MAMMY AND DADDY

Features » General

Andy Ormiston / 2010-03-07 10:44:59

Dont forget mum next Sunday

BY ANDY ORMISTON (AUTHOR OF TORREVIEJA CAMEOS)

This year Mothering Sunday for the United Kingdom falls on the 14th March, which almost coincides with the national holiday of Spanish Father’s Day on the 19th March.

The USA/UK Mother’s Day is always in March and near to the feast of the Annunciation, 25th because this is nine months prior to Christmas Day, so I leave it to you to work out why! I prefer to call it Mothering Day as it is a time when many people can have a favourite auntie, whom they look on as a mother figure and it is nice to recognise them for the manner they may have influenced us in our lives.

Many people will celebrate with a meal in a restaurant.

On this day there is also a celebration in the main plaza of Torrevieja with live music and stalls with food from many countries in another Haiti fund raising event. There are bands, Russian musicians, South American dancers and music, a band of tambours and cornets and several local singers taking part.

Also at this time (27th March to 12th April) until Easter is the annual Torrevieja Book Fair, which will be located in front of the Casino, and the only book in English about Torrevieja and Orihuela will be on sale at this fair.

We also have 17th March when our Irish residents will be holding events for St. Patrick (who is also a patron of Lorca in Murcia) with festivals in Orihuela Costa and Daya Vieja.

The Welsh have just celebrated St. David’s Day and the Scots blow their pipe on St. Andrew’s Day and also Burns Nite, what about the English for St. George in April?
Saint Joseph is the adoptive father of Jesus and it is his feast day of 19th March that has been chosen as Father’s Day in Spain. It is a general public holiday and one of the best places to be is in Valencia, a lovely and interesting city to visit at any time, but especially in the week preceding as the magnificent Fallas are set up in nearly every district in Valencia and also in some of the towns in the province.

A falla is a figure of wood, papier-mâché or other inflammable material that is sculpted and painted into wonderful figures only to be destroyed by fire on the saint’s day. Every day this week is a fiesta and every falla has its own beer tent with live music, dancing and feasting prior to the burning of the effigy. Some are so big that a small fee is charged so that you can walk inside them.

Others are more modest, especially those designed for the children as every falla has its beauty queen. Beauty queens in traditional costumes take part in the two—day floral offering with bunches of flowers that are set in a huge wooden frame in the shape of the Virgen Mary and they become part of her mantle in a set pattern.

Masceletas are an important part of these celebrations and these firecrackers are set on fire in the main town plaza each day as well as in other districts as firework manufacturers vie with one another. Another element is to eat and drink and buñuelos are a pumpkin based fried pastry sold from countless kiosks during these days.

Several tour operators have excellent short three-day excursion or a visit just for the burning of the Fallas itself. Beware however, that there are huge crowd that can be too much for some people. But it is all great fun as at the end the firemen stand by to spray down the burning Fallas as well as some of the crowd. .