Sevillanas Indignadas, the economy, and the annual Feria (fair)

Sevillanas Indignados, the economy, and the annual Feria (fair)

The annual Feria—annual fair—has just ended in Jerez de la Frontera.  It was characterized by lots of drinking and lots of people wearing beautiful costumes and dancing the folk dance called “Sevillanas.” Here in Jerez, wearing these beautiful costumes for Feria is called “dressing up like a Gypsy."  The Feria was also characterized by budget cuts and demonstrations.

Quite a combination.

One of the demonstrations consisted of recording, performing, and producing a video called Sevillanas Indignadas.  Sevillanas are the folk songs and folk dances that are emblematic of the Feria.  Indignados is another name for the protest group also called Movimiento 15-M.

Some of the Indignados wrote Sevillanas embodying their protests.  And here you have it, as placed on YouTube.  You’ll notice that it’s had LOTS of views.  That speaks volumes.

In case you want to understand the words and don't speak Spanish, loosely speaking, the first few lines say:  "We're going to repeat it, for you, unemployed and you, the retired, let's go for it, let's go dance in the Feria of Jerez with the tourists, we won't just say it, let's go to the Feria to dance.  We are the Indignant.  [then, the song]...Since Spain is in big trouble, I'm going to cut, I'm going to cut education and public sanitation, but as for the church, I won't touch it....."

Another protest consisted of people assembling in the Feria’s central location, in front of the city’s official stand, with brightly colored umbrellas, some painted with words like—Indignados.  The organizers purchased 200 umbrellas to distribute, but ran out really fast.  There were also fans given out…over 1,000, and if they had had more, there were plenty more people asking for them.

Los Indignados--Movimiento 15-M--with their umbrellas, and other Feria-goers.

They were, as you should know by now, protesting the harm the economy is wreaking on average people, the greed and speculation that are important elements that brought about the economic crisis, and the current Spanish government’s principal plan for dealing with the crisis.  The plan includes major cutbacks in the rolls of civil servants, a ban on public demonstrations, higher taxes, and other such measures.

And the annual Feria?  Well, as cost-saving measures, the city spent 40% less on it this year than in years past.  The fireworks that usually begin and end the Feria were thrown out, the Feria was cut short a day and a half, and the gorgeous lights were only turned on for five of the six days, and were turned off earlier in the night that usual.

There you have it in a nutshell. 

Women dressed up "like a Gypsy" (a la gitana) taking photos of themselves.

People still went out en masse to enjoy the Feria, there were still hundreds of stalls selling food and drink, and playing music (especially  Sevillanas).  There were fewer live performances, but lots of people on horse-back or with horse and buggy (another hallmark of Feria), lots of people dressed up in their Feria finery, lots of drinking, strolling around, dancing, and having fun.

The horses get decorated, too, even if they didn't ask for it.

Don't let this fool you.  Things are bad...but they could get worse.  I hope they don’t.

OUR NEXT POST will be about Thanks to Peña Chacon.