Night of San Antón
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For the night of San Antón on the 17th January, the villagers ¡n the Chistau valley took out their "trucos" or cowbells in order to walk round all the villages in the valley "trucando" or clanging their bells in unison. In former times, the intensity of the clang (size of cowbell) denoted the importance of the herd. The noise of the "trucos" had disappeared as livestock are now transported by lorry until a few years ago when the locals decided to recover this traditional fiesta. Now the procession starts in Gistain at around 11pm, and covers all the villages finishing in Saravillo in the early hours of the morning with a barbecue. In each village, the two shepards call people to join the procession by blowing on their horns, and of course there are drinks and nibbles galore after having toured the village streets. Something to be experienced at least once, especially the force and power given off by the impressive clanging of the bells.
Posted by Jayne at 17:19 · 