Spring festivities (Bando de la Huerta and Entierro de la Sardina)
Translated by 
Rocío Saavedra Requena
— 14 years ago
6 0
Tags: Erasmus experiences Murcia,
Murcia,
Spain
In this piece of experience, I'm not going to talk about Murcia as a city, but about the Spring festivities, the “Bando de la Huerta” and the “Entierro de la Sardina” from my point of view.
Spring festivities in Murcia
Since I remember, the “Bando de la Huerta” and the “Entierro de la Sardina” have been two festivities that people have been anxiously waiting for and that have been strongly celebrated. However, I think that the people that belong to my generation (I was born in 1982) don't feel these days the same as the old people, who are member of authentic Murcian groups or “peñas”. I also think that, as I have grown up, the magic that these days used to have for me has dissapeared. And now, both of them are an excuse to drink in the streets, listen music, and make a racket. In my opinion, this is the same for all people my age, but not for the older ones, whose parents and grandparents worked here, as authentic Murcian people. They live these parties from a cultural point of view. It has something to see with their customs. It isn't related with getting a drunk, as I do with my friends during these days. Law of life.
At least when I was younger these days were magic. When I was a child, in the “Bando de la Huerta” I liked dressing myself as a “huertano”; altough, I don't think that was particularly exciting for me. I just used to go with my parents and some friends to eat in some restaurant and that was more or less everthing. Nonetheless, I remember that the “Entierro de la Sardin”a was a day that I used to wait anxiously. I remember been seated during hours with my parents, waiting with the other children, the sons and daughters of my parents' friends, keeping the first line chairs, where some hours later the “Entierro de la Sardina” will go by. Even better than the parade, were the hours playing around the chairs, kicking the cans together with other children, as if they were an improvised ball, and eating apples with caramel and coconout from the travelling kiosks (after begging to my parents for it), and, in conclusion, trying to amuse myself seeing how it was getting dark and how the night was coming.
After been waiting for a very long period of time, the parade came, the groups, the dancers, puppeteers, figures with huge heads, giants, Cuban girls half naked... but the thing I was really waiting for was the “Chinese dragon” and the people who were carrying it. The were authentic pyromaniac. They used to throw firecrackers, and they burnt sparklers and the had fire in their mouths. So much destruction! Awesome! And after all this performance, the children -and I still do it with 27 years were waiting- to fight in order to get the toys that the “sardineros” throw away from the carriages. Balls, swords, hoops, dolls, parachutists, alarm clocks, gungs, little houses, cards, board games and 1.001 things completely unuseful. It was so exciting when someone -friend or family- got a ball for you! It was the envy of everyone! And both the parents and the children were there fighting to get a duck made of gum, that later will be in the garbage! The smell of sweat and the smell of the fireworks' gunpower, the eyes closed because of the “hachoneros'” smoke, and the people like animals, trying to treasure. It's something I've only seen on TV when sacks of food are dealt in third-world countries after some catastrophe. Even today, everybody is overwhelmed by these emotions. It's a whirl that affects adults and children, cultured people and ignorant people, men and women. The result are scenes and quarrels really hilarious and surrealist.
Still now, althoug the parade have been replaced for drinking in the streets, I still feel like fighting in order to get toys and to treasure them, and some days later burn them, lose them and destroy them by kicking them at night. That's still in our hearts. Human nature! So great!
Spring festivities in Murcia
Since I remember, the “Bando de la Huerta” and the “Entierro de la Sardina” have been two festivities that people have been anxiously waiting for and that have been strongly celebrated. However, I think that the people that belong to my generation (I was born in 1982) don't feel these days the same as the old people, who are member of authentic Murcian groups or “peñas”. I also think that, as I have grown up, the magic that these days used to have for me has dissapeared. And now, both of them are an excuse to drink in the streets, listen music, and make a racket. In my opinion, this is the same for all people my age, but not for the older ones, whose parents and grandparents worked here, as authentic Murcian people. They live these parties from a cultural point of view. It has something to see with their customs. It isn't related with getting a drunk, as I do with my friends during these days. Law of life.
At least when I was younger these days were magic. When I was a child, in the “Bando de la Huerta” I liked dressing myself as a “huertano”; altough, I don't think that was particularly exciting for me. I just used to go with my parents and some friends to eat in some restaurant and that was more or less everthing. Nonetheless, I remember that the “Entierro de la Sardin”a was a day that I used to wait anxiously. I remember been seated during hours with my parents, waiting with the other children, the sons and daughters of my parents' friends, keeping the first line chairs, where some hours later the “Entierro de la Sardina” will go by. Even better than the parade, were the hours playing around the chairs, kicking the cans together with other children, as if they were an improvised ball, and eating apples with caramel and coconout from the travelling kiosks (after begging to my parents for it), and, in conclusion, trying to amuse myself seeing how it was getting dark and how the night was coming.
After been waiting for a very long period of time, the parade came, the groups, the dancers, puppeteers, figures with huge heads, giants, Cuban girls half naked... but the thing I was really waiting for was the “Chinese dragon” and the people who were carrying it. The were authentic pyromaniac. They used to throw firecrackers, and they burnt sparklers and the had fire in their mouths. So much destruction! Awesome! And after all this performance, the children -and I still do it with 27 years were waiting- to fight in order to get the toys that the “sardineros” throw away from the carriages. Balls, swords, hoops, dolls, parachutists, alarm clocks, gungs, little houses, cards, board games and 1.001 things completely unuseful. It was so exciting when someone -friend or family- got a ball for you! It was the envy of everyone! And both the parents and the children were there fighting to get a duck made of gum, that later will be in the garbage! The smell of sweat and the smell of the fireworks' gunpower, the eyes closed because of the “hachoneros'” smoke, and the people like animals, trying to treasure. It's something I've only seen on TV when sacks of food are dealt in third-world countries after some catastrophe. Even today, everybody is overwhelmed by these emotions. It's a whirl that affects adults and children, cultured people and ignorant people, men and women. The result are scenes and quarrels really hilarious and surrealist.
Still now, althoug the parade have been replaced for drinking in the streets, I still feel like fighting in order to get toys and to treasure them, and some days later burn them, lose them and destroy them by kicking them at night. That's still in our hearts. Human nature! So great!
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