Santa Águeda

The celebration of Santa Águeda is here again. This is a special day for the ladies of the village which starts in the bar with breakfast.

As you can see from the photo above there was a good turnout.

Breakfast consisted of a hearty jamón bocadillo.

In the afternoon there was the service in the church...

...and Santa Águeda was taken around the village.

After the service everyone returns to the salón for the special cakes,...

...cava and entertainment.

A good time was had by all!

Santa Águeda

This year it was the turn of our peña to organise the celebration of Santa Águeda.

The morning started with breakfast in the bar which means the ladies have a hearty bocadillo de jamón y tomate.

And here's Santa Águeda herself in the photo below, not in the church for the mass this year as the church is still undergoing renovation, but in the school room, where the service is held in the afternoon.

The ladies of the peña wear their traditional dress...

...and at the end of the service Santa Agueda is taken to her shrine then...

...around the village and back to the school room...

...where specially blessed pieces of sponge cake are given out as people leave.

To see my video of the mass, click HERE.

Also having being blessed during the service are the cakes which are then taken to the salón next to the bar...

...where they are consumed with cava and dancing ensues.

To see my video of the ladies dancing, click HERE, and to see everyone dancing the Conga, click HERE.

A highlight at this point in the proceedings is the singing of the Jota de la Torre where the peña join the musicians on stage.

To see my video of this event, click HERE.

As part of the entertainment, the peña performed 3 dance routines which were very well received.

To see the 'Mamma Maria' dance, click HERE.

To see the 'Jo 'n' Jo Tango' routine, click HERE.

To see the performance of the 'Cowboy Charleston', click HERE.

In addition there were two performances of sketches which were hilarious. Their explanations are next to the videos.
You can see the first by clicking HERE, and the second one as shown in the photo above, by clicking HERE. 

And so, at the end of an exhausting day, especially for the ladies of the peña, it was time for a meal...

...and finally a chance to relax!

Santa Águeda

The day of Santa Águeda is celebrated by all the women of the village of Torre del Compte starting with a breakfast cup of special chocolate and churros in the bar.

As can be seen in the photo below, it is a celebration which involves all ages and the eating of churros with hot chocolate is a very serious activity.

In the afternoon there was a mass in the church attended by all the ladies.

The choir and musicians were in fine form as usual.

Her name, Águeda, means "Good, Virtuous" and evokes her qualities. Águeda was a young Sicilian girl from a good family who was extraordinarily beautiful. Fate led to Senator Quintianus taking a liking to her. The continual rejections of the young girl angered him so much that he ordered her torture and that her breasts should be cut off. One year after her death, Águeda intervened by stopping an eruption of Mount Etna. This miracle elevated her to the status of Saint. Since then she has been invoked against breast pains and fires. The special cakes shown in the photo above, are blessed in the church. They are traditionally decorated with a cherry on the top and symbolise the breasts that the virgin Santa Águeda had removed 

In the photo above is the permanent shrine which is located on a street corner in the village.

The statue of Santa Águeda is taken around the village at the end of the mass.

The ladies then return to the hall next to the bar for cava and the cakes and dancing and singing!

A great way to celebrate a Saint!