Ah Spain!

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[Music]
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Welcome to Aspain Poco Poco. Hi Gano.
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How's it going? Buenos diaz.
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Buenos das Tanya. It is bueno. It is
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very exciting because today is October
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9th.
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Yes. And we are going to tell you
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everything that we knew and also found
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out about the this very very spectacular
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holiday here in Valencia.
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Exactly. I will give a personal
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experience when we came to visit the
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year before we moved here
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was October 9th that that was that
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weekend but we weren't here the actual
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October 9th day but we were we left
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October 8th but a couple days before we
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were noticing like like festivities
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going on and I was like are we in
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Disneyland we saw all this traditional
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dress and it wasn't until a year later
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I'm living here and I'm like oh
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that's what's going on
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and I still didn't know what it meant
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cuz I was still new
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It's a lot. And I will say, I mean,
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we've talked about this a lot and it is
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true. I mean, the Spanish will celebrate
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everything and they do it with grandeur.
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So, it's not unusual to see flags and
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festivals and and fireworks and things
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happening, but there is something
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special about this holiday in Valencia
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because you will start to see a lot of
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flags little being put up between
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buildings all the way down the street.
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And I think that is maybe a special
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thing for this particular holiday. It is
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very and they like you said they start
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it like they start putting this stuff up
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like a week ahead. It is not something
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you can pull together in like five
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minutes. So you have to start early. So
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now you're walking down the streets for
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the last week and or driving down the
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streets you'll start to see the
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Valencian flags. I don't know what they
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call those ones like bunting between the
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between the buildings where you got a
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string with all the flags falling off of
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it.
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It's not bunting but there is a word for
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them for sure. I mean, it's a bunting
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type thing anyway if it's not where you
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got all the you got a string and it's
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going from building to building with
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lots of little flags hanging on it and
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that's just back and forth the whole way
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down streets and it's very it's very
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pretty. So, we can just talk about
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there's another holiday.
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Yeah, there's Yeah, there's another
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holiday too, right? Because it's not
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only just the independ
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day, it's also the day of lovers. So, as
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you're seeing all these flags being put
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up, you walk by all the pastry shops and
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there's these little marzipan treats
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like everywhere.
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Yes. If you love marzipan, this is your
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holiday. Make it to Spain. Make it to
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Valencia on October 9th. We will get
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into all of this. So, let's start with
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should we start with the with the with
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the Valencian day and then we'll move on
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to the other holiday, I guess.
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So, yeah, I think we should start with
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why it exists. So you may have heard
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from us before or may have known from
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your own history lessons that Spain was
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uh under Moish rule, Muslim rule for
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like 500 years. But in the 1200s, King
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James as we will call him, but it is how
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in in Spanish, right? How is that?
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How? Yeah.
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J A U M E. You will see that a lot in
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different places. That that's King
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James. Every street that's not named
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Waqin is named Al.
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I've seen kiosks with that name. I've
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seen all sorts of things. Yeah.
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Everything rightly so.
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Mhm. And so the Muslims had ruled for
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500 years and he came and he conquered
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um or reconquered Valencia. Um but
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what's interesting about him is not rare
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this has happened, but he became king at
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10 years old. Now, mind you, he wasn't
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pillaging and plundering at 10, but he
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was
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he might have been. Who knows?
3:41
Who knows?
3:41
In the name of In the name of, right?
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Yes. So, he came they they they came
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from the north and there was the battle
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of El Pooch in 1237, which is a very
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little town just north of Valencia city.
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And they had had the victory there. And
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then they were basically preparing to,
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you know, enter and conquer and get a
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hold of Valencia city.
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And he has always wanted Valencia. I
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guess that was kind of the history too.
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That was one of his his goals in
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retaking. He had his sights on that to
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get it away from other other crowns of
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the area trying to come forward as well.
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I think it was a very big city back
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then. So it was a a very major take if
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you could get Valencia obviously. So it
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was a
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I had the silk, they had the trading,
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they had all the stuff going on.
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I mean, not that it's not a major city
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now. It is. We love it. But back then it
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was definitely a a clear victory if you
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had Valencia for sure.
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Right. And
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this was the goal. And while that they
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were camped outside the city trying to
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to take it, the legend is that a bat
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flew into the tent and got got messled
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up in all their weapons and drums and
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things and caused a commotion and woke
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them up and a guard alerted them that a
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a surprise Muslim attack was going to
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happen. So it it it became an a good
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omen or whatever and and since you since
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has become a symbol of the city later
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another had
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named bats everywhere for everything and
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that is why we will get into that in
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another pock so we will leave that one
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there as a teaser but you will see bats
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everywhere put a pin in that bat
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to be continued
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to be continued so in 1238 after um
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monthsl long you know blockade involving
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multinational Christian army armies and
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they also had a fleet of ships from
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Barcelona coming down and getting it
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from the from the Mediterranean side.
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They managed to conquer, I guess, is the
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word. Valencia.
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Well, I think I they conquered, but I
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think it was more of they they starved
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them out, right? So, it wasn't like they
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were they didn't do it with weapons. It
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was they denied them access to food and
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services or whatever, you know, whatever
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you need. nothing could get into the
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city. So once their supplies ran out,
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so a surrender with that's a conquering
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I guess of sorts. So the Moors in
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Valencia therefore surrendered on
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September 28th 1238 and that was what
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created a situation where King Haime
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would be able to then come in which
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happened later.
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But what's really interesting about the
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surrender too is that they gave them
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time to leave the city. It wasn't like
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they were expelled and I mean and they
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were but they had time to collect their
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belongings. It wasn't like they were
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instant I don't know if refugees or lost
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all their belongings. It was it was very
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peaceful.
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Well, I mean you say that now. Who
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knows? I mean I doubt it was peaceful. I
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mean okay. I doubt it was pretty. Let's
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just say but that is what happened.
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No one was happy about it for sure.
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Okay. Yeah. I'm like let's not call it
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peaceful because we weren't there. will
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say that there was a time period between
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the surrender and the entrance into the
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into the city by James I. And that
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triumphal entry happened on October 9th,
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1238. So there was a little bit of time
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in between. Absolutely. And that was
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therefore that became the day that is
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considered the birth of the kingdom of
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Valencia and Valencia as we know it
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today as a as a Christian Spanish part
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of Spain, I guess.
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And they've been celebrating it uh since
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1338 after the 100th anniversary. So
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that's when it became the holiday,
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right?
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And it is a symbol, this holiday is a
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symbol of freedom and coexistence and
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definitely Valencian pride.
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Absolutely. And therefore that explains
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the all the flags that are put up and
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those symbols and I think that a little
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bit about the Valencian flag. I suppose
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the most of the region I mean not most
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all of the regions in Spain have their
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own flag and they all have the kind of
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like similar color schemes and things
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that I've noticed right and they're kind
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of derivative of this of the main
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Spanish flag
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but the saraa which is the Valencian
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flag um has red and yellow stripes and
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then at the one side there's a blue
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fringe with a crown which represents the
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royal gratitude
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and the crown wasn't added until the
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14th century by King Peter I 4th of
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Aragon.
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who granted the city the the city of
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Valencia the privilege to use the royal
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crown. So I guess you know that was
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that's nice
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that made them feel special.
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Sure. And it is a pretty flag and like
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you said it does look like a little bit
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like the Spanish flag. It's not a
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complete departure and it's and it's
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pretty and it's everywhere. It is
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definitely and especially on this day it
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is the decoration of choice for pretty
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much everything. Right. And
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and if I can do a selfless plug if I
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may. If anyone has noticed, the Ospain
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logo represents these colors as well. So
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that's true. Yes.
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Not an accident.
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Not an accident.
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Well, why don't you go since since
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you're married, why don't you tell us
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about the day of the lovers because this
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is a barren holiday for me.
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Okay. So, I can almost guarantee that I
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will not be getting any Marsy Pan from
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for this holiday because I'm pretty sure
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that Jawad does not know about this
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holiday. So, he will be expected the
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following year to be really on top of it
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in 2026.
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Well, we are recording this early in the
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morning, so maybe I can text him a
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little
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reminder. Sometimes you need friends to
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remind your husbands and wives of
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things. Okay, just keep that in mind,
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everybody. Anyway, so it is the lover's
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day. Um, St. Dionis, Dionis, Dianicius
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has talis.
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Yeah,
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Dionis is the patron saint of lovers and
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is celebrated interestingly only in
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Valencia. This is not a span a Spainwide
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holiday and it is a public holiday since
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1982
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and it is celebrated in only the
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provinces like I said which is Valencia,
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Castellon and Alicante and obviously as
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we said before it overlaps beautifully
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with October night. So, we get this
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double holiday on this day and it is
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just festivals and we'll get into that
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later, but you can talk a little bit
10:09
about the gifts and things that were
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given that are given. If you're lucky
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enough to have someone give you
10:14
something, this is what you get.
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I mean, I know about the tradition, but
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I I well, I wouldn't receive them anyway
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because it's for the females, right?
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It's for But, you know, as the as the
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homosexual community, I wonder if we're
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we're giving them to each other. I don't
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know.
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I think so. And I don't know if this is
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a family thing too like Valentine's Day
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where maybe some of these things are
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just given cuz I mean these
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like you give them to your kids or your
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mother
10:35
maybe because these sweets are
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everywhere. I mean the center of the
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aisle in the grocery store is now all
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masipan. They just put up little extra
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tables to to cover all the masipan
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that's going to get sold. This cannot
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only be for people giving. It must just
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be hey that here's a here's one for the
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table. Here's one for your house. Here's
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one for grandma. Here's one for your
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kid. Like it has to be given to
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everybody at this point, I think.
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Right. Right. But how it's presented to
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your lover, you know, is supposed to be
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the men are supposed to wrap them in a
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silk scarf. The marzipan and the silk
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scarf. So it's two gifts in one. You get
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a lovely scarf to last forever and and
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the marzipan to last a moment. Right.
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Which is lovely. No, I think it's really
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I love masipans. So I know it's also not
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for everybody but you will find them in
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all different shapes like fruits and
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they make just little squares and it's
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not always just marzipan sometimes
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and like vegetables too candy shaped
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like a bell pepper you're like okay
11:33
I think everything and it's supposed to
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symbolize the I think just general um
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abundance I think with the fruit and
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vegetables and they they do marzipan in
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the fruit and vegetables but they also
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do these they're like little mini cakes
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I think or something that have so it's
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not like marzy pan but it's marzipan in
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the middle and it's sort of little
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squares
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but they kind of look to me those little
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cakes those like those things that
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represent like fertility those is that
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what you're talking about I'm talking
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about things but they have the big ones
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but I think the smaller ones are
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versions of the big ones you're talking
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about
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explain those
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and it kind of looks like hollow bread
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on the outside to me
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yeah so it's kind of bready it's
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basically a cooked version of marzipan
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in some ways so I think they've mixed it
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with flour and And then the very very
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middle is a bit masy panny, but the
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outside is a bit more
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cakey bready and it's cooked. And then
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you have the pure mazy pan that is the
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fruits and vegetables. And those come in
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beautiful little, you know, see-through
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packaging where you can see them all.
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And it's super super cute. Yeah.
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You know what's also really interesting
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because this brings it back to the
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October 9th how all these two these two
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holidays have been intertwined since the
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get-go is that the reason why this
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tradition started is because in 1733 the
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Bourbons were had taken over were ruling
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Valencia at that time and they were
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celebrating the 500th anniversary and
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the Bourbons outlawed fireworks and what
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they now did with this this the treats
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and the silk scarf is that You tie them
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to look like firecrackers. So it's so so
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a baker like did it out of protest that
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said, "You know what? We're now you
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won't give us our fireworks. We're going
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to give our lovers things that look like
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fireworks."
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There you go. If anyone knows anything
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about the Spanish, especially this part
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of Spain, you don't take away their
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fireworks.
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No, you don't.
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And I don't think that lasted very long
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because now we have both. We have the
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fireworkshaped marzipan and the
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fireworks and the mascetas and the
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firecrackers. So, you know, they come
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back and forth,
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right? I mean, it's kind of funny. It's
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so It's so Spanish, right? Like they
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protested through passion, right?
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There you go.
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We're just going to make love and show
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our lovers that we love them.
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Yes. I love that. So, as far So, that is
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kind of the the sort of the history of
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those two holidays. Should we look at
13:55
the celebrations and how that comes
13:56
together for a day? So we know the
13:59
meaning which doesn't really relevant
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isn't relevant to how we celebrate. So I
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will say I it's going to be a huge shock
14:06
that there are fireworks. Yes. For this
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event. So it starts the night before on
14:12
October 8th at 11:59. You know they you
14:15
know midnight basically.
14:17
But they have a 20inut firework display
14:20
uh on the Montloveete Bridge which spans
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the park. So it's really quite beautiful
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because you can see it up and down a big
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expanse of the tia like you can really
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see it and and be a you know a mile away
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you're still
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right
14:35
you have you can bear witness
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oh we can miles we can see it from up
14:39
here so yeah that's
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miles and miles but that is technically
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October 9th because it's happening at
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the very last minute of October 8th and
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it's probably running late so it's
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that's also is for sure happening on
14:52
October 9th just very very They never I
14:54
will be I will say they never run late.
14:57
Really?
14:58
Yeah. I have yet to see a fireworks
15:00
start late. Like they have the they give
15:02
you a 10-minute warning bomb and then a
15:04
fiveminute warning bomb and then and
15:06
then it's off.
15:06
It's like gorge your loins kids. It's
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starting.
15:11
And then you have the processions which
15:14
is just there's always a procession and
15:17
they have the u the procession of the
15:19
senera which is the flag and they have
15:22
the moors and the Christian parades and
15:24
this is where people dress up as both
15:26
and I you've been to one of these
15:27
parades I haven't. Yes, I've been with
15:29
the the senara parade is where they take
15:31
it down from city hall and they bring it
15:34
down versus carrying it through the city
15:36
hall. They actually bring it down from
15:37
the balcony if that makes sense. And
15:38
they parade it through the streets. And
15:40
I've been to that parade and it's it's
15:43
horses and traditional dress and and and
15:46
so as well. It's not like a party
15:48
parade, right? It's music and marching
15:50
and stuff. And then what we did is then
15:53
we followed the parade into the town
15:55
square for the 2 pm masceta which was
15:58
Oh, that's nice. Yeah. And is the moors
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and the Christian parade part of that
16:01
parade or is that a separate parade?
16:04
Well, I'll put it this way. I don't know
16:06
because if it was part of that parade,
16:07
we didn't see that part.
16:08
Okay. But you said you you saw people
16:10
dressed up, I guess. Cuz I've I've heard
16:13
that they're I've heard and I don't know
16:14
if this is true that that parade of the
16:16
Moors and the Christians, they're kind
16:18
of parading but also kind of simulating
16:20
some of the maybe some of the fighting
16:22
or some of the things sort of as the
16:23
parade is going.
16:25
Someone had mentioned to me that I think
16:26
it is a different thing and they
16:29
mentioned it is it's not a battle. It's
16:31
like they sweep them out of town. Right.
16:34
There you go.
16:35
Yeah. And then there's floral offerings
16:38
which is quite common. They we also have
16:39
that in the fias if you've listened to
16:41
our fias episode. Uh you'll you will
16:44
have you'll know about the floral
16:45
offerings and love of flowers that they
16:48
have here for different things. And then
16:50
right and they and that flag is paraded
16:52
around this to the like it parades
16:54
around the city and stops by the statue
16:55
of King James and I think that's where
16:57
they do a flowering. Yeah.
16:59
Yeah.
16:59
And then obviously lots of traditional
17:01
dress and everything. And then one of
17:03
the things that I've experienced and it
17:05
varies from place to place is they
17:07
always do have the medieval markets
17:09
going. They have one in the touria that
17:11
I've been to a couple of times. I will
17:13
say that one was less of a medieval
17:17
market. If I'm I if you've been to the
17:19
Renaissance fair in America, this
17:22
doesn't really compare to that.
17:24
Does not at all. Um, I will say we we we
17:29
were suspect of the authenticity when my
17:33
youngest said, "Dad,
17:35
was Ryan Reynolds around during the
17:37
Middle Ages? Because why is there a
17:39
painting of him here?"
17:41
So, yes.
17:43
Well,
17:45
you might be right.
17:46
Yeah, that's a good point. I will say
17:48
it's fun. Like, we've been there. It's
17:49
fun. They in the one in the city that
17:51
we've been to twice has been exactly the
17:53
same. There's a lot of kiosks for food,
17:55
so you can go and sort of have lunch.
17:57
And then they have lo loads of kiosks
17:59
where you can buy cheese and bread and
18:02
sweets and jewelry and some things. And
18:04
those kiosks are the same kiosks that I
18:07
found in a load of other
18:10
festival sort of market things. It's the
18:13
same people selling the same things.
18:14
This one, they just have a few banners
18:15
that look a bit different. We went to a
18:18
medieval market in Castile and I will
18:20
say that was a lot more medieval. It was
18:23
fun. They had in the town square there,
18:25
they had a whole bunch of
18:28
um sort of oldfashioned games set up
18:30
that the kids could play which was
18:32
really really fun. So they had a whole
18:34
area for that. They did have a little
18:36
procession that was going on and sort of
18:38
continued to sort of go on around the
18:40
market. And that procession had all
18:42
sorts of people dressed in different
18:44
things including people on stilts and
18:46
things that were more kind of fun, but
18:48
also people dressed medievally in
18:51
medieval gear. And that one was a lot
18:54
more had a lot more kind of
18:56
oomph to it as far as it being a
18:58
medieval market versus just a market.
19:00
So, I would recommend heading up there
19:03
if anyone has a car and they can do it
19:05
because that that was fun.
19:05
Was that during Was that during the
19:07
October link then as well?
19:08
Yeah, it was because I think they're
19:10
going on everywhere. So, some of them
19:12
are going to be better and different
19:14
than others, but the one in the city was
19:16
very fun. We went we went with friends.
19:18
We had lunch. We browsed around. It was
19:20
very fun. It just wasn't
19:22
I've been to the I've been to a
19:23
Renaissance fair in America and that's a
19:27
whole experience and That's a cult.
19:30
That's a whole the people that are
19:32
involved in that, that's their life,
19:34
right? But that creates an environment
19:36
where you have some people that it's
19:37
their life and they're in it and other
19:39
people coming to look and it's fun kind
19:42
of for both and you kind of really get
19:44
into that and I would say it's nothing
19:46
like that really. It's much more it's a
19:48
bit more fun and little bit little
19:52
anyway. But definitely worth checking
19:53
out if you especially if you just happen
19:54
to be around
19:55
I would say
19:56
I think so. And I think that wraps up
19:58
October 9th. So, if you're here, we hope
20:00
we've you've we've filled you in on some
20:02
things to do.
20:02
Yeah. With a mix of history, pride, and
20:05
even a little romance on October 9th. We
20:08
hope you enjoy it, and we hope you
20:09
enjoyed our Poco Poco about it.
20:10
Until next time, Tanya.
20:12
Until next time. Ciao.
20:12
Bye.
20:17
Thank you for listening to us, Spain
20:18
Poco Poco. Since you love us so much,
20:21
please do go on to our social media and
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20:32
And you know, give us a shout out on the
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20:35
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20:39
us talk about. I mean, we like to hear
20:41
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20:42
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20:44
listeners.
20:45
Absolutely. Yeah. You can comment on one
20:47
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20:49
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20:51
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20:53
love to hear from you. Yes, we would.
20:55
Till the next episode.
20:57
Bye.
20:59
[Music]