Quite literally this year could be rainy Monday
with all the rain we have had! Sometimes the rain does make an appearance but normally,
everybody heads to the river to eat their picnic and enjoy the first rays of
sun and the beginning of spring. This year however, the grass maybe a little
wet for that but fingers crossed, we may have a little luck.
The origin of this tradition is from many years ago, when Salamanca was
governed by morals and customs of the strict religion of Catholicism, like the
rest of Spain and during the time that proceeded lent, prostitutes were sent
away from the city. They were sent to the other side of the river where they
stayed there for nearly 2 months in the Casa
de la Mancebía.
It was constructed at the end of the XV century and governed by “the
father of the prostitutes” who was locally famous for being religious. The following
Monday after Easter the students and men of the city - supposedly only single
men, crossed the river in boats to go looking for the prostitutes whilst
snacking on the banks of the Tormes, mainly
hornazo and wine.
This is the reason why the hornazo is a typical snack on this specific day. If you´ve never
eaten or seen hornazo, it´s a type of
pastry that has a filling inside. There are various fillings but a personal favorite
is the tuna and tomato option.
Let´s hope the rain stays away on Monday so
that we can celebrate this day how it should be celebrated...with a picnic and
friends.
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