Last Sunday, 19th October, was the day of La Fiesta de Nuestra Señora del Rosario, the patron saint of our parish of Gramedo and Giranes. Despite being a country backwater and sadly depopulated, come fiesta time the loyal sons and daughters of the parish come back from the cities and towns to celebrate their roots and traditions and to drink a little cider together.
The day was hot and sunny, perhaps a little too hot for the many who were decked out in full traditional Asturian finery – the heavy wool skirts and trousers and intricately beaded shawls weigh a ton! But the effect was worth it and it was a wonderful reflection of how aware Cabraneses (locals of this concejo of Cabranes) of the importance of upholding traditions.
Moving to this rural idyll from the busy streets of Sheffield 3 years ago, we swapped a daily soundtrack of traffic and siren for one of scythe sharpening and cow bells. But wonderfully insulated from the modern world as Cabranes is, even here the old ways of life are in danger of dying out, as the younger generations turn their backs on country life and move to the cities. That’s why fiestas such as this one are so important – to bring people back for a day of celebration, unity and maintaining rooted traditions. And for a good session of bonding with your neighbours over a few culins of sidra. (That’s glasses of cider to the uninitiated!)
Check out our gallery of photos from the day in our Picasaweb album –
http://picasaweb.google.com/spanishpropertynorth/GramedoFiesta
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