Ronda, Málaga, España
Ronda, Spain
Holiday Edition
Which encompasses La Navidad, Nochevieja, y Fiesta de Los Tres Reyes Mages
Noche Buena
This is the first year we’ve been away from Vermont for Christmas, and even though we aren’t religious, this celebration has been part of our family’s culture. Personally I see Christmas as a celebration for bringing families together similar to Thanksgiving. Our families in this mobile world are spread from Spain to Oregon and places in between. If religion is the pretext for bring us back together, that’s good.
We are very lucky to have friends who have adopted us and last night we went to Alberto Canca’s home to share La Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) with him his three brothers and their wives, children, and dogs. In an earlier post I mentioned the meal we enjoyed at their home in September, so back again for round two.
Los hermanos y Cindy y yo
Not to be a burden, Cindy and I decided to take a taxi the 5 km to there home. So yesterday we went to the taxi stand and spoke with a driver (turned out he’s related to them) and asked him to pick us up at 7:30 p.m. to begin eating at 8. Christmas day in Spain is not the big day for sharing presents as celebrated in the states. That day will be January 6th, Dia de los Reyes (Day of the Kings).
My wife is a great cook! She bakes, makes pasta, tortellini, ravioli, panetone and she has definitely spoiled our family. As I type this she’s in the kitchen now with a chopping sound filling the air. She has been able to find many of the ingredients she used to use and actually make her own light brown sugar (white sugar with a tablespoon of molasses). The reason I mention this is because she’s been baking up a storm for our friends and last night we brought some food, wine, and she created some of her great desserts.
We arrived at Alberto’s home before 8, we’re never late. We were greeted by Alberto and led to the out building set up for parties with a complete kitchen containing a commercial stove and sink. For heat, with the temperature in the 40’s, we had a roaring fire, but no castañas (chestnuts). It was a wonderful warm atmosphere and filled with the whole Canca family.
Aceitunas (olives), jamon, gambas (shrimp) y queso (cheese) Manchego, just the appetizers
La Cena (the supper)
Where does one begin when describing a Spanish table? The plan is to eat and drink in portions. We started with jamon, carved off the hind quarter of a Spanish pig who was sacrificed as many are. If you walk into a supermarket or any of the neighborhood stores you’ll probably see many hind quarters suspended from the ceiling. Brother Miguel was the surgeon. I love jamon, similar to Italian prosciutto, but since it’s Spanish it’s better (apologies to my Italian wife and mother-in-law). Plates piled with Manchego cheese, so good, bowls of olives and more bowls filled with shrimp. Let the eating begin, and understand we left at midnight and had not finished the courses to be served. It doesn’t seem to end. Later clams were added more shrimp, as big as my hand, and grilled on the stove, salad, huge mussels cooked in white wine and garlic and a veal roast that had been prepared earlier. The veal reminded me of the prepared roasts we used to buy for hunting camp from Gary Rubalcaba (another good Spanish family in Barre). We still had another pork roast to sample but we were stuffed and the taxi was on the way. They were adamant that we could get the ride cancelled and go later, but even though we have been in Spain for 5 months our bodies have been enculturated with American bedtimes.
Dr. Miguel y jamon, and the bottle of wine definitely helps with the precision.
It was another great evening with friends sharing thoughts, photos (smartphones are great), and complaining about government on both sides of the Atlantic that seem skewed toward those who can afford to influence outcomes. Spain has a new, two years old, political party Podemos (We Can) that may shake up the system next year when the national election is held 20 December. We’ll see.
The King Felipe VI gave the Noche Buena speech that evening, but know one was paying attention. We were to busy eating, talking, and drinking. However, the next day I watched it and his focus was concerned with corruption in Spain, which is a constant complaint. Ironically his sister, the Infanta Cristana, and her husband Iñaki Urdangarin, Duke of Palma de Mallorca, are going to be tried for tax evasion.
So the next event will be La Nochevieja (New Year’s Eve) and we’re going to Mar, Alejandro and Pongo’s home, our language teachers (http://entrelenguas.es/ronda/). Just more great people.
Mar, Alejandro, y Pongo (Pongo es el perro)
Nochevieja
Cindy and I haven’t welcomed in the new year since last year with our children in Boston with Lauren and her family. Before that we were in bed and just let the new year happen by osmosis.
Cindy cooked most of the New Year’s Eve day making her tea rings, with one for us, one for the party, and a salad. Like most parties in Spain it started later than in the states, so we arrived at 9 p.m.. We were the first, excluding Alejandro’s friends from Barcelona, who had arrived the previous day and were staying with him.
Their apartment is not far from ours in the area known as Barrio San Francisco and easy walking distance. They also advertise this apartment on Airbnb if folks are traveling to Ronda and looking for accommodations. Looking at what they have for an apartment has moved us to look for something different in the future for when our amigos and family come to visit. Our apartment is really nice, but we will need some more space down the road.
So back to the party. One of the points of living in Europe is, it’s Europe, and this party demonstrated this. We had the Americans,not just us but also a family from Washington state, and folks from England, Portugal, Italy, and of course Spain. Some speak English and all speak some kind of Spanish. Ages from 70 to Mira who is 5, and no she isn’t Spanish but her name is a Spanish word you’ll see.
Mira, Mira y Pongo
John y Carol from the UK. They own a place here in Ronda and Carol is in Cindy’s language class. Unfortunately John is a Sunderland fan and has a bet with me on the next Crystal Palace game upcoming this spring in the EPL.
Welcoming in the Año Nuevo is a bit different. There is smooching just like the states, but we smooch every time we meet a friend here. But in Spain on Año Nuevo it´s the grapes. As in Times Square you have a ball drop, same here. However, a bell also rings and you have to pop a grape into your mouth for each stroke of midnight, 12 grapes. Not difficult, but when taking photos as you probably noticed it was more challenging. So each of us had a plate of grapes and Mar orchestrated the process.
Las doce uvas de la suerte, The twelve grapes of luck
So as the history goes back in 1895 the Spanish grape harvest was a bumper crop. To encourage the eating of MORE grapes, growers came up with the idea of eating them to bring in the new years. Got supply, create demand.
Los Tres Reyes Mages (6 enero)
On December 25th Santa arrives,but not here in Spain. In fact he doesn’t show up at all. The Three Magic Kings are the ones who bring presents to the children, and I doubt any of you reading this now can name the three kings from the Nativity. I couldn’t.
Cindy and I went down to the La Bola to see the parade they have on Christmas Eve to celebrate The Three Magic Kings. I’ll guess that there were 5-7000 people lining the pedestrian walkway that runs the entire length of La Bola. Then floats with locals dressed in costumes (reminded of Aladdin), bands, and floats with a magic king come creeping down the street which lasted over an hour. What brought the crowd out, other than Spaniards are outside a lot, is the candy. As floats proceeded slowly, participants riding the floats threw candy to the crowd. Children lined the street with bags a la Halloween and gathered up the sweets. Hundreds of large boxes of candy are emptied and the candy thrown from one end of La Bola to the opposite end.
These pictures I’ve added are not mine and were taken from Google Images. My photos didn’t come out well and I want to give you an indication of what the celebration is like. These photos are from three different cities in Spain.
My next post will be more timely and I’ll be typing it with my new Mac Air. Better than the new computer will be the arrival of our daughter Baleigh. We are taking the bus to Málaga to hug her and then return with her to Ronda. Later during her visit, we’re going to Córdoba to see the Mezquita which is a church and was a mosque, more to this history. Photos and ramblings will follow.
Adios amigos desde Ronda
Our España 