Pagan Spain

Linda Hall

IT’S on June 24, St John’s Day, and its eve that many of Spain’s pagan rituals temporarily resurface.

I saw one of them, the L’Arbret fiesta, in Altea almost half a century ago when all I expected was a drink on a bar terrace.

My husband’s uncle and aunt were staying with us in Benidorm and we were visiting Teresa, one of Tía Margarita’s friends. I suppose I knew at the time, but have now forgotten, how my Madrileña aunt­in­law had a friend in Altea, which was less than a 10th of its present size and light years, not just a few hundred kilometres, away from Madrid.

We drank our wine and ate our tapas overlooking the road up to the church and as the sun went down we heard shouting, cheering and music in the distance. It heralded the arrival of a large number of young men who were half ­ carrying, half ­ dragging a huge tree up the steep street.

They were practically ­ naked, practically ­ drunk, semi ­ exhausted but entirely satisfied with themselves and dizzyingly male.

This was a link with the past that made the Romans look like recent arrivals and the Moors newcomers. It was Pan and the Green Man with a touch of Dionysus thrown in for good measure.

They manhandled the tree which was rapidly losing its foliage past us and Teresa told us it would be erected in front of the church, to bring good luck, good crops and a good number of children in the coming year. A tree is still hauled up to the church square on St John’s night and there’s as much noise, satisfaction and hard drinking as before. There’s a children’s tree too because it’s fun for the children to join in and since there are junior fallas, junior hogueras, junior fiesta queens, why not a junior tree?

So the ritual remains but it’s definitely no longer all about young men, trees, Pan and the Green Man plus a touch of Dionysus too.

Good work LETTERS

Dear Leapy

I would just like to thank you for your column. What you write in the Euro Weekly, it’s a shame our country has gone to the dogs. I spend most of my time in Spain now and I just hate going back. Anyway all the best mate, keep up the good work.

Alex

Religious minority

Thank you Chris King for your article highlighting the plight of these families and persecuted members of our faith. Every voice that stands against oppression and raises awareness is a valued voice that calls for humanity.

Michelle

No understanding

I can’t understand how we love in a world where when you ask for help, as your life and your family are at risk, you get beaten and incarcerated. I really thank this article and I pray everyone in this world has the freedom to live their faith in peace.

Veronica

Spot on

Just wanted to say that this week’s report is spot on again. Hope you can post this on more social media sites where the young may stand a chance of seeing it. (not that they will change in any way !!)

Thanks and keep up the good work.

Best wishes,

Young generation

Tony Wiggins

Mother here of two Gen Z kids ­ the age group Leapy refers to. He is so out of touch. My kids 18 and 22 are anti­designer. They walked to school and looked after themselves after school whilst I worked. They are anti­fast food, can both cook healthy food ­ far better than previous generations.

They are frugal and prefer second­hand clothes which is now the fashion. They change their phones when they break. One of them is a teacher who gets in to work at 7am and is there till 5, going home to do marking. But will still give his seat on a bus to somebody more in need.

What they are is very open to different cultures and different sexual persuasions. Not a bad thing in my book. Incidentally they also read real books and write them. They open the door to people both in real life and metaphorically.

When are older people going to stop demonising this generation that are probably the kindest, most respectful people alive today . Believe me they could learn a lot.

Fiona

Your job

Come on Leapy I know you have said before you are not interested in standing for Parliament, but let’s face it you are the man for the job.

With you as the new Prime Minister we might just stand a chance of putting the GREAT back in BRITAIN.

Anyway keep up the good work of spreading common sense.

Regards,

It’s obvious

Tony

Re letter from DMP edition June 1, ‘Electric scooters being misused and asking Leapy to write about it’.

Sorry to point out the obvious but the police probably do not read EWN. If people want to bring the misuse to the attention of the police and other authorities, may I suggest they speak directly to them? That way they will know of the problem and can choose whether it’s worth tackling it.

John Carrington

No chance

Hola, thinking how Mental Health is brought up so often now, do you remember a 1966 recording ‘They’re coming to take me away haha’ by Napoleon XIV?

Don’t think he would have got it released in today’s society

Raymond Wilby

The truth

Dear Leapy,

In response to your column in EWN this week, I would say that never were truer words written! While reading it, two descriptive words came to me immediately, ignorance and hypocrisy! As for respect, they wouldn't know how to spell it!

Ken, San Fulgencio

Tourists beware

My understanding is that it is not possible for Spanish police to issue penalty points to drivers driving under a British (or Irish) driving licence.

Apart from all else, the British issue penalty points, whereas, the Spanish system awards every driver with 12 points, then takes them away as punishment for driving related offences. It would be sweet, however, if you already had nine British penalty points, and Spanish Plod came along and took the ning points off you, lol.

Allan Grieve

David Worboys Thinking Aloud

I REMEMBER, over 70 years ago, when I was at school and my young brain was able to learn, understand and retain information so much better than today. Not just knowledge, not just facts, but information. How interesting it was to get to know, at the age of 16, the significance of the year 1848 for European politics, the names of the African countries bordering the Gold Coast and the characters in Shakespeare’s ‘Julius Caesar’.

With most of my life ahead of me, it was exciting to explore and understand the world as it was then in the 50s and had been in the past. But so much information absorbed during the last four years at school has never been used since. It’s still stored somewhere in the brain. This includes algebraic formulae and Latin verbs. Being inaccessible, this information is about as useful as a pair of sunglasses in Manchester.

Likewise, the name of my head teacher is stored somewhere in my