Eulogy for a Sardine

There’s always more to see here. When we get lulled into thinking we have some sort of routine and know what to expect, we discover a new tradition or a new food. Last week was no different. Called Antroxu (pronounced An-tro-shoe) in the Asturian language, we celebrated Carnaval, pre-lent festivities that rivaled Mardi Gras but with more clothing and fewer beads.

On Thursday, which was designated Jueves de Comadres, (Comrade’s Thursday) our Spanish class met in a cafe where we sampled two of the most popular Carnaval treats: frixuelos (similar to crepes) and torrijas (similar to French toast). What’s not to like about that? With a cup of coffee and great conversation with friends, Antroxu was off to a great start. Customarily, groups of women  go out to dinner or dancing together on Jueves de Comadres to celebrate the power of women and commemorate the founding of Les Comadres, a pro-feminist organization, some 25 years ago. Although we were a mixed group of students, we had fun celebrating Jueves de Comrades none-the-less.

The fun continued Friday as the city launched a days-long costume party. Halloween has nothing on this celebration! Kids of all ages, families big and small, couples, and dozens of drumming groups filled the streets and plazas with colorful, creative costumes. Most notable among those dressed up was La Sardina, the beatuiful sardine mascot of the festivities accompanied by her sidekick, Conchita.

The drumming and dancing groups, called charangas, provided the heartbeat and excitement of the festivities although the music was a bit repetitive. Although they were entertaining for the first few hours, we were equally grateful when they stopped making noise close to midnight.

At some point during the excitement, I lost my glasses. Braced for the cold wind coming off the water, I had bundled up with a sweater, long coat, hat, scarf, mask, and gloves, making it nearly impossible to take a photo. Yet, there were so many fun costumes to capture that I had to try. Mask-induced fog made wearing my glasses useless so I put them in my pocket. Unfortunately they did not arrive home with me that night, probably crushed under the feet of the hordes of enthusiastic drummers. I scoured the plaza the next morning hoping someone had rescued them and put them on a ledge but they were gone. There’s always more to see… but not if you lose your glasses.

Miraculously, I found an old pair of glasses with a very outdated prescription that I had brought with me from the states. They would have to do because I did not want to miss out on the rest of the fun.

The finale started Tuesday night at 5 pm with another parade of colorfully costumed charangas followed by an awards ceremony for the best dressed in Plaza Begonia. Once the winners were announced, the parade continued through the center of the city and on to our neighborhood where the city gathered for the Funeral of the Sardine, a tongue-in-cheek ritual that draws the citizens together to mark the end of Carnaval.

Once all the drumming and dancing groups arrived in Plaza de Don Pelayo, near our apartment, the ceremony began. A mourner, dressed fully in black including a black hat with black veil, addressed the crowd. While her demeanor was somber, she had a lilt in her voice as though she could hardly keep from chuckling and she delivered the speech with over-the-top drama, making us all take notice.

“Antroxeros y antroxeras, Ciudadanos de Xixón: Traigo muy malas noticias. Daime un poco de atención. Que se murió la sardina. La mas guapa de Gijón y estamos todos deshechos.”

“Men and women of Antroxu, the citizens of Gijon, I bring you very bad news. Give me a little of your attention. The Sardine has died. The most beautiful of Gijon and we are all devastated.” At this point the crowd played along with a loud cry of despair.

While watching the event unfold, I was reminded of the funerals I attended when I was a kid. My minister dad thought it would be a good idea to expose us to funerals of people we didn’t know when we were young so that when someone close to us actually died, we would be able to manage better. While his intentions were sound, the result was questionable. No amount of funeral training can really prepare you when you lose someone you love.

At any rate, I have memories of trying to suppress the giggles while sitting in the front row of the church with my brother and sister during the funerals that my dad officiated. My favorite part was riding in the front seat of the hearse afterwards on the way to the burial. The hearse drivers used to entertain us with stories of what had to be done to the deceased person to make them look beautiful for the open-casket viewing.

Gathering with costumed families and children for the open-casket viewing of La Sardina seemed to have the same effect. Looking around, I could see the pretend tears were mixed with giggles and cheering. Of course, this funeral wasn’t meant to be taken seriously.

The eulogy, which was recited as a poem, was filled with humor. In case any of us wondered if La Sardina’s life was cut short by unhealthy choices, we were told: “And look…she took care of herself. She didn’t drink alcohol, eat salt or chorizo (sausage), nor cholesterol. She spent every day at the gym, she ate healthy, organic steamed vegetables!”

Following the dramatic eulogy, the officiant read La Sardina’s last will and testament. Before she died, Ms. Sardine advised the beloved citizens of Gijon to “enjoy life and to always be tolerant and give free reign to love. Never hate, be violent or homophobic. The 21st century is moving quickly, let’s be modern, by God!  Don’t work so hard to make money that you forget to enjoy life…your health is the most precious treasure.”  Wrapping up her sage counsel to her admirers, she wrote, “Peace, Health, Work and Love. The four things that I want for you. The money will follow …but first Peace.”

She ended with, “Ciudadanos de GIJON, los amores que más quiero, me despido con amor. Puxa L’Antroxu, Puxa Xixón, Puxa Asturies ¡No a la guerra!” “Citizens of Gijon, my beloveds that I love the most, I say good-bye with love. Long live Antroxu! Long live Gijon! Long live Asturias. No to war!” Everyone cheered, shouting the last lines in unison with Ms. Sardine’s words. Then the crowds dispersed to nearby bars and restaurants to continue celebrating in honor of the most beautiful Sardine of Gijon. After all, the next day was the start of lent. They needed to indulge as long as they could.

While others may have awakened hungover after the long weekend, I started lent with a visit to the optical store. Their motto was displayed all over the store: There’s always more to see. I knew I was in the right place when I read that! I managed to find some replacement glasses that will be ready in a week so I can keep enjoying our adventures.

With the news focused on the war in the Ukraine, and Russia’s aggression, I am grateful to be surrounded by the peaceful people of Asturias and a beautiful sardine reminding us to “give free reign to love.” I am also aware that living in a foreign country and international travel inspires us to make friends out of strangers. Meeting people from all over the world and experiencing other cultures teaches us to be more accepting, and tolerant. Travel is the best vaccine against hate.

No longer can I watch the news without considering both our own Russian and Ukrainian friends. One of my favorite songs from Sting says, ” I hope the Russians love their children, too.”  I can tell you first hand that they do love their children and they want them to know peace as much as we do. They want them to be educated, well traveled and citizens of the world, just like we want for our own children. So do the Ukrainians, the Chinese, the Dutch, the French, the Italians, the Greeks, the Lebanese, the South Africans, etc., etc.

We learned first hand through the past administration of our own country, the thoughts and desires of a country’s citizens are not necessarily represented by their government. Let’s keep the people of the Ukraine and Russia in our hearts. Pray for peace and give free reign to love. No to war!

Notes from the author:

Thank you to my husband Rocky for capturing these great photos of Antroxu. You can see more of his photos on Instagram: @rockdawgmartin

*Photo of Ms. Sardina’s funeral was taken by our friend, Tamara Zijtsel.

Thoughts on the situation in the Ukraine from travel expert Rick Steves: https://blog.ricksteves.com/blog/russia-ukraine/