Outono / Autumn
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GALEGO |
ENGLISH |
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O outono sinalaba o momento en que se
gardaban os froitos recollidos cara ao inverno: o millo, as mazás, a
castaña e a carne de porco que habían de manter á xente durante o tempo
frío. No outono as celebracións teñen que ver coa colleita: celébrase o
final da tarefa de recoller, e sinálase o momento en que se comeza a
matar o poco. |
Autumn meant the beginning of
harvesting in order to preserve the fruits for winter: corn, apples,
chestnuts and pork meat that were supposed to feed the people during the
cold season. Autumn celebrations have to do with harvest, they celebrate
the ending of the tasks or the date for the slaughtering of the pig. |
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O día de defuntos |
All Hallows Eve |
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Foto 1. Cabazo.
A véspera do día de defuntos era unha noite adicada aos
espíritos e ás pantasmas. Era común que os nenos fixeran lámpadas
baleirando cabazos ou melóns facéndolle caras e meténdolles unha vela
dentro para que alumease pola noite. Estes cabazos deixábanse sobre os
valos. Esa noite contábanse lendas de medo e críase que as almas dos
mortos vagaban polos montes. Esta tradición data dos celtas e ten
relación coas celebracións do Halloween doutros países. |
Picture 1. Pumpkin.
All Souls Eve was dedicated to spirits and ghosts. It was usual that
children made lamps emptying pumpkins or melons, carving faces and
putting a candle inside to light through. These pumpkins were left on
the
walls. That evening people used to tell ghost stories because they
believed that the dead walked around the forests. This tradition dates
from the Celts and is connected to other Halloween celebrations. |
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O Magosto |
The "Magosto" |
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Foto
2. O Magosto.
O magosto é a festa da castaña. Celébrase ao longo do mes de
novembro, cando este froito está maduro. O magosto ten a súa orixe
nas antigas celebracións da colleita. O outono sinalaba o momento en
que os froitos estaban recollidos e almacenados de cara ao inverno.
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Picture 2. The "Magosto".
The "Magosto" is the festival of the chestnut. It is celebrated all
over November when this fruit is ripe. The "Magosto" dates from the
ancient celebrations of the harvest. Autumn was the moment when the
fruits were collected and stored for winter. |
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Foto 3. Castañas.
O magosto era
unha festa veciñal na que a xente se xuntába para comer as primeiras
castañas, beber o primeiro viño e despedir o verán. A castaña era a
protagonista, que se comía asada ou cocida, acompañada de chourizos
asados tamén. |
Picture 3. Chestnuts
The "Magosto" was a community festival where people got together to
eat the first chestnuts, drink the first wine and say goodbye to the
summer. The chestnut was the star. It was eaten roasted or boiled
accompanied by roasted "chourizos" (spicy sausages). |
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O San Martiño |
St. Martin´s
festival |
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Foto 4. O San Martiño.
A festa do San Martiño celébrase o 11 de novembro. Marca o inicio da
tempada da matanza do porco que se vai prolongar durante todo o inverno. As celebracións do San Martiño consistían na tradicional matanza
e logo unha comida. |
Picture
4. St. Martin.
St.
martin´s festival is celebrated on 11th November. It is the time for the
slaughtering of the pig which is going to take place all over winter. St.
Martin´s celebrations consisted of the traditional slaughter of the pig
followed by a meal for the family and friends. |
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Foto 5. O San Martiño.
A matanza é costume facela calquera sábado a partir do 11 de
novembro sempre que vaia frío ou xiada pero non en cuarto minguante para que
a carne non diminúa. |
Picture 5. St.
Martin.
Poeple used to slaughter the pig any Saturday after the 11th
November, provided it is cold and frosty and when the moon wasn´t in waxing crescent
so the meat did not diminish. |
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Foto 6. O
San Martiño.
Na comida participaban todos os veciños que axudaran na
tarefa. Tomábanse os productos máis frescos do porco: riles,
sesos, fígado... |
Picture
6. St. Martin.
All the family and neighbours who helped in the slaughtering had a big
meal together after it. They ate all the pig fresh products such as
kidneys, brains, liver... |
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O cambio do tempo |
Weather
change hints |
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Foto 7. Néboa.
Segundo a tradición, había moitos sinais na natureza que indicaban o
cambio do tempo ou a chegada da chuvia: a tos do gato, cando as aldrabas da porta fan ruído, cando andan os sapos polos camiños... |
Picture 7. Fog.
According to tradition, there were a lot of natural hints that
showed a change of weather or the coming of the rain: the cough of a cat, a creaking door, meeing toads on the pathway... |
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O pan e o viño novos |
New bread and
wine |
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Foto 8. Molete.
Despois da colleita de gran e da vendima, facíase o primeiro pan e viño
do ano, que se chamaban o pan e o viño novos. Era costume facer unhas
cruces na masa, na artesa onde se gardaba o pan e na cuba do viño para
favorecer a abundancia deles durante todo o ano e que non se estragasen. |
Picture 8. Loaf.
After the grain and grape harvest, the first bread and wine of the
year were made. These were called the new bread and wine. People used to
make a cross on the dough, on the trough where the bread was kept and on
the casks of wine to attract prosperity and to keep them fresh. |
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A feira |
The fair |
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Foto 9. A feira.
As feiras celebrábanse ao longo de todo o ano pero as máis importantes
tiñan lugar no outono, pois as colleitas estaban listas para vender.
Normalmente había unha data fixa para a feira en cada sitio. |
Picture 9. The fair.
Fairs were celebrated all over the year
but the most important ones were in autumn because the harvest was ready
to be sold. There was usually a fixed date for the fair in every parrish. |
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Foto 10. O troco.
As feiras eran o sistema de comercio dos agricultores. Antigamente baseábanse no
troco. O labrego levaba á feira os productos que cultivara na casa
para cambialos por cartos e poder comprar productos que non producía. |
Picture 10. The barter.
Fairs were the system of trade for peasants. It was based
on bartering. The peasant took his products to the fair to get money
and then buy the products he could not produce himself. |
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Foto 11. O gando.
A xente chegaba á feira andando ou en autobuses. Ao chegar tiñan que
pagar un imposto pola mercadoría. Moitos traían aos animais e íanse
poñendo por renques segundo o producto que querían vender: así nun
renque
poñíanse as vacas, noutra os porcos, máis alá as galiñas, noutro lado os
productos da horta, a roupa... |
Picture 11. Cattle.
People arrived to the fair walking or by bus. When they got there
the had to pay a tax for the product. Many people brought their animals
to sell. They were located according to the product they wanted to sell:
in one square there were cows in another pigs, further away hens and
over there vegetables, clothing... |
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Foto 12. Os postos.
Tamén había unha zona especial para os alimentos coma o
queixo, o mel, os chourizos e o polbo. Máis alá poñíanse os
productos de artesanía: zocos, cestos, ferramentas, etc. Os tratos
pechábanse, despois de relear, cun apretón de mans. |
Picture 12. The stalls.
There was also a special area for products such as cheese, honey, wine,
"chourizos" or octopus and another for handcraft such as clogs, baskets,
tools.... Deals were closed by shaking hands after much bartering. |
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Foto 13. O xantar.
A xente chegaba moi cedo á feira para coller un bo sitio e atopar a
mellor mercadoría. Logo de pasar toda a mañá negociando podíase comer o
polbo nun dos postos da feira. |
Picture 13. Lunch.
People arrived very early to the fair to get a good place and buy the
best products. After spending all morning making deals you could go for
lunch to one of the octopus stalls of the fair. |
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A festa da colleita |
A harvest
festival |
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Foto 14. Procesión de outono.
Durante os días de outono era común a celebración dunha festa de
agradecemento pola colleita. Coma sempre, xuntábanse elementos
relixiosos: a procesión na honra a un santo e elementos pagáns. |
Picture 14. Autumn procession.
During the autumn days is was usual to organise festivals to thank for
the harvests. As always, religious elements such as the processions with
a saint and the pagan rituals were brough together. |
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Foto 15. Carroza decorada de millo.
Nesta procesión podemos ver que a carroza vai decorada con motivos
relativos á colleita: follas de millo secas e un hórreo onde se gardaba
o gran. As nenas levan feixes de palla e cestos. |
Picture 15. Carriage decorated with
corn.
In this procession we can see a carriage decorated with elements related
to the harvest: dry corn leaves and a granary were the grain was stored.
The girls are carrying bunches of hay and baskets. |
