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Calendar – Carnival in Spain – Aguilas Museum – Sardine Burial – Torrevieja programme – San Blas – Catral walk – Dolores pilgrimage – San Valentine – Gastronomy dates – Heroes invisibles – New Befriending Service – Costa Blanca Profile – Tours and music – Semana Santa poster – Don’t remember – Speed limits – Defibrillator donation – HelpVega Baja groups -
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Carnival Time in Spain The bleakness of winter may not be so noticeable to us who enjoy the relatively warm Costa Blanca climate. But for those who live in many other parts of Spain wintertime is a fierce fight for survival in snow clad mountains swept by freezing winds or in cities where temperatures drop to zero. Historically people have seen the end of winter and the beginning of the warmer Spring with its promise of new life as a new beginning and in Spain this has meant a fiesta. Carnival time has arrived. In U.K. we tend to celebrate the beginning of Lent or Cuaresema by making pancakes on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. This meant the end of eating meat until Easter and the saying “carnis vale” or goodbye to meat. Which became in time the word carnival. In many places this day is known as Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday for the same reason, that all fats from animals had to be used and one way of doing so was to make up pancakes. In my mother’s house this day was an excuse for a second trip round the houses by the milkman and his horse, Danny selling sour milk as that makes the best tasting pancakes. It is a good excuse to have a pancake party and bring people together with a bottle of wine or some fancy dress and for those of a Christian belief a reminder that the Lenten period has arrived and fasting, abstinence, sacrifice and almsgiving are expected. aormi@icloud.com Torrevieja Outlook
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Brazil is probably the best-known place for its Mardi Gras carnival in Rio de Janeiro, but in Spain Santa Cruz de Tenerife has a wonderful reputation for its fancy dress costumes which cost a fortune and are worked on from one year to the next. Often those wearing them have difficulty in walking, as the elegant costumes are so ornate, fragile and large to maneuver in with ease and grace. In recent years the ‘gay’ community has taken a high profile in this Tenerife romp and other towns have followed with Drag Queens being prominent in the carnival programme. Carnival may be tied in with the beginning of the Church’s Lenten period and the need to enjoy oneself before the penances leading up to Easter or it may have been rooted in pagan rites, but there is no doubt that it is a time to get out of yourself, dress up and have fun.
In the carnival people are almost anarchists as it is a festival where, with anonymity, almost anything can be carried out by people disguised in fancy, outrageous costumes. It is a subversion of the normal political and religious hierarchy with first place being given to the exaltation of sexuality, eating and drinking, with obvious roots dating further back to the Saturnial festivals of the Romans.
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Disguise and drink have always been an enemy to power and in the time of Carlos I and Felipe IV there were laws prohibiting the wearing of masks. Music, fancy disguises, indulgence of the table are all hallmarks that for a few days at least Don Carnal has triumphed. The magic of a mask hiding the face of man (or woman) transforms him/her and releases him/her from daily responsibilities. Amid these magic-religious rituals, the personification of elements are symbolical as opposites attract: Winter - Spring, Light and Darkness, Heat and Cold, Pleasure and Pain, Life and Death. When you add the religious content you have the opposite of Carnival and Lent. In days gone by Lent meant no more meat and in Spanish meat is carne, hence another explanation of the name of Don Carnal.
Fiesta declared “Fiestas de Interés Turístico Nacional”. The Carnival of Águilas is a two week celebration of the streets although work goes on all year round. This Murcian town also has a remarkable museum dedicated to its carnival where visitors can see for themselves some of the marvelous extravagant costumes of previous years. It is a fiesta for everyone in the town, from children to the grandmothers, which a wonderful night procession with feather-clad women doing intricate dances in the street. This particular carnival has been recognised at national level as attracting tourists since 1977. On the Saturday you have all the characters of carnival Musa, Don Carnal, Doña Cuaresma y Mussona. On the Thursday the 'suelta de la Mussona', the release of Musson, takes place. This act of the Mussona has recently been recuperated from ancient history and this personage represents the duality of man and the beast, which we all have within. This is the fight between the savage and the civilized man and this battle continues in the actual fiesta. There is the battle between Don Carnal and Doña Cuaresma, with her final triumph. Part of this battle is the custom of “los cascarones" when empty egg shells, filled with confetti, are broken on heads. There are parades on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday and over 4,000 people take part with musical bands and floats. On the final Saturday groups from other towns take part in a glorious colourful parade. A typical drink of carnival is the "cuerva", based on wine, fruit and other ingredients. aormi@icloud.com
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Aguilas town dates back to at least Phoenician times when it was a coastal town with links to the nearby mines. The British built a connecting railway to Murcia city in the 19th century with a jetty that was used to dump the ore and coal down chutes onto the cargo boats. One of the engines is still on display, made in Glasgow in 1905 by the North British Locomotive Company. Just offshore there are fishing farms breeding Sea Bream and Sea Bass, both used in Torrevieja cooked in the oven buried under a mond of salt. So apart from the Carnival Museum there are other interesting things to see in this small but busy town.
Burial of the Sardine Both Cartagena and Alicante have very large parades with an integral part being “the Burial of the Sardine�. The sardine fish represents the fasting and abstinence of the Lenten period consumed in the Mediterranean.
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Nº 060 February 2019 This is usually a large effigy which often becomes part of a bonfire which consumes it in turn.
The sardine features in many coastal celebrations at other seasons of the year.
The Torrevieja carnival is over a three week period centered on three parades. Each one is a fun parade with multicolourful characters in vibrant groups or as i n d i v i d u a l s exhibiting a great deal of good humour. This is a key word as humour is possibly the most important aspect of the carnival, combined with a great sense of imagination. Humorist Pepe Moreno Rodríguez will introduce the carnival on 2nd February with a lot of dazzle dazzle as the Carnival Queen will be chosen with an elaborate sparkling dress.
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Prizes are awarded for various categories of costumes. The festivities are not contained in just a couple of parades, but the various groups get together in sponsoring bars for some rowdy fun. These take place during February, depending on weekends. This is the official prgramme.
Saturday 2 February 2019 The introduction and coronation of the carnival queen and her entourage by Pepe Moreno Rodríguez. Auditorio Municipal 21:00h Saturday 9 February 2019 XI Competition and concert of the Torrevieja Drag Queen 2019 Auditorio Municipal 21:00h
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Saturday 16 February 2019 Competition of Chirigotas Auditorio Municipal 21:00h Sunday 17 February 2019 III Jornada Carnavalera Plaza de Oriente From midday Thursday 27 de February 2019 Fiesta de Carnaval of Elderly Centro Municipal de Ocio Hora: 18h Precio: Entrance free until full Acceso Sunday 24 February 2019 Principai Carnival Parade 17,00h Starts at the Plaza de María Asunción, then wends its way along calle Ramón Gallud ending up in the town centre at Calle Clemente Gosalvez. Friday 1 March 2019 Children’s Parade“El Carnaval de los Coles” Starts at 17;00 at the Centro Cultural Virgen del Carmen And ends in la Plaza de la Constitución
Saturday 2 Marzo 2019 Night Carnaval Parade 19:00 Starts at la Plaza de María Asunción,then along Ramón Gallud ending at Calle Clemente Gosalvez. aormi@icloud.com
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There is a Pre-Carnival Parade in which people dress up in costumes used in previous carnivals; this is just to get everyone in the right spirit to let their hair down and in the party mood. Then there is the official opening speech (pregon) of the carnival with a stage performance at la Murga; the election of the Carnival Queen and her entourage, and the appearance and approval of the latest designs. After that there are two main parades: the first on Sunday afternoon from the plaza de Asunciรณn around 16.00 with over 1,500 people taking part. This wends its way to the town centre with a great deal of music, dancing and throwing confetti. For months groups have been planning and making their costumes and here you will see extravagant feathered beauties dancing to the rhythm of lively music, clowns throwing confetti in your face or people in ordinary everyday clothes wearing a gaudy mask. It is possible to buy simple adult fancy dress costumes for around 20 euros. Children have a large part to play in this parade and you can see them in groups and as individuals suitably dressed up in imaginative costumes flowing the beat of the samba, salsa and merengue. This year they will have their own parade on 1st March. aormi@icloud.com Torrevieja Outlook
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The fun also spills into the schools where competitions are often held for the best in fancy dresses among the children. It is a sight to cheer up any bleak winter morning to see little ones dressed up as fairies, clowns, cartoon heroes or whatever, firmly clutching their proud mother’s arm on their way to school. The other large parade is on the following Saturday night around 21.00 which is a more adult affair and begins from the plaza de Oriente. The carnival is an explosion of imaginative colour, plus dance routines set to loud Latin music. Should you miss it then during July some of the groups take part in the Summer Fiestas in La Mata. Some of the larger and older groups appear in other countries as guests and latery have featured in January in the parade through Madrid streets organized by the FITUR Tourist Fair.
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FITUR is a huge tourist fair that features most of the nations of the world and is a showpiece of culture, gastronomy, fiestas and customs. Spain has a huge exposition split into regions and COSTA BLANCA has its own stand as has many smaller towns. Among the events is a parade of groups from various towns that showpieces Moors & Christians, Hogueras, and many her bright fiestas
San Blas or Saint Blaise On the 2nd February the religious Candlemass is celebrated which is a blessing of candles to be used throughout the year and the ritual blessing of recently born children and their mothers. This is based on the Jewish custom of the purification of women who had borne a child and one that Mary subjected herself to, also called the Feast of the Purification. A popular saint this month is St. Blaise, or San Blas, who is considered to be the saint to appeal to for help for throat infections. His feast-day falls on 3rd February and two candles tied in a cross design, which were blessed during the Candlemass, are used in the religious blessing of throats held in churches on the 3rd February. Many towns hold a variety of events for the saint’s feast-day. One town which devotes a lot of prayers in the direction of San Blas is Sax. As far back as 1627 the citizens of Sax held a public meeting at which it was decided to commemorate «now and forever» the feast of St. Blas. The townspeople attributed aormi@icloud.com
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Since then the fiestas have included Moors and Christian festivals with all the pomp, parades and processions which make this type of fiesta so popular. Some 3,000 people take part in the annual processions which occur during the first week of February. In Aliicante district ofr San Blas a Mig Any parade is held since 2010 as the main parades have been moved to the last two weeks of July.
Catral’s pilgrimage
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An early Christian was Saint Agueda who is patroness of Catral and Dolores. She was born in Sicily in 230 and died for her faith on 5th February, 251. She is a popular saint in Malta and protectoress of those with chest complaints as well as during the time of fertility and breast feeding. In English she is known as Saint Agatha. The oldest references in Catral to devotion to her date at least as far back as 1684-91 when a hermitage was built in her honour. It is possible that either the Conquistadores brought devotion to her from their travels or more likely the military order Caballeros de Santiago, under whose dominion Catral came in 1255. Another possibility is that the famous preacher San Vicente Ferrer introduced her name around 1411 during his preaching tours of the Valencian kingdom. By 1794 the statue of Saint Agueda had already being described as ‘miraculous’, but this image was destroyed during the Spanish Civil War. Prior to this in 1748 a Guild had been founded to promote devotion to this martyr. Since then there have been regular pilgrimages on her feastday, 5th February, at Catral. After the Civil War the
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guild was reconvoked and the sculptor Carmelo Vicent Suria of Valencia made another image which is used in these romerias today. The town has several events during this early part of February with colourful parades, music and lots of fun. Later in June Catral holds a week of celebrations in honour of St. John the Baptist and also the Sacred heart of jesus with many sporting events and a multicolor parade with several clubs participating.
Dolores pilgrimage In Dolores there is a romeria on 6 February carrying the image of Saint Agueda to her sanctuary from the parish church of los Santos Juanes. This is accompanied with traditional country dancing and trypical food of the countryside. The historian José Montesinos relates a romeria took place in 1794 and some others maintain that this devotion was popular among the Castellanos and Catalan-Aragonese who repopulated the area in the 13th century.
Saint Valentine In the late 1990’s Saint Valentine Day gained more popularity, probably because of the foreign influence. As such there is no real fiesta for this day. It is another Roman festival commemorating young men’s rite of passage to the god Lupercus that was adjusted to Christian ideology in the fifth century. The Roman celebration included a lottery whereby the young men could draw the names of young girls from a box and this would be a sexual pair for the next year. Of course the Church could not have this promiscuity and the lottery was of saint’s names instead of lovers. Valentine became the patron saint of lovers because of legends associated with him. He was a Roman soldier who refused to pay allegiance to the Roman gods and was beheaded. During his time in prison, Valentine fell in love with the gaoler’s daughter who was blind. Their love and faith helped her to recover her sight and as he was being marched off to the chopping block she read his farewell message which was signed, “from your Valentine.” As this feast was held in mid February it has come to be associated with the carnival. In Teruel there is a medieval festival on the weekend nearest to the 14th February. This is based on another romantic legend of Isabel and Diego with shades of aormi@icloud.com
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Shakespeare. Isabel was the daughter of a rich and influential man of the town and Diego was poor, but the couple loved each other. The father agreed that Diego should go off to seek his fortune and return within a stipulated time and on a speciifc date, otherwise Isabel would be given in marriage to someone else. When the date arrived there was no sign of Diego so Isabel was married off. Diego came the following day, a rich man, but just too late. He pined for his Isabel and begged just one kiss, but too late again. Poor Diego languished and died and as he lay there awaiting burial Isabel heard the news and rushed to him to kiss his forehead, again too late. She herself died of a broken heart and the pair were buried together. You can see their marble statues lying side by side in Teruel. This festival in the town includes a reenactment of the story by two youngsters, dressed in typical costumes. Many other people take part and there is a market, dancing, and open fires in the street where suckling pig and other delicacies are cooked. It goes on late into the night, often broken up by sword fighting between chainmail clad ‘soldiers’ who are supposed to have fallen out with each other.
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Heroes Invisibles
Nowadays we no longer think of a prince on a white horse coming to the rescue as we have more modern heroes such as hunky firemen climbing down ladders with the pretty princess slung over his bulging shoulder muscles. Heroes come in all sizes and shapes and Spanish television Canal 4 did a very good documentary of heroes of Torrevieja’s Urgencia department with the crew staying 24 hours with individual doctors or nurses, invading their personal lives seven days a week. During the three summer months of June, July and August Torrevieja Urgencies section death with 78,000 patients. The Emergency Service of the Hospital of Torrevieja assumed an average of 585 daily patients attended in the Primary Care clinics and 266 in the emergency service of the hospital itself. It should be noted that the average waiting time of the Department's emergency services was 45 minutes in the hospital emergency department this summer and 31 minutes in the departmental emergency department, well below national standards. aormi@icloud.com
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The Urgencies department is in direct contact with local police and Guardia Civil, as well as Protection Civil and firemen, plus all the ambulances. The medical staff have to react quickly, often abandoning someone already being treated in the system when a real emergency occurs, such as a car crash. They also work long shifts and are completely drained when they get home. They decide who has to receive more treatment at home,or in the Observation Ward, or moved on directly into a room under a consultant. The television channel did a very good job of showing the various problems that the medical staff have to face daily, as well as home problems that face everyone.
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Costa Blanca Profile by Andy Ormiston
The Costa Blanca has 244 kilometers of coastline that includes sandy beaches and rugged coves and cliffs. With over 300 days of sunshine at an average 18ยบC temperature Alicante Province has the most Blue Flags awarded for its beaches than anywhere else in Spain. With this entire coastline and so many ports, harbours and marinas there is a multitude of aquatic actives and nautical experiences.
Most tourists know something about the beaches, but miss the opportunity to explore some of the hills and mountains where there are hidden villages that are an integral part of the Costa Blanca. Alicante is one of the most mountainous provinces in Spain, as it has 26 mountains that peak at over 1,000 meters above sea level. Many small businesses make use of these natural facilities and offer a myriad of multiaormi@icloud.com Torrevieja Outlook
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adventure activities suitable for everyone that take in some of the ancient traditions and regional cuisine that blends in with their venture. And cuisine is an important sector of tourism and the regional cuisine of Alicante is rich as it uses all the natural ingredients of sea, mountain, orchards and fields that make up the Province. There is a recognized Wine route that takes in over 16 wineries open to visitors that include sampling and buying at reasonable prices.
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There are m a n y organized food fairs, tapas trails, regional and international good events which are headed up by some of the 10 Michelin s t a r r e d re st a u r a n t s offering so many eating experiences of exquisite rice dishes, with over 300 listed specialities that are often found in local fiestas. And there are plenty of fiestas as almost every day there is a fiesta in some part of the Costa Blanca. These provide fun, colour, extravagance, brilliance in the cabalgata of the kings in January, strutting and colourful costumed Moors & Christian parades, sombre and colourful Holy Week parades, exotic carnival costumes and aormi@icloud.com
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parades, the fires of June Hogueras, Seville dance festivals, or fireworks at important events such as the l’olla de Altea, and each village will have flower processions on their patronal fiestas. The Costa Blanca has a wealth of cultural and historical heritage with 4 UNESCO World Heritage sites, not forgetting the designated international tourist interest festival and 7 national tourist interest festivals. So there are cultural activities suitable for all tastes throughout the year. There are a number of theme and adventure parks supplying fun and thrills for all ages, or bringing you closer to nature. Shopping is an important part of holidaying and there are extensive shopping complexes, malls and areas throughout the province. Thanks to cultural programmes, and in hotels, restaurants and some bars, there is a wide range of family and night time aormi@icloud.com
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entertainment. There are dedicated catering, hostelry training schools in Alicante, Torrevieja, Benidorm, Denia, and elsewhere, that ensure that the service of the hostelry industry continues to produce excellent staff and innovative menus for the catering industry. Enjoying the sun, swimming, water skiing or whatever else you fancy is great exercise and the Costa Blanca has excellent portents for wellbeing. There is an internationally renowned health infrastructure in the public and private spheres that excel at providing first class health care for the thousand of international patients each year. Apart from the climate, the quality of life a famous Mediterranean diet, the province has lots of spas, yoga and mindfulness opportunities to ensure healthy bodies and minds. As mentioned elsewhere there are numerous opportunities for sport as the sea offers opportunities to learn new skills such as sailing, fishing, rowing even with a Dragon boat, kayaking, scuba diving, water skiing, flyboarding, jet skiing, kite boating and kitesurfing, kneeboarding, parasailing, and paddle surfing. It is possible aormi@icloud.com
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O u t d o o r activities include team sports, or just doing your own thing. Because of its terrain Alicante province can offer adventure racing, backpacking, cycling, camping, canoeing, canyoning, caving, disc golf, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, hunting, kayaking, rock climbing, running, sailing, skiing, surfing, ATV riding, and sports. In wintertime it is fairly easy to get to mountain snow resorts and enjoy skiing and other multitude of possible sports. There are twenty excellent golf courses in the area and a dozen more within easy reach, plus four pitch and putt with high class facilities. Here you find ancillary services such as spas, gyms, and many adapted for the disabled golfers. In August 2019 the annual Spanish Vuelta, top cycling event, will begin in Torrevieja from the salt lake. The internet services has made it easy to find some accommodation, whether it be a first class hotel, a rural house, an hostal, villas, self-catering apartments, and camp and caravan sites. This is all backed up with a first class transport infrastructure of excellent motorways, dual carriageways, an excellent train network including high-speed trains, air flights to over 110 destinations from the Alicante/Elche international airport that serves over 12 million passengers. Other passengers make use of the new Murcia Corvera airport, or Valencia.
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New Speed Limits on Roads
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Five defibrillators for use by the Local Police on the Orihuela Costa, were presented to the Councillor for Public Safety by the ‘ Costa Blanca People ’ newspaper and the ‘ Help at Home Costa Blanca ’ Charity. Carmen Perez, President of ‘Help at Home Charity Costa Blanca’ said the fund raising and starting of this project was triggered by the tragedy of the young boy who died on the Cala Bosque beach last April, when there were no defibrillators to hand, which could well have saved his life. Help at Home are so very grateful and appreciative of all the volunteers and supporters who help with these fantastic fund raising events. HelpVega Baja also contributed towards these machines and others, such as the one donated to The Emerald Isle. aormi@icloud.com
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