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Spain
Now living in l'Olleria, south of Valencia

Sunday 7 October 2012

Ambassador

The Moors and Christians each have an Ambssador. This year, the Moor Ambassador was the brother of my previous spanish teacher, Marie-Jose.

The ambassador is responsible for the float that they have as well as having to learn the poem that is performed during the storming of the castle, both in the daytime and in the evening. When we saw her, she had been practicing with him every night, as he learned his lines.


At the front of their parent's house, Marie-Jose had painted the symbol of their particular Fila (Brotherhood) and had hung bunting all accross the street. Their mum is lovely and I'm sure she would have had great fun with all of the pomp and ceremony, but apparently their dad is quite retiring, and was terribly embarrassed by the whole thing.

Different paintings like this can be seen all around the town, for those with a special place in the events - the festival queens, different ambassadors and such like. The artists (family) just put railings around the front of their houses to stop the cars running them over, then simply paint the streets. Depending on the location, the paintings may last a few years, or may be worn out quite quickly.

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