Heard the one about the Christian, the Moor and the American?
Tomorrow, we'll help the locals celebrate the feast of the patroness of Sitges, St Tecla. The day consists of church and state, as it were, but the main event is the parade of giants and devils all powered along with music, dancing and noise. And firecrackers, and more firecrackers until it's impossible to make any more noise. Fire, the purifying element, is everywhere. Along with the devils, the parade features two fire beasts: the "Fera Foguera", a kind of dragon, and the the "Aliga", a fabulous eagle-like creature that rushes about spitting fireworks.
Dominating all, though, are the giants. They proceed in pairs: the Christians, the Moors and the Americans. This being Spain, one can understand the presence of Christians and the Moors, but Americans? Well, you see, the Catalan connection with the Americas goes back a long way. But it's not all exile. Take Jean Leon. He headed off to the States in 1947, but came back in 1963 and establshed an excellent wine business. We can recommend his Muscat. Funny how the Christians, the Moors and the Americans are centre stage in Sitges as well as in those other parades — life, politcs, civilizations (clash of)... When the noise has ended, when the streets have been cleared, when the shutters have been taken down, we'll be found here.
