Asturian-American Migration Forum

Hola a todos,

antes que nada, Feliz Año Nuevo 2008!, de todo corazón.


Las “pandorgaes” o “cencerraes” son una especie de versos o bromas pesadas que se organizaban entre los vecinos, en particular los mozos del pueblo, medio en secreto, y que se ofrecia a los viudos o viudas que volvían a casarse.

Se utilizaban tambores, gaitas, latas, cuernos, palos, todo lo que a uno se le ocurría y se recitaban versos, mas o menos picantes dedicados a los contrayentes. La cosa duraba varios dias, desde antes de la boda y varios dias después. Así que acababan siendo molestas e incluso crueles para los recien casados. Aunque algunos podían utilizar la cencerrá para vengarse del vecino lo cierto es que se trataba mas bien de divertirse a costa de los recien casados.

La cencerrada no se hacía durante el día, sino que en la noche y escondidos en diversos puntos, en las proximidades de la casa, recitaban los versos que improvisaban o que ya tenían preparados.

Mi padre recordaba cómo estaban prohibidas las cencerradas y que en la última que recordaba llegó la guardia civil, alertada quizás por los propios casados que sabían lo que les esperaba. Cuando llegaban los guardias, todos huían o se escondían. Normalmente no agarraban a nadie porque el que más y el que menos, conocía el terreno y sabía escapar.

Algunos versos (de los menos ácidos) son estos :

-¡Ay Manín del alma,
te lo digo con cautela!
-¿Con quién te fuiste a casar? ...
¡Con un paragües sin tela!

Ay Manín, Manín
Qué bien lo decía la difunta,
Que pa non casate tú
Teníen que cortate la punta.

“Ay, Manín, Manín,
Si vien la difunta
y péscate enriba
córtate la punta”

Mientras estamos aquí
muertos de frío y temblando,
están Manín y Carmina
en la camina jugando.


--------------------------------------- TRANSLATION

Hello, everybody. Before starting, I wish you a Happy New Year 2008, in all sincerety.

The “pandorgaes” or “cencerraes” (I could not find a right translation for this word, but it derives from the word cowbell) are risqué verses or practical jokes organised among neighbors when widowers or widows returned to marry. The youth prepared the “cencerrada” in secret (but everybody, except the bride and groom, knew it).

The wedding day, at night, the young boys used drums, bagpipes, canisters, horns, sticks or any other thing, and the poems were recited.
This situation lasted several days, from before the wedding and several days later. So, it resulted annoying and even cruel for the newlyweds.

Although some neighbours could use the cencerrá to take revenge against one of the newlyweds, the true is that it was a question of entertaining at the cost of the just married. The cencerrada was not made during the day, but in the night. Hidden in different places, near the house of the newlywed, the people participating in the “cencerrada” aloud recited the impromptu poems or those that were previously prepared.

My father remembered that the “cencerraes” were prohibited. In the last one he remembered here, where I live, the Civil Guard came, alerted perhaps for the own ones married that knew what it was waiting for them. When the guards arrived, the yought all fled or hide. Usually, they were not cought because the one that more and the one than less, knew the land and how to escape.

Some “cencerraes” verses are as follows (these are very soft examples) :

Ouch, Manín of my soul,
I tell you with caution,
Whom you married with?
With an umbrella without cloth!


Ouch, Manín, Manín,
the deceased said it quite well,
for you not to get married,
your penis cut should be.

Ouch, Manín, Manín,
If the deceased comes back
and finds you on
she cuts your penis

While we are here
dying of cold and shaking
Manin and Carmina are
in the bed playing

I am so sorry for the poor translation of the verses, they do not rime as in the spanish version.

(Manin is the short version of Manolín, Manolo or Manuel)

That's interesting, Marta. Was this done only by boys? I can imagine that their ideas came from hearing their parents talk about the couple. It does seem rather cruel. Do you think it had any positive function in the culture?

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Eso es interesante, Marta. ¿Estaba realizada sólo por los chicos jovenes? Puedo imaginar que sus ideas vinieron de oír sus padres hablando de la pareja. Parece bastante cruel. ¿Crees que tenía alguna función positiva en la cultura?

Hola Marta Elena,
I very much enjoyed your tale of the young boys and their mischief! It reminds me of a tradition among the Amish in this area for newlyweds. However, it is not restricted to re-marriage for widows/widowers. I cannot recall each activity at this time; but the objective is to "distract" the newlyweds on their wedding night. All in fun and totally expected by all.
Thanks for your interesting postings! I enjoy each one.
Betty Vega Fockler

Hello Art, Hello Betty:

Me alegro mucho de que algunas costumbres asturianas les resulten divertidas; la verdad, lo son.

Art, creo sólo hombres participaban, ya que se hacían sobre todo por la noche. No estaba bien visto que las mujeres salieran por la noche y menos para hacer una cencerrada.

Las cencerradas parecen estar basadas en sistemas morales viejos. Las segundas nupcias o los matrimonios desiguales (por ejemplo, un viejo y una chica o una mujer muy rica y un hombre pobre) eran considerados como prueba de insensatez por parte del hombre que los realizaba. Este prejuicio que llega hasta hoy.....

El pueblo considera la cencerrada como un sistema de defensa de la moral pública, Parece ser que origen de este sentimiento contra las segundas nupcias viene ya de la antigua Grecia, pasando por los cristianos hasta época reciente.

Hoy dia ya no tiene sentido hacer “cencerradas” a los recién casados. Hoy son para los políticos o sus gobiernos.
Saludos,
Marta


------------TRANSLATION.

Hello Betty, hello Art:

I am delighted you enjoy some of our customs, they are really cheerful.
Art, I believe that only boys participated because the "cencerrada" was made during the night (it was not socially acceptable for girls go out at night, and still less for doing a "cencerrada").

The “cencerradas” seem to have their origin in old moral systems, according to which the second wedding (or even unequal weddings; e.g. an old man and a girl or a very rich woman and a poor man) were considered as a proof of the man’s foolishness. This prejudgement continues today.....

The people considered the cencerrada a way to defend the public moral. It seems that the origin of this feeling against second weddings passed from the ancient Greece to the Christians until the recent time.

Today it doesn't make any sense for people to make “cencerradas” against the just-married. Today, “cencerradas” are for the politicals or for the Govern.
Cheers,
Marta.

Betty's right! I knew I had heard of something similar but couldn't remember the context.

In the US we call that "shivaree" or "charivari" (which comes directly from French, and is related to a Latin word for "headache"), "a noisy mock serenade to a newly married couple."

Marta, in the US an old man who marries a girl or a poor man who marries very rich woman might be considered lucky. (But the women might be thought foolish!)

I like the idea of serenading politicians!

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¡Betty tiene sentido! Sabía que había oído hablar de algo parecido, pero no podía recordar el contexto.

En los EE.UU. lo llamamos "shivaree" o "charivari" (que procede de francés y está relacionado con una palabra latin que significa "dolor de cabeza"), "un simulacro de serenata ruidosa a una pareja recientemente casada."

Marta, en los EE.UU. un viejo hombre quien se casa con una muchacha o un hombre pobre quien se casa con una mujer muy rica se consideríaran afortunado. (¡Sin embargo, las mujeres quizás se pensarían tontas!)

¡Me encanta la idea de cencerrar a los políticos!