Caramelles

Today is Caramelles, this is a traditional event that happens on the Sunday after Easter....they never miss a chance for a party here...the tractors rolled up at about 9am, each with a wagon...they started decorating them with the Catalan flag...a very practical flag...gold and red stripes, so you can run it off by the yard to whatever is needed. Then the little kids started to appear...the girls in flowered skirts, black aprons, white tights and red espadrilles with tapes that wound up their ankles. They had on white blouses on on their head white scarves with red trim...sort of like a tea towel sewn in half at a short end and draped over your head, or those protectors for the arms of couches that your Grandma had....the boys had on jeans and white shirts with wide red scarves around their waists, sort of like the voyageurs and red and black hats on that look for all the world like red toques with a black turn up...They sang a couple of songs, solicited money from the crowd in their hats or baskets, and then got in the wagons and went off to tour the town....we are waiting for them to reappear in the Placa to see what the next step is.

As usual, we are a little out of the loop. I have asked what it is all about, but the answer was in catalan, so needless to say, I missed some of the details...indeed some of the main points too as well, such as WHY they are doing this, other than that it is traditional, and goodness, these folks love a reason to celebrate.

Folks are starting to trickle by with cameras so we may head off down to the placa again. We wandered off to try and find the parade with no luck, came home, went out again because I had been told they would appear again at about 12:15, and the church bells were ringing, no one there but some folks eating at the restaurant....home again, the man has appeared and asked someone, they are still parading and aren't sure when they will reappear, probably in the next 15 to 20 minutes...the girls know a bunch of the kids in the parade.....

More later.

One thing I love about living in a small town, the trust, if I don't have the right change, or they don't, no problem, take what you need, and come back with the money another time....

I hear them in the placa now.........


............later....

That was a bit of a non-event, the kids got off the wagons, handed out some candy, sang again, with a bad attack of paparazzi parents...they really are quite rude. The kids were soliciting more money as we left. We don't know what the money is for, but the kids didn't seem to be keeping it.

The man found a Bill Tillman book in a used store in BCN yesterday. A sailing writer, and quite good. I get next go at it. I just finished "City of the Mind" by Penelope Lively. Can't say I loved it, but she handled the novel in an interesting way, and there is a lot to think about....which is a good thing I think.

I may try and get the man to read the wiki in Catalan about Carmelles so we can figure out what has been going on. We'll see.

The kids are on the terrace in bathing suits playing with I know not what and a hose, the man and the dog are napping. A lovely sunday afternoon.