The Adjusted Normal, 28. Saint Chrisopher and Others.
I don't understand. Why is a barbecue always a good idea on a hot summer's day? Aren't fires supposed to be lit when it's cold, to warm you?
Yet, despite the heat, we made a barbecue this morning on our lareira, the flat stone in a corner of our barn under a wide chimney. Once upon a time, the lareira was inside every house because that's the only way to cook there was. Then, in the 1940's, wood fire cookstoves started to be installed, and now the lareira has been banished to the barn.
Then, we had lunch at our table outside, under the grape arbor behind the house. The shade made lunch agreeable. While we ate, we waited, listening, for the motorized Saint Christopher procession to go by. But, a beep in the distance we at first mistook for a car horn, was, in reality, a rooster with healthy lungs. The procession never materialized.
I suppose it's been cancelled thanks to the devil virus. Yet, it doesn't seem a particularly dangerous occasion to celebrate. It begins with a Mass, and the blessing of the decorated cars. The statue of the saint is strapped onto the front or the flat bed of a truck, and the rest of the cars follow that truck through most of the township, honking horns and throwing candy. I had assumed that it would still be on, since people would mostly be participating within their own cars, and there is no festival at night. But, no, it seems to have been cancelled.
This past week, nearby Boiro was supposed to have had their festival. It was cancelled. Next week, is the feast day of the Virxe do Carme, on the sixteenth. Patron saint of mariners, her image is usually taken on a boat in a maritime procession, after Mass. But it's cancelled this year, too, though I think it remains a local holiday. So is the festival at the end of next week in the neighboring parish of Taragoña, with four nights of bands playing on the grounds on a hill above the parish. My husband, whose workplace is in that parish, usually gets the Friday and Monday off, but this year, I doubt he'll have any rest.
Unfortunately, some young people who miss the celebrations, tend to set up their own. And the police have to break them up, sometimes even imposing nice, stiff fines. Yes, this is a boring summer, but it's one summer. With luck, next year might be salvaged. And, if it isn't, the next will.
In the meantime, we can do barbecues (though on slightly cooler days), and maybe even go to the beach, if it's not too crowded. Or, we could go on a picnic in the hills, under a complacent pine tree. And, since we have a tent and sleeping bags, a night under the stars might not be a bad idea one weekend. Though where to pitch the tent and avoid being run over by a boar, or sniffed out by a fox is a good question, without paying to go to a camping site.
Summertime and the living is easy. For the next week and a half, at least. Even if there are no public celebrations, each passing day can be taken like the diamond it is. And we don't need to crowd with a hundred other people to have a good time.
Life continues.
Yet, despite the heat, we made a barbecue this morning on our lareira, the flat stone in a corner of our barn under a wide chimney. Once upon a time, the lareira was inside every house because that's the only way to cook there was. Then, in the 1940's, wood fire cookstoves started to be installed, and now the lareira has been banished to the barn.
Then, we had lunch at our table outside, under the grape arbor behind the house. The shade made lunch agreeable. While we ate, we waited, listening, for the motorized Saint Christopher procession to go by. But, a beep in the distance we at first mistook for a car horn, was, in reality, a rooster with healthy lungs. The procession never materialized.
 |
| Saint Christopher procession, 2018. |
This past week, nearby Boiro was supposed to have had their festival. It was cancelled. Next week, is the feast day of the Virxe do Carme, on the sixteenth. Patron saint of mariners, her image is usually taken on a boat in a maritime procession, after Mass. But it's cancelled this year, too, though I think it remains a local holiday. So is the festival at the end of next week in the neighboring parish of Taragoña, with four nights of bands playing on the grounds on a hill above the parish. My husband, whose workplace is in that parish, usually gets the Friday and Monday off, but this year, I doubt he'll have any rest.
Unfortunately, some young people who miss the celebrations, tend to set up their own. And the police have to break them up, sometimes even imposing nice, stiff fines. Yes, this is a boring summer, but it's one summer. With luck, next year might be salvaged. And, if it isn't, the next will.
In the meantime, we can do barbecues (though on slightly cooler days), and maybe even go to the beach, if it's not too crowded. Or, we could go on a picnic in the hills, under a complacent pine tree. And, since we have a tent and sleeping bags, a night under the stars might not be a bad idea one weekend. Though where to pitch the tent and avoid being run over by a boar, or sniffed out by a fox is a good question, without paying to go to a camping site.
Summertime and the living is easy. For the next week and a half, at least. Even if there are no public celebrations, each passing day can be taken like the diamond it is. And we don't need to crowd with a hundred other people to have a good time.
Life continues.
 |
| Last year. |
Que bonita procesión !. Oxalá se repita no futuro !.
ReplyDeleteEsperemos!
Delete