La Vieja Remolona

Today is the day of La Vieja Remolona. It is actually a fiesta from Aragón but for some reason is celebrated here. Even though it is not an official holiday if you don’t go to school or work no one minds. The history of La Vieja goes back a long time to when the children needed a break from the rigours of Lent, getting a sort of day off. The whole family trudges up the mountain and has a picnic which includes special breads and cakes made for the occasion. They have twisted breads with hard boiled egg inside and chicherones (pork rind) I think that they are as bad as they sound but today they sell like hot cakes. The children in Mojácar make a paper doll on a cross and, after the picnic lunch in the campo is over, throw rocks at it. The head is full of candy resembling the Mexican piñata. A lot of young people started the fiesta last night and will carry it through to tomorrow. Any reason to have a fiesta. Like last Sunday was the day of Andalucía, it is an official holiday in Andalucía but because it fell on a Sunday which is already a holiday we had to celebrate it on Monday because it isn’t fair to have a holiday if you don’t get a day off. Don’t forget that after every holiday comes El Día de la Resaca (hang-over day), like La Vieja it is not an official holiday but you don’t get in trouble for not showing up for work or school. Originally the children would go door to door asking for food for the picnic and if they did not get any they would play a nasty trick on the home-owner.
Here’s a song the kids in Aragon sing, threatening those neighbours who won’t give them sweets with a stone through their window (the original ‘trick or treat’):

O viejo remolón
Que no quié comer pan,
Sólo chulleta y huevos
Y chocolate si le dan

The lazy old grand-dad won’t eat any bread; only meat and eggs, and chocolate if you give him any.