Spanish Christmas Carols

There is not really a tradition in Spain for the type of Christmas carols that we know in more northerly parts of Europe. Some of those carols are known here and have their own Spanish versions, such as Venid Fieles (Adeste Fiedeles), Al Mundo Paz (Joy To The World) and Noche de Paz (Silent Night), but the real Christmas singing tradition here is based on a large group of songs called Villancicos.

The villancico was a popular form of poetry and singing in Spain, Portugal, and their colonies, for several centuries, starting in the second half of the 15th and continuing into the 18th. The style declined in popularity in more recent times and the term "villancico" gradually came to represent little more than a Christmas carol.

Despite, this degeneration, the medieval musical influence can still be gleaned in the villancicos that remain popular around the Christmas period. This is aided by the often medieval flavour of the music and its instrumentation, which still often consists of little more than a simple drum, a zambomba (a friction drum, or, in Dutch, a rommelpot), and some tambourines (panderetas in Spanish). In the Comunidad Valenciana, a dulzaina might also be used and in Andalucía, the villancico has become particularly popular performed in flamenco style, accompanied by guitars, castanets, hand-clpping and the cajón.

Villancicos are most often sung by groups of children (who, strangely enough, seem to have little musical ability) and this adds to the naivety of the whole. A glorious exception to this rule is provided by the flamenco performers of villancicos, who transform the simple songs into superbly exciting numbers: look out for a group called Raya Real in this respect.

So why not scrap the traditional carols this year and instead go for a more Spanish form of Christmas entertainment? You can find plenty of sites online where you can listen to villancicos, performed both well and badly, and lots of CDs are available in the shops, too, though these are of equally diverse quality.

Navidad Digital is a good place to start. Not only does the site offer many, many villancicos, it also allows you to hear carols in French, German, Italian, Latin and English. (In addition, you will find information about Belenes, recipes for traditional end-of-year fare, and hundreds of photos.)

And here is a short list of some of the more popular and traditional villancicos:

• La Marimorena
• Campana Sobre Campana
• El Burrito Dabanero
• Ya Viene La Vieja
• Los Peces En El Rio
• Arre Borriquito (Arre Burro Arre)
• Alegría Alegría
• Fum Fum Fum
• Rin, Rin
• El Chiquirritín

¡Felices fiestas!

David Neale

Museo de Belenes

If you have an hour or so to spare in Alicante, a very pleasant way of passing the time is to visit the Museo de Belenes (Nativity Scenes museum).

You don't have to be Christian to enjoy the displays of modelling that are exhibited in this small, but well looked after museum. I'm an atheist, but have been fascinated by the Spanish tradition of Belenes since I first discovered it some ten years ago and can only admire the work and dedication that goes into setting up these delightful models.

You can find Belenes all over Spain during the weeks leading up to the celebrations of the winter solstice (used by Christians to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ) and on to Epiphany. They range in size from small scenes that people set up in their homes to very large scenes, sometimes displayed by a village or town, either outside, or, as in Guardamar, in a special room. Sometimes the scenes are extremely large, covering many square metres, often set up by local enthusiasts. San Javier, where the Murcia airport is located, claims to have the largest open-air Belen of Spain, covering 520 square metres and incorporating more than 1200 model figures with many moving elements. Another large one not too far from Guardamar is to be found in Casillas, a suburb of Murcia. This Belén is under cover and is particularly well known for its many moving parts.

Almost all Belenes have a secret: somewhere, hidden in the scene or scenes depicted, is a man crouching down, with his trousers around his ankles, doing his business. He is known as El Caganer (the crapper) and is said to be fertilizing the soil of the Belén, so that it will flourish again the following year. Probably originating in Catalonia, the caganer has become a popular element in Belenes and a small industry has grown around this single figure, selling not only the traditional form, but others, too, often depicting well-known personalities, including royalty and politicians, such as Barak Obama and Angela Merkel, to name but two.

I have to admit that I did not notice a Caganer in the museum, which was something of a disappointment, but otherwise the museum is a jewel, with many typically Spanish displays, as well as numerous nativity scenes from other parts of the world. The models are made of all sorts of material, ranging from clay, to wood, to ceramics, as well as less likely materials.

Entry to the museum is free. It is open from Tuesday to Friday, from 10:00 until 14:00 and from 17:00 until 20:00. You can find more information and a map of the location of the museum here.

I have made a small Picasa album, showing the inside of the museum.

David Neale

Stray Cats

I dislike cats at the best of times. Stray cats are even worse. They are a plague on society and, in my opinion, should be eliminated.

They should certainly not be fed by silly people who look upon them as poor, helpless creatures (and usually "God's creatures" at that). They are wild animals that carry diseases, worms, and other unpleasantness. The argument that they keep down vermin, such as mice and rats, is simply laughable: a cat has very little chance against a rat and if a stray cat knows it can get its food from that woman down the road, it is not going to bother to go out hunting. Rats and Mice? What about the lizards and birds that these obnoxious pests eat? The cats destroy these beneficial creatures in huge numbers (or they would, if they were not fed so much by people who should know better).

The photo shows the result of the latest stray cat damage in our garden. Apart from leaving their smelly faeces and urine around the place, the cats seem to enjoy digging in newly planted soil. They are pests and need to be destroyed. I, at least, am able to replace the soil and, when necessary, even replant disturbed or completely uprooted plants. People who do not live here permanently are unable to take such actions to correct the damage caused by these four-legged pests. There, is, of course, little that can be done but hope as far as urine burns on plants are concerned.

I call on you all to please stop feeding the stray cats.

(Please note that this is a personal opinion)

David Neale

Segway Tour, Guardamar

How to enjoy yourself on a Segway.

We had our friends Terry and Sue from the UK over to visit us in October.  It was their third time here, so we were keen to find something to do that we hadn't done before with them.

We went into the Tourist Information Centre in Guardamar and picked up several leaflets to peruse.  One of them showed details of a Segway Tour in Guardamar.  If you don't know anything about this mode of transport, it is a two wheeled vehicle powered by an electric motor.  You can read more about the Segway here. The photographs show how much we enjoyed our adventure.

We try and do something now and again that scares us, so this was the perfect thing.  Our friends, are always game for a laugh, so we decided to book the Tour.

We had to be at the Segway Offices for 11am.  We arrived to be greeted by three pretty girls, which George and Terry appreciated very much.   The paperwork had to be completed and signed, then the training course started.  After a familiarisation exercise, we rode around an obstacle course, to make sure we understood how to operate the segway.  Once we felt competent(ish!), we were allowed into the car park, and the speed of the vehicle was increased.  In no time at all, we were careering around the car park like experts!

Two of the girls acted as  'Monitors', one at the front and one at the back and we nervously set off from their offices on the Santa Ana Industrial Estate, up the steep hill, past the bus station towards the South Park.  Crash!  Sue hit one of the kerbs and promptly fell off.  She was shaken but not hurt and we were impressed that she got straight back on and continued the tour.

We had over two and a half fabulous hours of fun.  We had people waving, laughing, and staring at us, we felt almost like film stars with all the attention we were given.

The highlight of the tour was careering around the square in front of the Town Hall.  Luckily it was empty no people to manoeuvre around, we had great fun circling round and around.

It is a tour to be recommended.  

If you want something different to do, call into the Tourist Information Centre and book yourself on this very different, challenging, but enjoyable tour.  Further information can be found at this webpage.

George and Linda Corrigan

Community News

The summer is almost at its end and the clocks went back this weekend.

But here at Rasomar VI, we are still busy.

The community wall outside where we live in Calle El Bovalar 63 had a crack down it, which needed attention. As a builder was already working in our community, George Corrigan and I asked him if he would fix the problem. This he did, and his work can be seen in the photograph included here.

We have bought paint from the community fund, and will be painting the repair, plus the top of the community walls just as soon as the weather settles down again. (Yes, it has been raining here for a few days, on and off!)

We would also like to say a big thank you to Sue Stewart, who has tidied up the commercial area,next to the community swimming-pool. As you can see from the photographs below, there are now plants and bushes, which will look good once they have become fully established. Sue has also provided tables and chairs, which she has been able to obtain from various sources. She has worked very hard on this project, and has done most of this by herself. Different people have donated plants, so thank you to them, too!

If anyone would like to donate a plant for the commercial area, please have a word with Sue Stewart.

Ray and Linda Muttock

The Magic Roundabout

At last, its finished! Yes, we do mean the roundabout at the end of the CV-895 (the junction of Lemon Tree Road and the N-332 towards Guardamar).

We have waited for what seems to be years, for it to be finished in the twinkling of the eye. We have endured months and months of roadworks and holdups. We have had to turn right towards Torrevieja when all we really wanted to do was to go into Guardamar.

Then, one Sunday afternoon, it was finished! We'd set off towards the N-332, expecting to turn right towards Torrevieja. We could not believe our eyes, the roundabout was completed.

We nearly went around it twice to celebrate. We were absolutely amazed, as only a few days earlier, the roadworks were still there, and it didn't seem as if there would be an end to it for weeks if not months.

So we hope that you enjoy the photograph and the following video, just a little bit of proof that the roundabout does actually exist!

George and Linda Corrigan

Picudo Rojo, the Red Palm Weevil

On several occasions recently, I have noticed red palm weevils (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) flying across the garden. I have come across one or two dead ones on the tiles around the house, too, and just a couple of days ago I was able to capture a live one. I took it to La Torre garden centre to confirm that it was, indeed, a Picudo Rojo. This being the case, I bought some insecticide suitable for dealing with possible attacks by such creatures in young palms.

The insecticide that was recommended is called Insecticida Llanero, sold in a bottle of 100ml.This is different to that which I have been using up until now, which was made by Bayer and sold as a set of four individual doses of 2ml (Insecticida polivalente, with the specific announcement, "Protege las palmeras").

I have already been spraying the one young palm in our garden every few weeks for several months, as I was aware of the dangers of the Picudo Rojo, so hopefully our palm is relatively safe. If you are worried about your own palm(s)—and you should be, for the Picudo Rojo is a huge threat in this area—get some preventative spray, such as one of those mentioned above, and use it on each palm, thoroughly soaking the trunk, leaves and centre of the plant every ten days or so.

For more information (in English) on the Picudo Rojo, see this page in the Gardening in Spain website. The information dates from mid-2009, but is still relevant, though now it is thought better to bury infected palms at a depth of at least two metres, rather than burning them.

An interesting film, showing the unsightly, monstrous larvae of the Picudo Rojo can be seen here.

David Neale

Garden Rubbish

Since the election of the PP (Partido Popular) to power in Guardamar, the collection of garden rubbish in El Raso has been painfully inadequate. Rotting cuttings, branches, bags of garden debris and other unpleasantness have been allowed to build up at previously designated collection points. The once almost faithfully regular Wednesday morning collections ceased as soon as the PSOE lost their hold on the Ayuntamiento and the PP took over. Indeed, as far as I am aware, since that time, garden rubbish has been collected on just two occasions!

Now a notice has appeared on the rubbish bin adjacent to the collecting point for our community. No doubt similar notices have appeared elsewhere in El Raso. The notice is in both Spanish and English (well, a sort of English, though it looks to me as though Google had a lot to do with it). It basically states that, as from 1 October, garden rubbish will no longer be collected from the usual collecting points and that, instead, it must be brought to the "municipal plot," which appears from the GoogleMaps screenshot accompanying the notice to be opposite the ruined finca.

Click on the small image accompanying this entry to see a larger version of the notice.

Dare I suggest a new name for the Partido Popular? I hasten to add that it will entail no change to their PP logo: Prunings Prohibited.

David Neale

Paints and tiles

We have just arranged to have some painting done to the stonework of the windows. Fortunately, I was able to find the original information note that we received, regarding the colours of paints, types of tiles, etc: used during construction. (The note is written in Spanish, is dated 4 April 2007 and titled, Circular Informativa.)

The paints used for the outside of the house are listed as follos:

• Yellow: Rokiplas Albero No.4
• White: Super-luxe Mate-extra Antimoho

(I wonder if "Mate" is a spelling error and should be "Matte.")

The walls of the houses are not painted, so I suspect the white paint listed here is that used for the balustrades on the roof-terraces.

Tiles differ in the various houses, but I shall list here the information that I have, together with a photo to give you an idea of the tiles being referred to. Perhaps some other community members can provide references and even photos of other sorts of tiles.

Kitchen

• Wall-tile: FUT 25 x 40 E Blanco Relieve 02
• Border: EQU 8 x 25 E CFA Bahamas

Bathroom/toilet

• Wall-tile: CNU 25 x 40 E Travertino Marfil
• Border: EQU 8 x 25 E CFA Hiedra Brillo

Bathroom/toilet

• Wall-tile: CPA 25 x 40 E Jaca Gris
• Border: EQU 8 x 25 E CFA Augusta Azul
• Wall-tile: CPA 25 x 40 E Moka Azul

Floor

• Standard floor-tile: FUT 45 x 45 E Gres Entrago BG 01

Unfortunately, it seems that the makes of the tiles are not included in the above list. If I am able to discover the makes, I shall amend the list accordingly.

Hope this helps.

David Neale

Rasomar VI goes digital… más o menos

Members of the Rasomar VI community have already received an email from its president, George Corrigan, regarding the introduction of a centralised emailing system, the community's very own blog, and an online photo album. (If you haven't yet received the email, it's on its way, assuming George has your correct email address.)

The email system provides a single email address that should remain valid throughout future changes of presidency. It also provides an online history of emails, both sent and received, a history which will be accessible to future presidents. (On the election of a new president, that person will merely have to change the password to the email and blog system to have access to the community's email history and blog services.)

The blog is an attempt to generate more active interest in the community. It can contain announcements, news, information… anything that might be of interest to community members. Should you wish to have something published in the blog (you are reading just such a blog entry right now), simply send it to the new community email address, which you have received in a separate email message. Please remember that what you write will be read by people for whom English is not the first language, so colloquialisms should be avoided. If you wish to write in a language other than English, then please feel free to do so: I can provide translations to English from Dutch, French, German and Spanish (Italian at a pinch). You can provide photos to accompany your blog entry, as specified in the email you have already received.

As a final digital service, an online community photo album is offered. You have received details of how to provide photos for inclusion in this album. Use it for any collection of photos relating to an event, a day out, something of personal interest, or any other topic you might wish to share with the other members of the community.

The community blog and photo album will be accessible to anyone surfing the Web. As well as offering two hopefully useful services to the community, they will also help display the community to the rest of the world. This might be useful should you wish to sell your house, for example: point potential buyers to the two areas and they will be able to see what sort of community they will perhaps be joiniing.

Should you be wondering, these services are free; they cost the community nothing at all.

David Neale