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| Performers |
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| On balcony in Plaza de Constitucion |
San Sebastian Day
Jan 19th…on the stroke of midnight (Jan 20th)
We have been looking forward to this day all year. It’s San Sebastian Day, and we have been told all about the Tamborrada…24 hours of drumming. Our "Basque family” here in San Sebastian has arranged for us to be part of the celebration with their family.
San Sebastian day is celebrated on the birthday of the patron saint of the city. Despite this, the celebration has no resemblance to a religious festival. It really feels like a festival to celebrate the city of San Sebastian itself. It has a 4th of Julyish patriotic feel. This festival, known as the Tamborrada, is celebrated nowadays by 24 hours of drumming performed by groups of people dressed up like chefs and Napoleonic era soldiers, and some woman in traditional Basque dress of the same era. Historically It apparently started as a way to mock the French who were occupiers, and later driven out by the British(and buddies) towards the end of the Napoleonic wars. Locals would drum on pots/pans barrels using kitchen utensils to mock the French as they went to fetch their water from the public fountains. Ironically the “rescuers” burned and pillaged the city as they kicked out the French occupiers.
This is how we celebrated. We were invited over to our "local family's" house for a huge meal with multiple courses. This was held in Gloria's, the grandmother's "piso." She was the chef and there where 13 of us. It was an explosion of seafood, and of course good quality Iberian jamon (ham).
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| Midnight on the plaza |
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| densely packed crowd |
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| gap in the crowd (ick) |
An hour before midnight, 5 of us walked to the old town to Constitution Square where the crowd gathered. We were so lucky that an aunt, who lives in an apt passed down through the family in this historic square, invited us to participate from her balcony. The square was formerly used for bull fights. We ascended stairs that felt every bit of their 150 years, and entered the apt. We were handed the classic festival accoutrements, wooden drum sticks and a round wooden "drum" that looked like a trivet, and chefs hats. As we stood on the balcony, we had a birds eye view of the immense crowd that had gathered, packed like sardines, no way to move without some part of you touching some part of your neighbor (Claustrophobics stay home). At midnight on the dot the music started. The band played patriotic songs, the crowds sang with jubilation, drumming in perfect sync, and performing the movements required...undulating forward, or backward in movements that made me hold my breath with fear of fights breaking out or a stampede. On the stage dancers danced in traditional costumes, some in 19th century french/english military costumes, some as chefs carrying giant cutouts of knives, forks and spoons, and woman in traditional ceremonial Basque dress. This is an event where young people meet with friends and party hard carrying soda bottles spiked with alcohol into the square and later spilling out onto the streets, yet we saw not one fight break out or anything other than good cheer. Although at one point the the impossible occurred, a 6 foot circle of empty space appeared in the crowd. My friend mimed to me what had happened, clear communication in any language, someone "tossed their cookies"...she smiled wryly. After an hour the ceremony of drumming and singing patriotic songs in the square, it ended. It is traditional (for young people especially) to stay out partying for 24 hours. As we all walked home together we paused to enjoy the drumming performed by the many "sociedades” (gastronomic societies). Each that we saw had about 50 or 100 members participating. This marching and drumming went on in an organized way for 24 hours solid.
On the 20th during the day there was a giant parade. School kids, numbering 5000 in total, wearing their San Sebastian day ”military" uniforms, marched and drummed in rhythm, parading through town. Short grandmothers clawed their way to the front of the crowds that gathered along the parade route in order to get a treasured photo of that adorable grandchild.
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