El Rapigueiro (La Puela d'Allande or Ayande)

[is]

http://www.elrapigueiro.com/inicio_ast.html

The people of Rapigueiro in my own county of Allande have finally launched a web site (click on the link above).

Allande is a county of Western Asturias, often overlooked by visitors because of its difficult mountain terrain, Yorkshire-like moors and distance from the coast. But it is a treasure trove for ethnomusicologists.

Isolation from the rest of Asturias has preserved local culture, food, customs, languages (both West Asturian spoken in the 'Palo p'acó' and the Galician variant spoken in 'Palo p'al.ló'), impressive Iron Age Celtic hillforts and the ancient megaliths of the Carondio mountains.

Send them mail--they love to hear from family in the Americas since most county people have cousins in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Florida, New Jersey and New York. Emigres are known, incidentally, as 'americanos'.

Bustantigo: this hamlet opposite the Freita (a Roman-era strip mining operation) is past the village of El Rebol.lu and beyond L'Altu la Marta.


The Mosqueiru de Fonterroxa and the Picu Panchón (1,411m or 4,629 ft) are the highest mountains in County Allande. There's a wind farm up at the summit now.


Mosqueiru de Fonterroxa, the view is from the Celtic hillfort and later Roman-occupied castro de San L.luis or San Chuis, above the village of Samartin de Beduleu.


San L.luis or San Chuis


San L.luis or San Chuis

[is]

This weekend (Saturday, September 1, 2007) is the traditional 'Ruxidoiru' in downtown La Puela (Allande or Ayande). The word 'ruxidoiru' means something that makes a lot of noise. I've heard it used by old folks to refer to toys made of wooden cogs that kids would twirl to make noise.

In this case, it's a small musical gathering that usually ends up in the Bar Centro of La Puela, where there's a 1940s-style dance ('agarraos') to the music of 'Aires del Palo', an oldtimers' band that includes a gaita and accordeon. El Rapigueiro, the local bagpipe and accordeon band, is organizing the event. Check out this page to see pictures of previous editions of the 'Ruxidoiru':

http://www.elrapigueiro.com/ruxidoiro_ast.html

Also, you can read the preview below by Ruben Ardura. If you're lucky to be in Asturias this weekend, definitely go out to Allande to enjoy some all-around Asturian fun. Note: the townspeople are very warm to outsiders and you'll soon find yourself dancing on the floor. It's an all-nighter too, so no need to go to sleep.

http://www.asturies.com/noticia.php?cod=28287
Ruben Ardura, 31/08/2007

Ruxidoiru significa principalmente ruíu, dalgo que ruxe, y eso ye precisamente lo que suel pasar n'Allande cuando s'entama un Ruxidoiru, que'l pueblu enllenase de soníos onde casi tolos ruíos se convierten en música asturiana. Pa comprobalo se puede dir esti fin de selmana hasta la Puela, capital d'Allande conceyu del occidente asturianu, a vivir el III Ruxidoiru onde va haber conciertos, charres, folixa, arriendes de presentar la banda de gaites la so páxina web.

El Ruxidoiru va entamar esti sábadu 1 de setiembre a les 18:00 hores nel salón d'actos del Conceyu d'Allande con Lauren García, autor del llibru "Versos como Sangre hirviendo", que va dar una charra titulada "pertenencias al viento" arriendes d'un recital de poemes inéditos del conceyu allandés. Darréu del recital, y aprovechando que la "Banda de Gaitas El Rapigueiro" cumple 10 años, va presentase la páxina web nueva del grupu de gaites. Tres del pasu pela rede d'internet, a les 19:30 va haber un pasacais y ruta pelos chigres collaboradores amenizada por bandines de tol país. Pela nueche, a eso de les 22:00 hores, va haber un conciertu nel local Klandestín con dos grupos asturianos, Nos d'Allande y Último Tren de Cangas del Narcea.

La xornada va acabar, como ye vezu nestos Ruxidoiros, nel Café Centro, onde a partir de les 23:30 va tocar la bandina local Aires del Palo, y onde de xuru tamién van echar un gabitu músicos de tol país pa que la música aguante hasta última hora y prebar la Tarta d'Ablana moyada en chocolate, reconstituyente nativu y reclamu bono pa nun perdese esti III Ruxidoiru.

[Art]

Sounds like fun! Too bad we'll arrive a month too late.

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¡Parece divertido! Qué pena que llegamos un mes tarde.

[is]

Don't worry, Art, we can always organize another Ruxidoiru in La Puela with the help of Elias Veiga and his band, El Rapigueiro. Just bring your pipes in October and we'll take it from there. One should never underestimate the human obsession with music.

By the way, a cousin of mine (who I have not met personally) sent me the link to the old Zardain farmstead/forge in El Mazu d'Abaxu. Santi, a grandson of Pilar Zardain, and his brother Jaime have remodeled the place and turned it into a rural B&B, including a cider tavern downstairs.

Take a look at their web site: www.casagayon.com