047 january 2018 torrevieja outlook copia by Andy Ormiston

Torrevieja Outlook

Nº 47 January 2018

047 January 2018

January calendar – Costa Blanca – Auto de los Reyes – Old into New – Alcoy pages – Aledo – Cabalgata – Torrevieja Kings on board – Animal parades – San Anton burning flesh – Animal Cruelty – Demons of Forcall – Elda Moors & Christians – Home Made Music – Tunas – Jijona Porrat – Pointing Finger – Fitur 2018 – Salt lake tours Aigues Mortes – Soria roses – Burning Babe – Made in Spain (peanuts, avocado, strawberries) – HD Rascals visit ALPE – Christmas carols photoreport – Murillo ends – 100 years ago RepublicMaurice Thacker. aormi@icloud.com

Torrevieja Outlook

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Torrevieja Outlook

Nยบ 47 January 2018

Torrevieja Outlook

aormi@icloud.com

Torrevieja Outlook

Nยบ 47 January 2018

Torrevieja Outlook

aormi@icloud.com

Torrevieja Outlook

Nยบ 47 January 2018

Torrevieja Outlook

Nº 47 January 2018

The following is a general guide to fiestas in the Alicante province and some in nearby areas.

1st January New Year’s Day - a public holiday throughout Spain. In Agost the end of the ‘Les Danses del Rei Moro’, which have been celebrated since 26th December. 1-4 Alcoy representations of the Belén de Tirisit (a living nativity scene) that began on 23rd December and

finish on 4th January. The Sunday morning before the Epiphany (6th) Les Pastoretes (shepherds) celebrate in Alcoy. On the night of the 4th three Hogueras (bonfires) are lit on the Monte de San Cristóbal, representing the presence of the Three Kings. An emissary of the kings arrives in the town to announce the imminent arrival of their majesties. On the Sunday morning prior to the Epiphany in Callosa de Segura the ‘Cantos de La Pastorela’ is sung. 1st and 6th In Albatera a procession on these days, carrying the Virgin’s image. 5th January In most of the towns there is a Cabalgata de los Reyes Magos, a procession of the Three Wise Men. Of importance because of their splendour or antiquity and worthy of mention are: Alicante, Alcoy, Banyeres de Marila, Benidorm, Ibi, Xixona, Xàbia, Pinoso, Gata de Gorgos, San Juan de Alicante, Torrevieja, Villena and Orihuela.

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6th/7th January In Cañada the ‘Auto de los Reyes Magos’ is a play of the arrival of the kings. On the same day a similar act is carried out in Villena. The ancient dance of the kings takes place in Tibi - Les Danses de Reis. In Callosa de Segura the ‘Cantos de La Pastorela’ is repeated. 6th January Aleldo (Murcia) direction Sotana) La Estrella y Los Reyes Magos. 12th January In Muro de Alcoy ‘La Fireta de San Antoni’ is held. 16 - 17th The patronal fiestas of San Fulgencio are held. 17th January Feast of San Antonio Abad with many places holding a service blessing animals. There are romerias to the hermitage of this saint held on either the preceding Sunday or the following Sunday, with a blessing of the animals. Alicante, Alcoy, Alfafara, Benidorm, Elche, Finestrat, Mutchamiel, Parent, Pedreguer, Pego, Sagra, Vall d Álcalà, Xàbia, Xixona are some of the places for these pilgrimages. A hoguera is burned in Benejama with an auction of a lamb to pay for the fiesta. Jacarilla, Orihuela, Beniarbeig and Gata de Gorgos also celebrate this day. In Salinas the fiesta of los Mayordomos is held. A romeria takes place in Hondón de los Frailes.

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19th January Xàbia celebrates San Sebastián, the town’s patron saint. 20th January Orihuela and Murla both hold romerías in honour of San Sebastián, usually on the Saturday nearest to the 20th. Fiestas are order of the day in Sax as they have San Blas and later Moors & Christian fiestas. 22 January In the church of Agost there is a serenade of popular songs held heralding the patronal fiestas in hour of the Virgen de la Paz on the 23rd January. 26 January The people of Dénia have a pilgrimage to the hermitage of Santa Paula. 31st January The Festividad del Niño Jesús del Milagro (also known as the Segundo Corpus) takes place in Alcoy. Last weekend of Jan. music In Caravaca de la Cruz las Cuadrillas below

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Nº 47 January 2018

Old into New Really the calendar starts with the last day of the year when the bells ring out the changes and people gather in their houses, in restaurants or in the plazas to celebrate the Old giving way to the New. This is symbolic of many of the Spring festivals. There is a custom nowadays throughout Spain of eating twelve grapes (skins and pips, if any) as the clock strikes the 12 strokes of midnight. If you can get all twelve down then you will have a good year for the next twelve months. This is one of those customs that has its origins in a glut of grapes in the 1920’s and growers came up with this idea to boost consumption and today it is a really fun part of a New year’s party. The grapes are presented in many ways: some are in champagne glasses so that you can enjoy a bit of cava after gulping the grapes down. oThers are tied in little ratchets, while it is possible to buy them ready prepared in supermarkets. Revelers of the first day of the year will be on the streets and in bars and restaurants until early morning. After that it is usually a very quiet day to bring in yet another new year. Obviously the main celebrations after New Year’s Day is the wonderful Cabalgata of Los Reyes - a splendid parade through most towns and usually held on the evening of the 5th of January preceding the actual feast day on the 6th January. Of prime importance is the national Lottery of El Niño aormi@icloud.com

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Nº 47 January 2018

with large prizes and the illusion many people of starting another year with more money inter pocket.

The Three Kings bring illusion and hopes at the start of the year. The main festival of the New Year in Spain is the continuance of the Christmas story of the birth of Jesus, and on the 6th the arrival of three wise men bearing symbolic gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. According to the Italian historian Franco Cardini, who has written a book about the history and legends of the Three Kings, they were not kings, nor three in number, nor did they travel on camels. The only evangelist who mentioned these popular characters is Saint Matthew who says some ‘magos’ came from the Orient following a star that signalled the birth of the king of the Jews. These were probably astrologists or Persian priests who professed Madeism, the religion of Zaratustra. The idea of there being three came from the interpretation that they brought three gifts - gold, frankincense and myrrh. But the pope emeritus Benedict XVI in one of his books thinks they may have originated in Spain. As a German he will know that the relics of the wise men are supposed to lie in a golden casket in Cologne cathedral It was in the time of Tertullian that they became popularly known as ‘kings’, based on the Psalms of David where it is mentioned that some kings would visit the Messiah shortly after his birth. This interpretation of kings was more acceptable to the theologians of the day rather than magi, which was associated with witches and black magic. Saint Augustine was the one who brought in the idea of the dromedaries. One of the apocryphal epistles mentions that they travelled on camels and Saint Augustin knew that the dromedaries were of African origin and more swift than camels. So the magi travelled in 13 days from Asia to Bethlehem. The kings are seen as a symbol of all the pagans who converted to Christianity without passing through the Jewish traditions. aormi@icloud.com

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Whatever the true story it is still one which brightens up a dreary start to another year, filling children with illusions of dreams about to be realised, thanks to three wise men, and, of course, the love and sacrifice of their parents. Most towns will hold a Cabalgata on the evening of the 5th with the wise men and their entourage of pages parading through the town, throwing sweets to the waiting crowds as a symbol of sharing gifts.

ALCOY - Where pages scale the balconies The mountain town of Alcoy takes principal place because of the antiquity of its calvacade. In Alcoy on the 4th January three hogueras (fires) are set up on the Monte de San Cristobal to welcome a representative of the Three Kings and on this night the emissary arrives with a proclamation about the forthcoming procession of the Three Kings. Cabalgata (cavalcade) is the name of the actual procession by the kings and this has been celebrated in Alcoy since 1885, which was the first time ever in Spain. The joy of Christmas leads to the parades of the Pastors as young people take to the streets in typical local clothing, dancing traditional dances, accompanying a flock of sheep, in memory of the shepherds who aormi@icloud.com

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Nº 47 January 2018

paid homage to the new born infant Jesus. Over this period there is a marionette theatre with a continuous movement of wooden figures narrating in their own style the Christmas story. On the 4th January another colourful parade takes place in Alcoy as the ambassadors of the Three Kings arrive in an ox-drawn float to announce the arrival of their Three Majesties the next day.

As elsewhere in Spain the children of Alcoy look forward to the magical night of the 5th January when the Three Magi arrive in a splendid cavalcade with sumptuous clothing, riding on horses and camels. Many towns with large zoos often provide animals for the processions and in Madrid you can even see elephants. Ranks of Oriental soldiers act as an extravagant escort while black faced pages carry long ladders which can reach up to the balconies just above the street. These ladders are set against the balconies and the pages shin up them to visit wide-eyed children, leaving them parcels and gifts. There is a custom that the children put out their shoes for gifts to be left in them. If they are considered to be naughty children then ‘carbon’ a boiled sweet looking like a lump of charcoal is left for them. The streets are decorated with colour and light, lending a magical atmosphere to the ‘cabalgata’ which winds its way through the crowded streets so that, eventually, the three kings can pay homage to a representative local family, selected to play the part aormi@icloud.com

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of Mary and Joseph with a newborn baby to play stand-in for baby Jesus. This is just one of the wonderful events which the people of Alcoy enjoy. In 2000 the Alicante Tourist Board awarded the town the Gold Award of Merit for the annual Calvacade of the Three Wise Men and there is a monument to the Three Kings in the town centre. In 2008 the Church of la Mere de Deu was exchanged in a transfer of land and property between the Valencia Archbishop and the Alcoy town hall. The 19th century church will be used as a museum dedicated to the Three Kings.

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Alcoy Cabalgata kings & kids

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CAÑADA - Another mountain town with a live nativity scene. In the mountains, near Villena, is a small town named Cañada that has unique festivities over Christmas and the arrival of the Three Kings. Depending on the weather, whether it is indoors in the church or in the streets, there is a live Belen or Nativity scene on 25th December. This live biblical scene goes back to 1973 and is organised by a cultural group “L’Ormá”. However, this only heralds in the main festivity of Cañada in an auto sacramental dating back to the 18th century when the huddle of houses were included in the lands of the Marqués de Biar. For the feast of los Reyes the people gathered around with traditional dances and a scene of adoration of the Child Jesus. Gradually the scene was enlarged with other Biblical scenes added. In recent years better sound equipment has added an extra dimension to the amateur acting with well constructed backdrops such as Herod’s palace, which is on a giant turntable of a stage so that different scenes can be quickly turned around and adapted to each part of the production. All the citizens of Cañada are invited to participate in the play as

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the idea is to transform the town into a Judean village of 2000 years ago similar to the neighbouring town of Villlena. The Cueva del Nacimiento (cave of the birth of Jesus) is located on the corner of the town square. On the 6th January the Kings arrive in the town, going in the first place to Herod’s Palace, where Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar are directed to the Cave of Bethlehem. On the 7th January angels appear and The Flight into Egypt is celebrated, the Slaying of the Innocents is played out and the shepherds, Jusepe and Rebeca, share a feast. Children love the arrival of the Kings as it is not only the Child Jesus who receives gifts but they receive presents as well. On the 8th January in the afternoon there is another fiesta in Cañada where traditional dresses are worn and the unique tonadillas dancing, takes pride of place, leading the procession to the Palace of King Herod. aormi@icloud.com

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The picota Aledana is a remnant of feudal times where the head or members of a condemned person could be pilloried. Rather like the stocks of England, but these picos were destroyed by the Cadiz courts in 1813 assuring the liberty of all c citizens.

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A more recent monument is La Puerta de las Tradiciones which exemplifies the long list of traditions in the small town. These include the Auto de los Reyes or the Agony of Jesus used in the only Week processions.

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Aledo where a star leads the way. Aledo is a small fortress town high in the hills of Sierra Espuña. This is an area that is becoming popular for those seeking the rough countryside. The fortress is on a prominent rock and is 52 kilometres from Murcia city. A lovely rural hotel is the Monasterio Santa Eulalia which is a four star rural type hotel with traditional cuisine and 35 rooms, 8 small rural chalet houses. Another hotel is Pinito del Oro (968 421 036), which has a nice restaurant. This is one of those towns that was batted back and fro between Muslims and Christian forces. It overlooks a fertile valley of Guadalentin where parts of the road was the famous Roman Via Augustin connecting Tarragona with Cadiz, but in this case was a connecting road between Cartagena and Lorca. The church is dedicated to the Santa Maria la Real with two hermitages dedicated to San Sebastian and San Augustin. Although the church was started in the 16th century it was not concluded until the 18th; inside is a statue of Santa Maria dating back to the 13th century. Tourist office – Plaza Julián Romea 4, - 968 277 675. Check out the many adventure types of tourism available in this mountainous area. Each 6th January the people put on a cabalgata of the Three Kings that dates back to the XIII century. This is organized by a group called la Cuadrilla de Ánimas. Here we have the three kings mounted on horses following a star that leads them through the crowded streets to Bethlehem and the new-born child Jesus, the king of the a nation. The star is actually a small girl dressed as a star again mounted on a small pony. aormi@icloud.com

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At the fiesta del Carro everyone joins in the eating and drinking based on locl foods. Breakfast are los Jaulullos which are made with flour, tocino (the fat of the bacon) garlic and the longaniza sausage. Migas is a popular dish here and the local mixed drink is mantellina made from water, lemon, honey and anis, but wine and warm bread are a great alternative. The sanctuary is actually built over a mine dating back to the end of the 13th century dated as 1257. There is another important date of a statue of Santa Eulalia de Merida in 1498 that was enlarged over various years by devotees. The present image is probably the third or fourth one. It is a pretty place with the fragrance of the pine trees and a lovely view toward the Virgen Blanca.

Every town and village in Spain will have a Kings parade of some sort, some huge processions, such as Madrid or Barcelona,and others just a few people involved. All of them will feature the magic, the joy and mystery, that enchants all the children. Their Majesties choose a number of different ways to visit every corner of Spain to bring forth their magic. Motorcycles, boats, helicopter, skiing or riding are just some of the ways Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar reach our children and our homes. Every year the town of Sangüesa in Navarre hosts this recreation of the holy story of the Three Wise Men. It is one of five such mystery plays still existing in Spain and is staged outdoors. With the arrival of the Three Kings to the town to worship the Child, the streets of Sangüesa, on the Way of Saint James, become the site of a re-enactment of the meeting with Herod, the conversations with the shepherds and shepherd boys, and the angel’s warning of King Herod's evil intentions. The event culminates in a moving mass in the Church of Santiago, presided by the Kings of Orient. The work was written in verse by José de Legarda in 1900.

Skiing Santas in Sierra Nevada and an image of the spectacular Madrid parade

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Elche’s Palms Show the Way There are many fiestas celebrated in Elche, almost on a monthly basis. One of the most awaited days is the 5th January when excited children impatiently await the arrival of los Reyes Magos, the Three Wise Men. This event marks the end of the Christmas cycle of celebrations and in Elche the kings parade through the town in the cabalgata procession. Palms are an integral part of the culture and history of Elche and as a prelude to the arrival of the Kings children burn dry palms ‘les atxes’ at their doors as a symbol of the star of Bethlehem and to show the Kings the way, just in case they don’t know the way and forget to leave any gifts! The three kings usually start from individual points of the city before meeting up to visit the crib scene and pay homage to the new born king, Jesus. This year they will leave together from the patio in ALTAMIRA from 11,00 to 13,00 h when the kings will receive the children. 18,00 h The kings then leave the ALTAMIRA PALACE aormi@icloud.com

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Torrevieja Kings arrive by boat heading for the QUEEN VICTORY where the actual cabalgata begins. 19:00 h CAVALCADE OF THE KINGS MAGOS following through the streets of Reina Victory, Plaça de Baix, Corredora, Pont dels Ortissos, Carries d'Alacant, Mestre Albéniz and Diagonal of the Palau. At the arrival to Diagonal of the Palau, his Majesties will go to the ADORATION OF THE CHILD JESUS, from where they will greet the boys and girls and their older counterparts.

Anyone who intends visiting Guardamar at any time of the year, will not be lacking in fun pursuits, or learning something about the unique traditions still preserved. The Kings arrive on the 5th January with a surprise procession for little kids and their families at 18:00. After the parade in the centre of the town the kings will greet the children from the balcony of the town hall. aormi@icloud.com

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The fortress of Guardamar was built to guard the entrance of the River Segura preventing raiders using it as a route to the inland towns, especially Orihuela. When the undulating sand dunes threatened the town a plantation of palm trees acted as a barrier and today this parkland is one of the attractions of this charming seaside town. The mouth of the river is now an inviting mooring for yachts in a well designed harbour area surrounded by the natural parkland of trees and picnic areas where nestles the remains of the rabita, one of the oldest Arabic mosque sites in Spain. From these remains of a long gone Islamic sect, one has wonderful vistas of the Mediterranean and on the horizon can see the several fish farms where dorada and other fish are bred. The town has a small fishing fleet with many nautical sporting attractions. There are natural dunes formed over the centuries by the silt from the River Segura and the currents of the Mediterranean and these dunes are now considered as a natural protected area by the Valencian government. This means that Guardamar has enviable long stretches of beaches that are linked by a promenade that is more of a boulevard as it has several wonderful restaurants and bars.

On the 3rd and 4th the pages of the Three Kings appear n the plaza de la Constitution in their tent to receive the letters from children with their wish list. On the 5th the great procession begins in the port area where the kings traditionally arrive on board a fishing boat suitable decorated and usually with some of the fiesta beauty queens in attendance. On the quay members of the town council graciously meet Their Majesties as does a huge amount of children and heir parents. Usually this is around 17:00 with the arrival of the Magi of East to Torrevieja's port, and then parade through the town centre accompanied by a fanfare of dancing girls, and floats. Last year there was a muck up about fiesta contracts, so hopefully this year there will be no hiccups.

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The parade ends up at the plaza de la Constitution where they greet the living Belen of a family representing Mary and Joseph with a recently born child as Jesus. Here the kings adore the Child Jesus and lay their gifts there and make a speech about the message of Christmas. They then appear on the town hall balcony throwing away sweeties that remain after chucking them out of their throne floats to excited children on their way from the port. Afterwards visits are made to the old folks home run by the Carmelite nuns, and the local hospitals. This emphasis that the Kings is a fiesta for everyone, although aimed at children.

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Fables and Flames

The next big January feast is the Winter Fires of San Anton - 16th January San Antón is Spain’s patron of animals. He was born sometime in the 3rd or 4th century in Egypt. According to the legend he lived to 105 years of age. As a youth he gave away his money to the poor and retired as a hermit to the banks of the Nile. Many cures have been attributed to his intercession especially a skin condition which has a burning sensation and hence the name “the fires of San Antón”.

Burning Flesh - Cleansing Fires In Villanueva de Alcolea this skin condition was rampant in the Middle Ages and disappeared thanks to the intercession of San Anton. The origin of this particular fiesta of San Anton may, perhaps, be traced to Villanueva de Alcolea where, according to legend, St. Antony cured a pig of an infirmity. However, he not only cured animals but during the Middle Ages he also worked miracles curing people of aormi@icloud.com

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the pestilence which burned the flesh with fever. This has led to the saint’s feast becoming a Fire Festival in this town in Castellon Province held on the 16th January. People and animals parade around hogueras and a feast full of fear and happiness takes place. Some people, on gaily decorated horses, ride through the labyrinth of streets leaping over fires. This represents the contemplative soul in ecstasy viewing Life as a dangerous game. Here, during the fiestas, beasts and people jump over the many fires in the town. This connection has led to fire becoming a symbol of this saint and fires or hogueras are burnt on his feastday which is held with special devotion in the Valencian Communidad, Cataluña and also in Mallorca. As with many ancient festivities there is a touch of the pagan element - in this case, the winter fires. The fire acts as a purification rite and in some of the fiestas the «devils» leap over the fires to be purified. Often men on horseback leap over the flames in these rites. Many of these fiestas are a strong representation of the ever present battle between Good and Evil which can be seen in many fiesta rites. aormi@icloud.com

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Cruelty to animals It is a day for animals to be blessed and it may be appropriate to remember that in many Spanish fiestas animals are abused rather than blessed. Since the early part of 1999 and up to 2002, ANPBA, the Asociaciรณn Nacional para la protecciรณn y el Bienstar de los Animales has made nearly 700 administrative denuncios (complaints) relating to the ill-treatment of animals during local fiestas. This has included complaints against some of those who fight in the bull-ring for irregularities in the legitimate regulations governing this art. The president of ANPBA said that more than 70,000 animals are used in Spanish fiestas throughout the year. However, on the feast of San Anton pets are paraded with pride in many towns. Many local towns have pet services at churches where the animals are blessed and there is likely to be one near you. Orihuela, Hondรณn de los Frailes, Jijona, Jacarilla, Pego, Pilar de la Horada and Javea all have this type of event. Each year some of these have farm animals, domestic pets which may include newts or snakes.

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T h e Demons of Forcall. Long, long ago in a time a l m o s t forgotten, two h e r m i t s known as Pablo and Antonio put a legion of demons to flight. This legend is the origin of a ree n a c t e d celebration in Forcall. The scene is set in a cabin with two doors representing the entrance and departure of life. The holy hermits lived in this cabin until a devil-spy discovered them and brought back a legion of devils to torment them. The saints concentrated on their prayers and three loud knocks are heard at the door. Toc! Toc! Toc! The door opens to reveal angels who chase the devils out of the burning cabin through the streets. Some malicious devils climb walls and into the windows where they steal honey and wine. Others, with a different type of hunger, chase the town’s lazy women. Around the plaza the devils run, their clothes spattered with serpents’ and dragons’ blood to protect them, dancing from door to door until Antonio appears bearing a large cross to frighten off the demon legion. The devils disappear as a woman representing “Temptation” dances amongst a barrage of rockets and fireworks frightening away the devils. There then follows a ‘purification’ dance around a hoguera.

Sex reversal roles In the towns of Castellon and Teruel men dress up as women or as demons with necklaces of fruit, playing the part of “Temptation” which is related to the trials of Saint Anton being tempted in his isolation by the devil. In the small town of San Bartolemé de Pinares in Avila pipes and drums arouse the citizens warning them of the lighting of the hogueras in honour of San Anton. These bonfires also are the centre point for people and horsemen to jump over the flames.

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Elda’s Moors & Christians celebrate San Anton Half-year Moors & Christians San Anton is the protector of animals and a patron of Elda. Each year on the weekend nearest his feast day thousands of Eldenses gather to enjoy events organised by the groups of the Moors and Christians of the town. This is known as the Media Fiesta or mid-year fiesta as it is a prelude to the main one later in the year as many shopworkers are too occupied in the busy summer period to play games - they have a living to make. Not all, but many, of the Musulmanes, Marroquíes, Realistas, Huestes del Cadí comparsas march along the streets of Elda, followed by the Christian bands of Piratas, Estudiantes, Cristianos, Contrabandists and Zíngaros, all of whom parade to the cheers of the crowds and the firing of their blunderbusses. This is a foretaste to the main fiestas which are held in June.

Market Day in Alicante for San Anton In Alicante on this saint’s feast there is a ‘porrate´or street market near the Plaza de Santa Teresa. This market is noted for its sweets and dried fruits which are the produce of the Alicante Province. There is a custom that a handkerchief full of these goodies is given to the woman of your choice with a view to marriage included. At eight o’clock in the evening there is a procession of Saint Antony’s image, although during the day there are many other activities in the surrounding streets. The Sunday following the 17th is the day when another procession takes place, this time carrying the statue of San Anton Abad to the Plaza de Toros for the blessing of the animals and a horde of animals and their owners are rigorously processed underneath the statue to be blessed by holy water with the saint’s blessing. In the 14th century pigs were let loose in the streets, but this has given way to a pig being raffled to pay for the day’s events.

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Home made music For centuries mountain towns would be locked in isolation during the winter and left to their own devices of survival. Animals would be sacrificed in January and sausages, black pudding would be made, hams smoked and hung up to provision a family or village for the rest of the winter. Villagers also had to provide their own entertainment and as a result kitchen utensils would be used as musical instruments rather like washing boards formed the basic skiffle music. During local fiestas and parties brass mortars and pestles, frying pans, thimbles, spoons were only some of the home made variety of musical instruments that formed a background to traditional dancing that would also have its fair share of wooing between couples, often under the watchful eye of the local priest. –

Medieval Music In recent years there has been an upsurge of interest in medieval music which is one reason why you will find troubadors with lutes, mandolins, pipes and flutes wandering a ro u n d medieval markets. Spain has a tradition of ‘tunas’ which are groups of young musicians and singers playing these type of instruments and suitably garbed in style with fine raiment and cloaks. Often on these cloaks you will see badges which indicate the different tuna fiestas that have been visited. Originally these were university students who visited taverns to raise funds to pay for their studies. Elche holds its Mystery Play in August and during this month there is an international medieval music exposition.

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Tunas in Universities Two days after the Bando de la Huerta in Murcia there is the Spring Parade full of colourful flowers from local garden nurseries. This parade has flower bedecked carriages accompanied by bands of music. During these dates the annual Certamen Internacional de Tunas ‘Costa Calida’ is held in the San Basilio district of Murcia city with colourful and animated groups playing this medieval style of music as they wander around the city. Each Faculty of the university has its own tuna group and originally they came about because poorer students couldn’t afford the university fees so they wandered around restaurants busking as troubadours to entertain the diners to make a little more money and amuse themselves at the same time. There are tunas in the various university schools - Letters, Sciences, Economics and Business, Law, and Medicine, with a unique female group in Law. The Tuna de Distrito University (formed in 1912) released in 2003 their fourth CD of their style of music under the title of ‘Mujer’ dedicated to the beautiful women of Murcia. In fact you can find a wide range of medieval music available on CD’s.

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Romerias are pilgrimages with a great deal of socialising and fun. San Sebastian in Vinaròs. According to recent research in England the country’s religious events were rather like Spain’s before the crack in the church which led to the Reformation. Pilgrimages seem to be a typical example. There are always pilgrimages to some shrine or another in Spain most of them held at a local level. Such a one is that of St. Sebastian in Vinaròs. This saint is well known and beloved by artists and sculptors as he died in Rome in 288 AD shot through with arrows. Legend has it that one of his fingers is a venerated relic in the town of Vinaròs and that Pope Paul V gave this as a gift to the Spanish Ambassador in Rome, Herrera de Pimentel. On his return to Spain a storm threatened to overturn the ambassador’s ship and he vowed that he would deposit the relic in the first place his vessel could land at safely. This proved to be Vinaròs on the 20th January, 1610, and since then the feast of St. Sebastian is celebrated in the town. There is a hermitage on the Puig hill and the relic was translated to there from the parochial church and ever since then a pilgrimage has taken place on this date. It begins early in the morning and pilgrims walk the five kilometres to the shrine where candles are lit and innumerable flowers are offered. Outside the sanctuary the pilgrims dance the “Camaraes” which alludes to maidens collecting the olives

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accompanied by singers with guitars, mandolins and castanets. It is obviously taken from the pagan harvest festivals and christianised. Joy in living is part of Christianity and the Spanish have it down to a T with the music, singing dancing and of course the dining and drinking. An important part of any fiesta is the food and open-air fires are lit to cook and the air is filled with the marvellous smell of paellas, sausages and other typical food of the region. It is perhaps a litle difficult for we modern Brits to imagine that our pre-Reformation ancestors enjoyed themselves in their religion in the same way. A rough translation of the song to Saint Sebastian is: “Oh Wonder worker, Sebastian, In our heritage so beautiful, Bring us health and keep us well, And make our harvest bountiful.”

“Porrat de la Candelaria” Jijona San Sebastian has a similar feast on 20th January known as the “Porrat de la Candelaria” which takes place in Jijona and lasts up to the 2nd February (Candlemass). This was formerly the time for the town’s Moors & Christians festival but these were transferred to the other town’s saint, St. Bartholmew, on 24th August. However, the town actually re-instated their winter ‘Mig Any’ Moors & Christians fiestas in 1970 so that those who were working in the busy summer c o u l d participate. There is also a Tu r r o n museum to see in Jijona.

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The Pointing Finger Another romeria fiesta is held on 31 January in Alcoy, it began in 1568 when the Blessed Sacrament and the tabernacle disappeared from the church’s altar. A statue of the child Jesus was put in its place, but somehow it inclined and the finger of the statue pointed to where the tabernacle was hidden. Ever since then the feast known as “El Niño del Milagro” (Miraculous Child) has been held. Originally there was a hermitage built, but this was later replaced with a monastery built and staffed by the Reformed Augustinian Order. Each year a descendent of Joan Esteve, who uncovered the stolen sacrament, has led the annual procession.

This is very much a religious type of fiesta that begins in the middle of January and goes on until the middle of February.

Today the fiestas are centered on the Monastery of Santo Sepulcro and the Augustinians have been replaced by a group of nuns of the Carmelite order.

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FITUR 2018 17 - 21 JANUARY

One of the largest tourist expositions takes place in Madrid where the 38th edition will be held from 17th to 21st January with a large exhibition about http:// www.ifema.es/ the Costa Blanca. Some towns do have their own stall and the whole fair is worth visiting to discover and enjoy a wide variety of countries, towns and places to visit and pick up information and photos.

FITUR is an opportunity to trek the world in a day as there is a multitude of countries that have their own stalls that often include traditional gastronomy. aormi@icloud.com

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A year ago meetings were held by Eduardo Dolon, in charge of Costa Blanca Tourism and the Chinese authorities. They worked out a plan of collaboration for tourism. The Canton tourist office now has publicity information about what is on offer in the Costa Blanca, especially fiestas as the Chinese love the fire, the gunpowder smoke and smell (which they invented) and the color of our local fiestas. The Torrevieja Carnival Group the Sal de Torrevieja have now been guests several times to the Chinese festivals as they also love the color and feathers of the costumes and the razz-a-ma-tazz of their dance routines. Often Chinese visitors ask to see the Rosy colored lake of Torrevieja. Last year Torrevieja was aormi@icloud.com

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represented by a large contingent demonstrating the colorful carnival of the town that is held in February, and also the small, but powerful, Hogueras of Saint John held in June. A couple of years ago it was proposed to market the work of the salt lake as a tourist attraction, making use of the small tourist train that goes round the town’s main sites in the summer. This dream will hopefully be a reality as an agreement has been made between the Salinas management and Torrevieja Tourist office that thee PINK AND guided tours can be held in April or May. GREEN SALT The other park of La Mata is to be LAKE promoted as a birdwatcher’s paradise with courses and publicity about local wildlife (although there is a very good one for birds available), green routes, rambling as well as courses on vegetarian tapas developed by the local catering college in Torrevieja.

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Grupo Salinas already have similar tours in France. salinas de Aigues Mortes and enterprising private companies help attract visitors, such as the small boats of Nicols making use, not only of the salt flats, but the network of canals around about. Aigues-Mortes salinas is located in the Petite Camargue some 90 km (56 miles) northwest of Marseille. The commune is composed of a portion of the wet plains and lakes of the Petite Camargue. It is separated from the Gulf of Lions (and, thus, the Mediterranean) by the town of Le Grau-du-Roi, however Aigues-Mortes is connected to the sea through the Canal du Rhône à Sète. Possibly the area is more famous for its horses and bulls. A rail branch line from Nîmes passes through Aigues-Mortes from north-east to south-west, with a station in the town of Aigues-Mortes, to its terminus on the coast at Le-Graudu-Roi. This line also transports sea salt. Historically in the summer of 1893, the Compagnie des Salins du Midi launched a recruiting campaign for workers for the

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threshing and the lifting of salt. Hiring was reduced due to the economic crisis that hit Europe, so the prospect of finding a seasonal job was attractive in this year and there were a greater number of workers looking for work.Torrevieja salinas was also largely seasonal workforce and many men would take to fishing at sea in the off season. In France the workforce was made up with many transient Italians and there was conflict between the two races that escalated and led to blood and a massacre of some Italians. There were seven dead and fifty wounded, some of whom had lifelong consequences. This was the largest massacre of immigrants in the modern history of France and also one of the biggest scandals in its judicial history because no condemnation was ever pronounced. There were Anti-French riots in Italy and eventually a diplomatic resolution was foundd with the resignation of the Nationalist French mayor. Probably used since ancient times, the salt of Aigues-Mortes attracted fishermen and salt workers. The Benedictine monks settled nearby in the 8th century at the Abbey of Psalmodiet to exploit this valuable commodity in the Peccais Ponds. • Mechanically harvested salt is piled up in the twinkling "camelles" before being packaged. It is suitable for human consumption.

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Rose of Soria by Pat Hynd

Most people associate Holland with flowers, be it daffodils, tulips, crocus or roses. But it will be a surprise to know that they import roses from Spain. The largest grower of red roses is in Soria where Aleia Roses is a world leader in technology and sustainability. Aleia Roses cultivates Red Naomi, the queen of red roses, in the largest and most modern greenhouse in Europe of this variety. Dutch technology and the privileged Spanish climate create a magical union that gives rise to the most perfect and longest lasting rose on the market. The greenhouse facility is located in the immediate vicinity of the Parque Empresarial del Medio Ambiente in Garray, just eight kilometres from the city of Soria (Castile and León). Thanks to its watering system and the water of the Duero river, which runs close to the plantation, the project reduced by more than half the usual water consumption for hydroponics. The greenhouse receives the heat from the adjacent biomass plant. The gases emitted are filtered in order to extract and consume the carbon dioxide inside the greenhouse.

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The Aleia rose is exclusive and is differentiated thanks to its intense red colour and a duration of up to t w o weeks remaining in perfect condition. The flower stem can reach a length of up to 90 centimetres. The project is implemented at the largest, state-of-the-art greenhouse in Europe growing this variety. The facilities spread over 15 hectares; bring together the latest Dutch technology in floriculture and the climatic advantages of being located in Spain. The production in the greenhouse is carried out by means of an efficient use of all resources to reduce water consumption thanks to the rainwater collection system, avoiding the contamination of aquifers by cultivating roses in hydroponics and to enrich CO2 levels by means of the gases produced from the combustion of natural gas for heating. The entire cultivation process uses a protection system with integrated pest management and biological control that implements sustainable strategies. The antiglare frosted glass is the basis on which the greenhouse has been built, enabling to obtain powerful solar radiation and enhancing the photosynthesis of the rose. Aleia Roses obtains the necessary thermal energy through the use of energy-saving screens to prevent energy losses. Reia Roses is also socially responsible; the company hires people with disabilities and ensures equal conditions and opportunities for every member of its staff.

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The initiative has sought to take into account the strong local trend of moving towards larger cities due to the scarce employment opportunities in the rural environment. So, the company has opted for creating employment in the province of Soria, in the north of Spain, an area with a high level of depopulation. Aleia Roses seeks to ensure equality of conditions for all the company’s employees; hence more than 50% of the employees are women.

Each rose has more than 80 velvety petals, an intense red colour, a stem with a length of up to 90 centimetres with very few prickles and a subtle yet perfumed scent. Reia Roses is on sale at Royal FloraHolland, on the pre-sale system FloraMondo and on the direct sales system Royal FloraHolland Connect. Behind this initiative is Luis Corella, Madrid entrepreneur and CEO of Aleia Roses. Corella headed the company’s creation back in 2013. With extensive experience in high-tech greenhouses, Corella has wanted to put his knowledge to work in this type of cultivation to produce the Red Naomi red rose. Aleia Roses represents his most significant business commitment, with the aim of building something beautiful and transcendent. aormi@icloud.com

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With an investment exceeding 50 million Euros, Aleia Roses has selected the most advanced Dutch technology for the cultivation of these flowers in stateof-the-art facilities. Renowned specialists in the sector, such as the greenhouse producer Dalsem Horticultural Projects and the plants and flowers research and development centre of the prestigious University of Wageningen in the Netherlands, have supported this project and have been its main technical partners. Aleia Roses make efficient use of all natural resources, thus, having reduced by 50% its water consumption through the collection of excellent quality rainwater. The company also prevents contamination of aquifers through hydroponic cultivation of its roses and enriches the levels of CO2 thanks to the gases originating from the combustion of natural gas for heating.

ROSES FOR GASTRONOMY In the search for excellence in haute cuisine, chefs use a multitude of edible flowers to elaborate and present their dishes. They are not only used to decorate the chef’s creation. They also provided that subtle touch, in the form of scent, which adds a differential nature to the dish. In fact, this is not a new trend since flowers and, in particulate, roses, have always been used in cooking for ages. Tables are easily decorated with flowers, but restauranteurs have to be aware that some customers may have allergies. Roses have been praised for a multitude of cultures, not only for their delicacy and aromatic properties but also for their medical ones. Not for nothing, they

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provide different vitamins, such as vitamin C. The great civilizations of antiquity, such as the Romans, included roses into their dishes and even into the wine. Over the centuries, the rosewater preparation was in a privileged place in each house, giving it a culinarian, a medicinal or a decoration use. Currently, in the Middle East, the rosewater is greatly appreciated to elaborate multitude of dishes and as a key component in drinks derived from yogurt. Furthermore, if as we serve our creation up, we decorate it with petals, it will be raised to the highest level of the well known chefs. Traditionally, roses have been used to elaborate pastries, salads, cakes, cookies and seafood sauces. As we have seen on multiples occasions, a bouquet of Aleia roses has many advantageous qualities, beyond their beauty and symbolism that they represent. A rose petal is an infinite source of properties, like their antioxidant power. aormi@icloud.com

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The Burning Babe BY ROBERT SOUTHWELL, SJ written 1595

As I in hoary winter’s night stood shivering in the snow, Surpris’d I was with sudden heat which made my heart to glow; And lifting up a fearful eye to view what fire was near, A pretty Babe all burning bright did in the air appear; Who, scorched with excessive heat, such floods of tears did shed As though his floods should quench his flames which with his tears were fed. “Alas!” quoth he, “but newly born, in fiery heats I fry, Yet none approach to warm their hearts or feel my fire but I! My faultless breast the furnace is, the fuel wounding thorns, Love is the fire, and sighs the smoke, the ashes shame and scorns; The fuel Justice layeth on, and Mercy blows the coals, The metal in this furnace wrought are men’s defiled souls, For which, as now on fire I am to work them to their good, So will I melt into a bath to wash them in my blood.” With this he vanish’d out of sight and swiftly shrunk away, And straight I called unto mind that it was Christmas day. Christmas behind us we have the Adoration by the Magi on 6th January. ”The Burning Babe" (2009) on the album If On A Winter's Night...(2009). It was written by KEMP, RICK / SOUTHWELL, ROBERT N. Published by Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing. It can be seen and heard on YouTube sung by Sting who brings the words to life, music often makes sense of poetry. Southwell was a distant cousin of Shakespeare and wrote his final poetry while imprisoned in the Tower of London. The fact that this poem came out in the fateful year of his death, 1595, shows us the power of his understanding of Christmas. The historian Michael Wood, in his documentary In Search of Shakespeare, notes that the volume was dedicated to “to my worthy good cosen Maister W. S,” claiming that the dedication was meant to influence Shakespeare’s writing. Shakespeare seems to have taken note of this poem, once again according to Wood, using similar imagery 11 years later in Macbeth Act 1, scene 7. It is in this scene that Macbeth enters into his final contemplation of the evil he is about to commit. aormi@icloud.com

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Home Grown Made in Spain by Pat Hynd

In this edition we have seen that roses grow all year round in Soria in Spain. But there are nowadays so many other products that are crops we often think of as coming from tropical climes. Peanuts are Thomas Jefferson and Jimmy Carter country are they not? No, they are actually grown in Valencia region as cacahuetes or cacau in Valenciana introduced around 1790’s by the botanist Cavanilles and used as forage for the domesticated animals. Its popularity was only realized in the 1960’s when it became a useful and profitable crop.   Sometimes it is known as the groundnut as its flower actually seeks to turn back into the earth to root, where it hides from the sun. Peanuts don’t grow on trees… or bushes, for that matter. They’re legumes that grow underneath the soil. This helps make peanuts a sustainable crop because they add beneficial nitrogen to the soil and require much less water than other nuts. That’s amazing, right? Harvesting peanuts is a two-step process. First, a farmer drives a machine called a digger along the peanut rows. The digger pulls up the peanut plant, flips it upside down and sets it back down on the row. The peanuts dry for a few days then the farmer uses another another machine called a shaker or a picker, which separates the peanut pods from the rest of the plant.

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In the small towns of Benifaió y Almussafes, the "collaret" is a recognised brand of Valencian peanut, harvested around October.

Peanuts have a re l a t i v e l y long growing season, taking about 180 days to mature before they’re ready. During harvest time, farmers want to avoid wet weather and get their peanuts off the ground before the first frost. USA statistics show that in 2015, farmers harvested about 4,000 pounds of peanuts per acre. It takes about 540 peanuts to make a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter. Goober—a nickname for peanuts—comes from “nguba”, the Congo language name for peanut. Peanuts and peanut foods bring together the three most important decision factors for everyone to make better food choices – nutrition, cost, and most importantly taste. Peanut foods bring together the three most important decision factors for everyone to make better food choices – nutrition, cost, and most importantly taste. aormi@icloud.com

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But peanuts can cause an allergy in some people, so in restaurants and takeaways they must state if there is any peanuts in the food. “Do I have a food allergy?” When you suspect a food allergy it is tempting to self-diagnose, but what you may be doing is creating dietary restrictions that can lead to inadequate nutrition. Whether you believe you or someone you know has a food allergy, it’s important to be evaluated and properly diagnosed by a specialist. The allergist will conduct tests to identify the food allergy. These procedures could include skin prick testing, blood tests or oral food challenges. The specialist, to make a diagnosis, will use the results from these tests. If there is a positive result to the suspected food, the allergist will discuss ways to effectively manage a food allergy. Many restaurants now put up notices to the effect they do not serve products with peanut based ingredients.

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Spain is the only European country with a significant commercial production of subtropical fruits, especially avocados and mangoes. In the Iberian Peninsula, this production concentrates in the Andalusian Mediterranean coast, in the provinces of Malaga and Granada. in recent years, producers have already reached 10,000 hectares of avocados, with an average production of 50,000 tonnes, and 5,000 hectares of mangoes, which yield 22,000 tonnes per year. The third fastest growing fruit is cherimoya, with 2,700 hectares.

Avocados are most certainly the fashion world wide as its benefits are promoted as a good selling point. The most popular sold in supermarkets is the Hass variety. The commercial production is mainly focused on the Hass variety, the most common worldwide. In Spain, production starts in October with the early varieties, the Bacon, Zutano and Fuerte, and continues with the Hass variety from January to June. The Hass can remain un-harvested on the tree for months without any quality loss, so the tree becomes a kind of natural refrigerator. This makes it possible to choose the best time for harvesting and sale based on supply and demand in the market. You may be wondering, is an avocado a fruit or a vegetable? In fact, avocados are actually a fruit. They are great in both savoury and sweet dishes. Avocados are truly an amazing food for many reasons, but until recently, you wouldn’t know it. Years of being scared away from fat-containing foods have led many people to overlook avocados. Today — thanks in part to aormi@icloud.com

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the low-fat diet risks that have been revealed — we know that avocado benefits include critical, healthy fats in addition to much more: various antioxidants, multiple trace minerals and vitamins too. Avocados are a nutrient-dense fruit that contain about 20 vitamins and minerals. Given its nutritious make-up, there are many avocado benefits. These include better heart and digestive health; healthy skin, hair and eyes; cancer prevention and weight loss, among others.

If you’re a little hesitant about adding avocados to your daily natural health regimen, don’t be. At the end of the day, it’s quite easy to increase your avocado consumption. • First, make sure the avocado is ripe. The best way to tell is to squeeze the avocado, which should give a firm, but gentle, yield to pressure. • Use it as a fat replacement in baking. • Dice it as a nice topping for your soups • Put it in the food processor to make dessert whips, puddings, smoothies and countless other recipes. • Mash or whip it until completely smooth for a baby’s first food instead of processed food out of a jar. • Put it on top of a salad. • Use it in making homemade guacamole. • Put it on your skin as a natural moisturizer. •

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AVOCADO PASTA INGREDIENTS: • 12 ounces spaghetti • 2 ripe avocados, halved, seeded and peeled • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves • 2 cloves garlic • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste • 1/3 cup olive oil • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved • 1/2 cup canned corn kernels, drained and rinsed DIRECTIONS: • In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well. • To make the avocado sauce, combine avocados, basil, garlic and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor; season with salt and pepper, to taste. With the motor running, add olive oil in a slow stream until emulsified; set aside. •   In a large bowl, combine pasta, avocado sauce, cherry tomatoes and corn. • S e r v e immediately. • April to December

Another nice thing about living in Spain is that you can find strawberries all year round. Some of them are grown in Montforte and Castellon. Navarra is one of the biggest strawberry-growing regions in Spain and recently Planasa, has bought over one of the largest strawberry Nor Cal nurseries in the USA. The Planesa company has produced Sabrosa-Candonga y aormi@icloud.com

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Sabrina varieties of strawberries and produce them from April to December. Lychees are also cultivated in the Narvarra region. Spain is the biggest exporter of strawberries worldwide, with an industry worth more than 400m euros (ÂŁ345m) a year, which supports around 50,000 jobs, mostly foreigners. Intensive agricultural methods mean the fruit can be grown all year round, mostly in Huelva. The production of strawberries for the winter stocking of supermarkets in the EU has become big business for Spain since the 1980s Nine out of 10 strawberries are exported to Europe. Germany imports more than a third of Spanish production, closely followed by France. But this is a market that has upset many environmentalists as the crop uses a lot of water and often farmers use water from boreholes in areas where water is scarce.

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by Andy Ormiston

Recently I met Marion Smith who is working out of Almoradi to support people affected by Huntington Disease. Huntington’s is one of the most devastating diseases. Some patients described it as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and motor neurone disease rolled into one. The unstoppable death of brain cells in Huntington's leaves patients in permanent decline, affecting their movement, behaviour, memory and ability to think clearly. In Britain it is the third neurological infirmity that is hereditary and between 6,000 - 10.000 are affected. It is caused by a defect gene that causes damage to the nervous cells in the brain area. Symptoms generally appear in the prime of life in the 30’s to 50’s age group. The earliest symptoms are often subtle problems with mood or mental abilities. A general lack of coordination and an unsteady gait often follow. As the disease advances, uncoordinated, jerky body movements become more apparent. Mental abilities generally decline into dementia. Ultimately, the weakened individual succumbs to pneumonia, heart failure or other complications. Everyone has the gene that causes HD, but only those that inherit the expansion of the gene will develop HD and perhaps pass it on to each of their children. Every person who inherits the expanded HD gene will eventually develop the disease. Over time, HD affects the individual’s ability to reason, walk and speak.

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Once again the RASCALS sang carols and played Santa Claus to the kids at the ALPE College for disabled children., ensuring that each child had a gift from Santa Claus. Michelle Masson of Help Vega Baja was present and able to donate 2,000 euros to ALPE and able to see the facilities including the almost finished Sensory Room that is used to develop some of the childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s use of their various senses that we all tend to take for granted.

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HD affects the whole brain, but certain areas are more vulnerable than others. Pictured above are the basal ganglia - a group of nerves cell clusters, called nuclei. These nuclei play a key role in movement and behavior control and are the parts of the brain most prominently affected in early HD. As more research is done there is always hope on the horizon. The research team, at University College London, say there is now hope the deadly disease can be stopped. An experimental drug, injected into spinal fluid, safely lowered levels of toxic proteins in the brain. Experts say it could be the biggest breakthrough in neurodegenerative diseases for 50 years. Huntington's is caused by an error in a section of DNA called the Huntington gene. Normally this contains the instructions for making a protein, called Huntington, which is vital for brain development. But a genetic error corrupts the protein and turns it into a killer of brain cells. The treatment is designed to silence the gene. On the trial, 46 patients had the drug injected into the fluid that bathes the brain and spinal cord. But the first in-human trial showed the drug was safe, well tolerated by patients and crucially reduced the levels of Huntington in the brain. Prof Sarah Tabrizi, the lead researcher and director of the Huntington's Disease Centre at UCL said, "For the first time we have the potential, we have the hope, of a therapy that one day may slow or prevent Huntington's disease. Doctors are not calling this a cure. They still need vital long-term data to show whether lowering levels of Huntington will change the course of the disease. Of course as with any disease it is not just the patient that is affected, but the whole family. It becomes a very traumatic experience as the disorder develops. Marion Smith organizes help and support and importantly holds talks, meetings and fund raising events for those with HD in this part of Spain, primarily for English speaking families. Every

Friday there is a meeting in Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Briens Bar, El Raso, Guardamar from 14:00 - 16:00. Marion can be contacted on 0034 - 634 905 249 or info@hda.org.es

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Christmas in Torrevieja would not be the same without the large Nativity scene and the Christmas Carols in the main plaza. The Phoenix Band kept everyone in tune backed by three local vocal groups, including once again the RASCALS conducted by Bill Singleton and occasional councillor .

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Year of Murillo Comes to a Close by Dave Stewart

For the past year Seville has been celebrating one of the most celebrated painters of the Spanish Golden Age, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, who worked primarily in Seville, where he was born in December 1617, until his death in 1682. Well known for his religious paintings and his extraordinary depictions of street urchins, he was also an ingenious painter of portraits. New York’s Frick Collection and London’s National Gallery have coorganized a 2017–18 show that marks the 400th anniversary of this great artist’s birth. Murillo: The Self-Portraits is open at the Frick from November 1, 2017, through February 4, 2018, and moves on to the London institution for a showing from February 28 through May 21, 2018. The exhibition also features a group of fifteen other works on loan from international private and public collections. Murillo was born and raised in Magdalena neighbourhood, lived too in San Bartolomé or San Nicolas and finally at Santa Cruz. Here is the house where he died of a fall from a scaffold while was painting Los desposorios Místicos de Santa Catalina for the Capuchins of Cadiz. This past year Sevilla has been celebrating the anniversary of this great Spanish painter, not only with exhibitions but also tapas. Murillo enjoyed great prestige and good relationship with traders based in Seville, as Nicolas of Omazur. Because of this his works crossed borders to end up in collections in Europe and America. Another circumstance that marked his destiny is the large quantity of plundered art that was taken out of Spain, to a large extent due to the looting that Seville suffered during the War of Independence, the French officers, and merchants fleeing the city taking canvases with them to Amsterdam and elsewhere. Perhaps it is a good thing in that Murillo’s work is scattered throughout the World. Murillo is not just the artist who evoked the religious world and who managed to give an amiable air to the spirit of the Counter-Reformation. He is also the painter who opted for profane scenes, paintings of everyday people doing everyday things, at a time when this was not well considered in Spain.

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100 Years Ago by Andy Ormiston

On 28th June 1919 Spain became a member of the League of Nations, a result of the end of the First World War in November 1918. Spanish became one of the official languages of the League in 1920 whose headquarters were located in Geneva. Spain officially withdrew from the League in 1939. The League developed into the United Nations Organisation in 1945 after the Second World War and Spain remained out of the UNO until 1955 when the deal with U.S.A was made as a result of the Cold War and the need for American bases in Europe to counter possible U.S.S.R. aggression. From 1916 to 1918 there was a huge wave of emigration from Spain to France because of an agrarian crisis, marked by various general strikes. The modern early 20th century Spanish society was now aware of huge class divisions that had previously been docilely accepted by the working peasants and aormi@icloud.com

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carefully preserved by the aristocracy and palatine landowners. The Second Republic was another attempt at a more democratic government by the people for the people. However, it was short lived; from 1931-1936 extremists of all kinds and colours, who often resorted to violence, frustrated attempts to rule by constitutional means. Today many people would like to see a Third Spanish Republic and tend to see the Second Republic through rose tinted glasses and blame the Nationalists led by Franco for its failure. Although it ended in civil war, with hindsight one can see the seesaw of politics in that for two years the Left brought in radical social changes. The right-centre then overturned the previous legislation, and then a six-month period of rule by the Popular Front followed this. The moderate middle parties were continuously attacked by the extremes of right and left, or as some people would have it, the “haves” and “have-nots” to a certain degree. The glorious royal flag of red and gold gave way to a tricolour banner, three horizontal redyellow-purple fields, became the flag of Spain and the national anthem was replaced by the Hymn of Riego. One of the first actions of the new aormi@icloud.com

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provisional government was a new Republican Constitution, which was finally approved on 9th December 1931. This established freedom of speech and association, gave the universal suffrage to women and the right to divorce. There was a plan to nationalize public services such as railways, banks and land, which never came to much. However, one law that was successfully passed was the Agrarian Reform Law of 1932, which took away the powers and lands of many rich landowners, something that affected more than 15,000 hectares of land in the Alicante Province alone, although it was much more in Andalucia. In many instances landowners were not only dispossessed, but also killed by their former labourers. Their land taken over by peasants and the real ownership in many instances gradually blurred over the years, which had its effect in decades later when people (including many British) bought land on which to build their dream house, only to find it was illegal because the land had not been sold legally by legitimate heirs. Most workers assumed that the concept of â&#x20AC;&#x153;worker controlâ&#x20AC;? of factories and agriculture supposed that the workers actually owned the businesses, with all owner's rights and privileges, assuming they would be better off financially as joint owners. The reality was that most of these businesses meant that worker control actually became social control by a committee, usually of anarchists. The anarchists set up agrarian collectives that quickly included not only big enterprises but the butcher, the baker, tenant farmers and every family run business in the area. The CNT permitted smallholders to work their land but without hired labour, as this meant he became an employer; he was unable to sell any surplus harvest for profit, but had to sell it to the local anarchist committee at a monopoly priced fixed by them. This concept in agriculture came at a time when the war was beginning and farmers were coerced to help the war effort by their productivity.

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Torrevieja Outlook

Nยบ 47 January 2018

Urban collectivism usually meant that small factories were closed down as unproductive and the machinery inserted into larger factories without reference as to actual profitability. It did not mean that the workers would be automatically incorporated into the large complex. In the early years of the Republic there was a definite depression leading to unemployment, partly a result of the general world depression, but largely because of mismanagement. A result of having large industrial plants ensured that the workers were all, on the face of it, committed to anarchist policies. When workers seized control they would immediately raise their own wages, quite often pushing the new found company into the red. Both the anarchists and communists fought for freedom of the people. But their interpretation of what is freedom and good for the people had to be enforced, even if objected to by those now "freed". When boiled down it means that if anyone thinks outside party norms then they must be wrong, and either saved or punished for thinking independently. Sounds familiar when we look at fascism, communism or even some religious thinking of fundamentalists.

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Torrevieja Outlook

Nº 47 January 2018

Don Manual Diaz Azaña who was first of all made Minister of War of the Republic, then became president

As in the First Republic (see Torrevieja Cameos) several groups during the early months of the Second Republic took it upon themselves to declare their own independence for a short time with a rather comic touch that reflects their communist leanings. San Fulgencio became Ucrania del Segura; La Nucia called itself La Pequeña Rusia; Castalla was to be known as Castalla la Roja and even the district of Jesús Pobre in Denia was renamed as Mongolia. One interesting aspect of the republic was the preamble of the statutes of Catalonia in 1932 that states in four lines that the region is autonomous, but an integral part of Spain. In these years unemployment was rife with 12,580 in Alicante, 54,965 in Valencia and in Castellon 12,108 out of work. The Popular Front’s win was not really a party pact so much as an electoral one to keep the Right out of office. On 14th April 1931 the municipal elections were democratically held throughout Spain. During this period the various political groups were strengthening their ties in particular districts. In Alicante city the most prominent group was the Izquierda Republicana (IR); in the northern part of the Province was the Derecha Regional Valenciana (DRA); in the central part of the Province the Partida Socialista Obrero (PSO) were active, as well as the UGT, while in the south of the province the aormi@icloud.com

Torrevieja Outlook

Nº 47 January 2018

Confederacion Espanola de Derechas Autonomas (CEDA) were powerful along with smaller groups of the UGT and the Falangist party. The Torrevieja salt workers were predominantly members of the UGT, although the Communist Party had a small local branch.

The Second Republic was made up of different coalitions, each group seeking to impose their own ideologies or ideas on everyone else. Possibly the most written about are the Anarchists, who were a violent, ill-disciplined lot who considered that all government had to be overturned and a completely new start made, claiming that they were not making war but revolution. They argued that the factories and land belonged to the people and went as far to ban money in the areas they controlled trying to work on a bartering system with some idea of creating an Utopia. Anarchists decided that all aspects of the old regime had to go and set about burning churches, so once again the lives and position of the clergy were threatened. An important Republican figure was Don Manual Diaz Azaña who was first of all made Minister of War of the Republic, then became president, and in this capacity brought in the well-known Article 26 dealing with religion. He announced that Spain would no longer be considered to be a Catholic country as from April 12th, 1931. This article barred religious orders from teaching, once again disbanded the Jesuits, abolished clerical salaries and legalized divorce. As most of the schools were run by the religious orders this became a bit of a farce as the Jesuits, for example, continued to teach in the capacity of laymen receiving a salary for work that they had formerly done freely. This, once again, split the government as most of them were Catholics and wanted a Catholic upbringing and education for their children. Above all, Jesuits were forbidden to engage in education, yet Spain was suffering from a desperate lack of schools at the time, and the members of the assembly listed education among their top priorities. Here they were attempting to force the closing of schools that were then educating about thirty per cent of the country’s high school students and about twenty per cent of its grade school students, in order to reduce the Church’s influence in the country.

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Torrevieja Outlook

Nยบ 47 January 2018

During the first five-year period of the Republic some 500 churches were destroyed, only a foretaste of what was still to come when the country was divided by civil war and thousands were executed because they were priests, landowners or factory owners on the one side and executed as Republicans branded as communists on the opposite side. The February 1936 elections meant that the Popular Front won in the Valencian Region, which in turn led to various conflicts in some towns as groups of the Right and Left became more violent in Valencia, Alcoy, Alicante and Elche and some smaller towns on 29th February. In Orihuela the Popular Action centre was attacked; in Elche the Santa Maria, El Salvador and St. Juan Bautista churches were set on fire which later led to a debate in parliament in May as the Elche Mayor wanted to destroy all the churches, a suggestion that was quickly forbidden by Madrid as the rich architecture and contents were seen as part of the national heritage.

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Torrevieja Outlook

Nยบ 47 January 2018

Gone and still remembered Mike and Marie Joy Davis raised over 150,000 euros for a wide range of charities including SAT animal shelter where they were founder members.

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Torrevieja Outlook

NÂş 47 January 2018

This past year we have lost several people who have served our community well in their lives living on the Costa Blanca. In January MarieJoy Davis died peacefully in her sleep, followed a couple of months later by her husband Mike Davis - which was no surprise to those who knew this wonderful double act who sang, danced and cracked their way through their act raising thousands of euros for various local charitable causes. Then Derek Francis, who was a tenor and loved to organize his own concerts, but was an integral part of the Lyrica Nostra group, also died in April. Derek liked to sing songs from musicals, his special choice being Phantom of the Opera pieces. Finally, just before Christmas, Maurice Murrel Thacker died after a long illness. He was another one who involved himself in a number of events that raised funds for a variety of causes. Many at Maurice Thackerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s funeral commented on what a gentleman he was. He loved painting in oil and has held a number of exhibitions in Torrevieja. Here there is a painting of Christ Crucified in the Inmaculada Church; another work of the Immaculate Conception in the church hall behind the church. He also painted the Virgen of Consolation, which is in the sanctuary at SS Peter & Paul church in the Torretas. He had a special knack of painting animals as during his military service in the Kings Troop of the Royal Artillery, he cared for the horses, learned how to work leather for harnesses and even made saddles. This taught him about anatomy of animals and the detail can be seen in his many paintings of horses, lions, tigers etc. Because of the Second World bombing of his native London Maurice did not have much formal education. His large family were bombed out of their houses three times, at one time camping in Epping Forest. One day he was off school the school was bombed and scores of children killed. A teacher saw his drawings and advised aormi@icloud.com

Torrevieja Outlook

Nº 47 January 2018

Maurice Thacker learned about the anatomy of animals during his military service in the Kings Troop. He was part of the gun demonstration team held annually. During this time he learned to work with leather, making bridles, harnesses, and even a Mexican saddle for an officer.

him not to worry too much about his lack of formal education as his future lay in his painting. Many of his works are in USA, Canada, Russia, UK and Spain of course. Before arriving in Spain he had never been anywhere else, but his new life permitted him to travel to many parts of the country, to the islands, USA, Mexico, Brazil, Caribbean and many other places including Scotland which he had never seen before.

Maurice also sang and reached the finals in Carl Levy’s discovery programme, beaten by his dancing sister, but ahead of Max Bygraves. He also featured in the famous Six-Five Special TV show. But he also played music, learning to play the accordion, the keyboard, the harmonica, guitar but his special love was his “bones”. These are basically two pieces of wood or ivory carved in such a fashion that they produce a sound rather like Spanish castanets. These proved to be a great tool for introducing himself to those around him as he was quite happy to accompany a busker along the promenade. Often people would try to play them, but without success although his adopted grandson is quite adept. aormi@icloud.com

Torrevieja Outlook

NÂş 47 January 2018

Through the â&#x20AC;&#x153;bonesâ&#x20AC;? he met a wide variety of people who became friends from all walks of life and from many nationalities. Here was a natural communicator and without being able to speak any other language was always the centre of any party or fiesta. He was sought after by the ladies as he was a great dancer, specializing in rock and roll or the tango. In fact several of his paintings referring to the tango are in an Argentinian steak restaurant in Torrevieja. For almost thirteen years he has lived in Torrevieja loving the Spanish lifestyle, the sun and blue skies that added a special light to his paintings. Maurice Maurice, proud of his Scottish ancestry, at a Saint Andrews concert in Torrevieja with a couple of puppets.

loved the Spanish ability to dress up and have a fiesta every month dressing up for carnival, the Sevillanas fair, a White Night at end of summer, Halloween or a themed birthday party. Maurice is going to be sadly missed on Saturday nights dinner dance at Restaurant Tuto where he was always first and last on the dance floor, invited by the musicians to join in with his harmonica, bones or sing.

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Torrevieja Outlook

Nยบ 47 January 2018

Torrevieja Outlook

Maurice - a man who travelled in his retirement,loved doing things for other people, but enjoyed the solitary ambience to concentrate on his work.

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Torrevieja Outlook

Nยบ 47 January 2018

Torrevieja Outlook

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Torrevieja Outlook

Nยบ 47 January 2018

Torrevieja Outlook

Nยบ 47 January 2018

Torrevieja Outlook

Cover Photo: Maurice standing alongside his scaled down painting of the famous painting of the Sabine Women by David and standing alongside the original in

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Torrevieja Outlook

Nยบ 47 January 2018

Maurice, with his erstwhile companion, Alma Vilas, at his exhibition in the railway station centre in Torrevieja and below visiting Rome.

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Torrevieja Outlook

Nยบ 47 January 2018

From Torrevieja Outlook we hope that you all look forward to a very happy and eventful 2018, full of love, fiesta, health and peace.

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Torrevieja Outlook