Inverno / Winter

GALEGO

ENGLISH

O inverno era o tempo de recollerse na casa. As celebracións e costumes teñen que ver cos ritos de nadal e tamén, mais adiante, cos da despedida do inverno e o anuncio da primavera. É un tempo marcado polas celebración relixiosas: o nadal e a coresma, que rexen o comportamento da xente.

Winter was the time to be at home. The celebrations have to do with Christmas and then with the farewell to winter and the coming of the spring. It is a time for religious celebrations: Christmas and Lent rule the people´s lives.

Picture 2. The weather.
An old custom related to the weather prediction said that the first 12 days of January showed the weather for the remaining of the year. So, the weather of day 1 showed the weather of January, the weather of day 2, that of February, day 3, the weather of March and so on...

Picture 3. Children.
On the Wise Men Day, the children of the parish used to go around singing for the Wise Men. They used to go house by house singing Christmas Carols and asking for money, sweets or small gifts.

Foto 4. Candeas.
A Candeloria é unha festa relixiosa que se celebra o 2 de febreiro. A súa orixe ten que ver coa antiga festa celta da luz, que anunciaba o remate das longas noites do inverno e o renacer da luz na primavera. Nese día levábanse as candeas a bendicir á misa. Estas candeas quedaban así purificadas e dicíase que tiñan poderes rituais: na morte e nas tronadas.

Picture 4. Candles.
Candlemas was a religious festival celebrated on the 2nd February. It has to do with the ancient Celtic festival of light which announced the end of the long winter nights and the rebirth of light in spring. On that day people took candles to the church to be blessed in mass. These candles were purified and were supposed to have mystic powers for deaths and storms.

Foto 5. Paxaro.
No ámbito agrario, a Candeloria celebraba o casamento dos paxaros, é dicir, a época do apareamento e o chegar da primavera. En relación co agro, indicaba o renacer do ciclo da agricultura e o momento de comezar as tarefas de preparación dos cultivos.

Picture 5. Bird.
For the peasant, Candlemas celebrated the wedding of the birds, that is, the time for mating and the arrival of spring. Regarding the fields, it pointed out the beginning of the agricultural labours to prepare the land.

Foto 6. O entroido na Ulla e Trasdeza.
O Entroido é a celebración máis importante do inverno despois do Nadal. A súa orixe é pagá. A data de celebración é variable, dependendo do calendario relixioso, normalmente cae no mes de febreiro ou marzo antes do inicio da Coresma. Antigamente o Entroido era a festa romana do desenfreo e o carnal. Logo chegou a Igrexa e asimilou esta festa coma a despedida da carne antes da Coresma. Así, o Entroido é hoxe en día a festa na que nos despedimos da carne cunha boa comida e na que aproveitamos uns días de tolemia e desenfreo, no que o mundo ao revés e os disfraces son a norma.

Picture 6. Carnival in Ulla.
Carnival was the most important celebrartion of winter after Christmas. Despite its religious character it has pagan origins. The date of celebration varies according to the religious calendar. It usually falls in February or March. A long time ago, Carnival was the Roman festival of debauchery and flesh. Then the Roman Church took over this celebration turning it into the farewell to the flesh before Lent. So, carnival is today the festival in which we say goodbye to the flesh with a good meal. We also celebrate it as days of craziness, changing roles and costumes.

Foto 7. Correos e xenerais
Na comarca da Ulla e Trasdeza o Entroido ten un rasgo de orixinalidade con respecto a outras comarcas. A xente disfrázase con uniformes militares antigos: son os correos e os xenerais.

Picture 7. Couriers and generals.
In the parish of Ulla, Carnival has an original feature:people dressed up in old military uniforms: they are the couriers and the generals.

Foto 8. Correo
A mascarada ábrese cos correos, xeralmente dous homes a cabalo con chaquetilla axustada e adornos de bisutería. A súa función é anunciar a chegada das comparsas e pedir permiso para que esta poida pasar.

Picture 8. Courier
The masquerade opens up with the couriers. They are usually two horsemen with a tight jacket and lots of ornaments. They are in charge of announcing the arrival of the "comparsas" and opening the way for them.

Foto 9. Xeneral e abandeirado
Logo chega a comitiva dos xenerais. O xeneral vai a cabalo con chaqueta militar adornada de xarreteiras e banda cruzando o peito.Leva gorro adornado con plumas e un bastón de mando. Ao seu lado vai o abandeirado, vestido tamén de militar pero que leva unha bandeira.

Picture 9. General and standard-bearer.
Then the generals arrive. The general rides a horse. He wears a military jacket with epaulettes and a band on his chest. He wears a hat with feathers and a stick. Next to him it is the standard-bearer, dressed also as a military man. He carries the flag.

Foto 10. A parranda.
A parranda é un grupo de máscaras. A forman un grupo de parellas disfrazadas (madamas e galáns) dirixidos polo cabo de parranda para bailar e recoller cartos. Levan un acordeonista con eles e máis músicos.

Picture 10. "Parranda".
The "parranda" is a group of masks. It is formed by couples dress up as ladies and gentlemen who go house by house led by the parranda corporal dancing and singing and asking for money. There is also an acordeonist and more musicians.

Foto 11. Galáns e señoritos.
Nesta foto vemos á parella principal da parranda ou señoritos no centro acompañados polo cabo de parranda á dereita e o acordeonista. Á esquerda están os galáns e á dereita as madamas.

Picture 11. Ladies and sirs.
In this picture we can see the main couple (señoritos) in the middle, accompanied by the "parranda" corporal on the right and the acordeonist. On the left we can see the gentlemen and on the right, the ladies.

Foto 12. Madamas.
Nesta foto vemos ás integrantes femininas da parranda ou madamas. Levan saia negra, chambra branca e cóbrense cun mantón de manila. Levan sombreiro vermello e van tocando a pandeireta.

Picture 12. Ladies.
In this picture we can see the Ladies or "madamas" that are part of the "parranda". they wear a black skirt, a white shirt and a Manila shawl. They wear a red hat and they play the tambourine.

Foto 13. Galáns.

Nesta foto vemos aos galáns vestidos de branco e con mantóns de manila e sombreiro negro. Van tocando as cunchas.

Picture 13. Gentlemen.

In this picture we can see the gentlemen or "galáns) dressed up in white and with Manila shawls. They wear black hats and they play shells.

Foto 14. Escuadra desfilando.
A escuadra tiña a función de impedir que a xente se achegase moito á parranda.Tamén podía desfilar ela soa acompañada dun que tocaba a caixa e outro o bombo. A escuadra imita aos soldados por iso levan armas feitas de pau.

Picture 14. Squad parading.
The squad used to stop people from getting to close to the "parranda". They also parade along with musicians playing drums. the squad immitates soldiers so they carry guns made of wood.

Foto 15. Parranda de nenos.

Un grupo de nenos vestidos co traxe típico van bailar dirixidos polo cabo da parranda (detrás con boina grande).
 

Picture 15. Children "parranda".

A group of children dressed up in the typical costumes led by the "parranda" corporal (at the back with big beret).

Foto 16. Máscaras.
En case todas as parroquias os días de entroido os rapaces disfrázanse de máscaras e van polas casas.

Picture 16. Masks.
In nearly all the parishes during Carnival the children used to dress up and go house by house.