From Thanksgiving to Christmas
Sorry this is kind of dated. We had some blog problems. But better late than never! How about a quick trip from Thanksgiving to New Year? This turkey made the ultimate sacrifice to bring bodily nourishment to some thankful “pilgrims and strangers" in this world.
Several hiking excursions took us up through some almond groves. I picked up a few of the leftover almonds, took them home, roasted them and tried to make some honey-roasted almonds. I couldn't figure out why they were so gooey until I discovered the recipe called for only 2 teaspoons of oil instead of 2 tablespoons! Oh, well…
Some hiking excursions included visiting the battlements that Franco’s troops used in the Civil War in the 30’s,
Doing a little rock climbing,
And some hiking up into the snow line.
The snowfall in the upper elevations this year is more and earlier than in recent memory. In some places there are more than 10 ft. of snow! The ski resorts in the Sierra Nevada are bursting at the seams.
A highlight was the community Christmas service at one of the local churches. Guess what is being sung? Give yourself an “A” if you guessed “Silent Night” (“Noche de Paz”).
The students at the English language school even gave a little impromptu program. The four girls in the back are among my students.
Judi & I were invited to Nicolas’ house for a meal of rabbit and rice,
And a little game of dominoes, which Judi likes. I got her a set for Christmas.
Some Christmas street scenes include outside manger scenes like this,
And inside scenes like this manger scene. Here they call them “Bethlehems,” and there are 25 or so of these quite elaborate scenes in different parts of the city.
On the streets you can see people making huge bubbles. Here Evan & Ellie even got into the act!
How about this eco-carrousel, with horses made of used tires and powered by bicycle works?
We had a chance to spend a day with friends in Málaga with whom we have kindred spirits regarding matters of faith and practice.
A Christmas package arrived for the Mayer’s and us from our friends at Shiloh
Evan & Ellie had fun opening it up and distributing the goodies.
New Year’s Eve came and we celebrated it with a crowd of people downtown in the plaza, near where we stayed for the first 10 days we were in Spain.
They passed out party garb that somehow is associated with celebrating things like bringing in the New Year,
And grapes, that are customarily eaten by Spaniards at the stroke of midnight, one for each gong of the bell. Stories vary as to when and where this custom began. Some say a king, long ago, after a particularly abundant grape harvest, gave the people grapes to eat. Some say it was a marketing tactic of grape-growers. Who knows…?
And then, of course, the fireworks. Is there any New Year’s celebration without fireworks?
New Year brought the completion of a puzzle, a yearly tradition around this time,
And visitors for lunch, the Beck sisters. Would you believe these are the same as in the New Year’s Eve group?
On the heels of New Year comes the commemoration of the taking of Granada by the Christian kings from the last Muslim king on Jan. 2, 1492. We went to see this with Nicolás and María. Unfortunately it rained.
Some say that for a number of years this holiday was not that big a deal until people started protesting, saying it was being discriminatory and insensitive against Muslims. That seemed to generate a backlash where people now turn out in the plaza in front of the town hall. There were a few protesters, but neither that nor the rain impeded the procession coming down the street from the Cathedral, including people dressed in costumes of the era, plus modern military personnel.
The mayor comes out on the balcony and addresses the crowd, “Granada!” he cries. The people respond en masse, “Qué!” (This is kind of like “What!” or “Here we are!”) This happens 3 times. Then he declares, “By order of King Ferdinand of Aragón and Queen Isabel of Castilla, for Spain (“Viva!”), for the King (“Viva!”), for Andalucía (“Viva!”), for Granada (“Viva!”).” The flags are waved, then they do the whole thing over again 2 more times. I have a video of it and if I ever learn how to upload it, I’ll put it on the blog. Next installment: King’s Day.
