit later, it was filled with classic saffron-colored rice, embedded with pieces of chicken. While we watched, cooks placed shrimp and bright red slivers of sweet red peppers around the top and then artfully arranged mussels, in the shell, standing them up like little choreographed dancers. The last detail was lemon slices around the rim of the pan. It was a gorgeous creation, its bright colors mirroring those of Andalucia - yellow, red, black, and orange. It tasted as good as it looked!
Paella perfection!
We found chairs near some acquaintances and settled in for the rest of the celebrations, which included musician/dancers on stage, playing popular music - none of which we recognized. But they were songs with a beat and fun to listen to. Young girls, kindergarten age by my estimation, in matching long flouncy dresses, ran around giggling and playing, waiting for their turn to show off their budding flamenco moves. One little toddler boy, dressed in Sunday best, wandered out to the middle of the space and kept his small body moving in time with the music. All eyes were on him, though he seemed to be totally and delightfully oblivious.
Keeping the glasses refilled.
Keep that music going!
The girls finally got a chance to take the stage, doing a bit of stomping of their dance shoes and lots of whirling and swishing, giving those twirly dresses a good work-out! Bigger girls, more skilled and practiced, also danced, looking much more like typical flamenco dancers, but the little ones really got my attention. They were having such fun with the whole process, whether on the stage or off!
Such fun to hang out with friends in pretty dresses!
Fun for us, too, to experience what a friend described as a holiday "like your Fourth of July". No fireworks - and paella had replaced hotdogs, but it was a day in which a sense of community, in this small town of 2000, could be strongly felt!
February 28 is the date on which, in 1980, Andalucians voted to become a semi-autonomous region of Spain, leading to the celebration of El Dia del Andalucia: Andalucia Day. "Semi-autonomous" is a gentle status, from what we could see, still very much part of Spain but with some independence. We didn't know what to expect for Andalucia Day, having been a bit underwhelmed by Alozaina's Carnavale. The main events were scheduled to take place in the same big white tent that had been plunked in the middle of the main street for over a week. The hours were more to our liking - in the middle of the day!
It was a bright, sunny, windy day for the opening ceremonies, speeches and flag-raising, near the town arch, in front of the currently-defunct tourist office (no funds to pay employees). Flags of the European Union and of Spain were already flapping in the wind when we arrived. The Andalucian flag and the flag of Alozaina were being raised slowly to the sounds of the national anthem, played by the town band. The idea of a town band is such a quaint notion. Its members were a nice mix of old and young musicians, male and female, all outfitted in formal-looking navy blue uniforms. Among the crowd, the older women were all holding vibrantly colored potted primroses, more gifts from the mayor - we heard.
As the crowd broke up, we drifted over to the white tent. There, a bevy of young volunteer chefs were dressed identically in black & white checked pants and burgundy shirts and hats. They were preparing soup, putting bread in the bowls, ready to spoon hot tomato/garlic/onion soup on top of the bread, finishing them off with two grilled sardines laid gently across the bowl. This was, apparently, a typical dish - and it was delicious!
Next to them was a massive paella pan. When we first saw it, shellfish covered the bottom. A bit later, it was filled with classic saffron-colored rice, embedded with pieces of chicken. While we watched, cooks placed shrimp and bright red slivers of sweet red peppers around the top and then artfully arranged mussels, in the shell, standing them up like little choreographed dancers. The last detail was lemon slices around the rim of the pan. It was a gorgeous creation, its bright colors mirroring those of Andalucia - yellow, red, black, and orange. It tasted as good as it looked!
We found chairs near some acquaintances and settled in for the rest of the celebrations, which included musician/dancers on stage, playing popular music - none of which we recognized. But they were songs with a beat and fun to listen to. Young girls, kindergarten age by my estimation, in matching long flouncy dresses, ran around giggling and playing, waiting for their turn to show off their budding flamenco moves. One little toddler boy, dressed in Sunday best, wandered out to the middle of the space and kept his small body moving in time with the music. All eyes were on him, though he seemed to be totally and delightfully oblivious.
The girls finally got a chance to take the stage, doing a bit of stomping of their dance shoes and lots of whirling and swishing, giving those twirly dresses a good work-out! Bigger girls, more skilled and practiced, also danced, looking much more like typical flamenco dancers, but the little ones really got my attention. They were having such fun with the whole process, whether on the stage or off!
Fun for us, too, to experience what a friend described as a holiday "like your Fourth of July". No fireworks - and paella had replaced hotdogs, but it was a day in which a sense of community, in this small town of 2000, could be strongly felt!
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