Okay so maybe some things should not be in titles because they sound like I’m writing a soap opera that includes a bit of the American Dream….. but that’s my life in a nutshell. So there we go.
Brides. Why are they in the title? Well, in a small village called Sorzano, close to the capital of La Rioja, there is a tradition. It is a tradition based on women being property, but what tradition isn’t? :p
So here’s a sad lil translation of what I read online in Spanish (I’m pretending I understand it, so bear with me): The third Sunday in May sees a parade/procession of questionable origins go from the church in town to a little church up the hill. It is called Fiesta de las Cien Doncellas (roughly “Celebration of the 100 Maidens”). The first thing I heard was the tale of virginal tribute being paid to Abderramán II by the Christian villages to avoid being attacked. Apparently there has been an inquest into this, and it is now being said that the procession in which any girl over 13 (and wearing a wedding dress) can participate, comes from a pagan ritual. It is possible that young virgins used to keep a sacred fire going for the Goddess Vesta, so that’s a thing….. Here’s a secret: I believe the tribute one more. However, it does make sense that it could be a pagan rite because, like most pagan rites, it has been incorporated into the Catholic goings-on of Europe.
Shortest one: me. Why? A)short B)wearing flip-flops instead of heels, like everyone else
The girls walk up the hill, accompanied by music, dancers, and an audience. When they reach the top, they sit up next to an altar-like area, while everyone else sits down below watching the priest give a service. And let me tell you, this year was not the year to be a doncella. I was SO COLD up there, waiting for the service to be over. Oh, yeah, did I mention…. MY FRIENDS AND I WENT TO SORZANO TO LOOK LIKE BRIDES?
haha yeah, we’re awesome. We were a bit older than most of the girls, but we figured since they stopped caring if the girls were actually virgins, being in the ballpark with age should be okay, too. I think you can participate until you’re 25, so YAYA… I’m only 20. I’M 20!!!!! Yeah, my birthday was epic and amazing.
Something that’s not epic and amazing, and that also makes me feel like women still don’t really belong to themselves: THE PILL. First of all, it’s based on animal cruelty and hormone manipulation. Second of all, it can cause so many medical problems. Basically, the only remotely non-disgusting option of birth control is to practice abstinence, like those first doncellas of Sorzano. But this is the 21st century, and abstinence is a bit like communism. The idea is kinda nice, but have you really seen any proof of it working on a large scale in the real world? If so, please comment and let me know.
So, birth control: a bit like slavery, honestly. Sure it’s slavery to your own body, but it still feels a bit crushing. Also, most condoms include animal ingredients, which means some poor animal had to suffer for you to have a roll in the hay. The pill comes along with so many side-effects and includes a bunch of whacky things that I would not like to put into my body. Recently, Intra-Uterine Devices have made a comeback because you just put it in and don’t worry for a few years… but even those can really harm your body. In the end, there is no safe way to alter what our bodies are naturally programmed to do. Going by your cycle to judge when you wouldn’t get pregnant is quite the opposite of foolproof so, as my mother said the other day, “You could just get married early and have 10 children.” She’s a wise lady. Although 10 children would probably drive most modern-day women insane.
We have evolved (at least in some countries) past the women as property concept. Kudos to the world. However, birth control needs to be improved. The only moral AND practical way I can think of are vegan condoms or a histerectomy (which prevents babies… forever…. soo… yeahno)
World, work on that. True freedom includes having good choices instead of multiple bad/dangerous ones.
Me. Kelly. Kelly. Charlotte. Emily. 4 days. Beaches.
Speaking of bad and dangerous things, I have my final exam on thursday. I’m going to Gran Canaria for 4 days, then I have a week of class, then I’m going to Germany for a week. I’ll be in the US in 24 days, which is kind of like gaining and losing all my freedom, all at the same time. I’m going to miss Spain soooooo much. Maybe I’ll come back and live in Europe a bit after the Peace Corps.
Okay, time to go to Chinese class with two of my lovely friends.. They’re going to teach me some words and help me make a QQ so I can chat with people in China.
Love y’all
Don’t get pregz
~Julia
