Strange findings in Portugal and Galizia

[Rainerbernd]

Olá,

You are on your way and follow a call of nature, you may encounter something very strange. Off path you can find a small "altar" with candles, a bottle with some liquid, cigarettes and a cross or a doll. Maybe this never happens to you, but if, here is the answer:

People make a macumba on there. It has little to do with christianity. Mostly they make macumba to varios gods or saints for getting a love, money, health and so on. Some practioners purport to use it to inflict harm, illness etc. on other people for various reasons.

Portugal and Galicia are catholic countries. But in newspapers you will find so many adverts by witches, sorcerers and fortune tellers.

Bom caminho, Rainer
.

 

[beiramar]

Macumba is a Brazilian- African tradition though.
Some immigrants will probably do it, but it's not very wide spread.

Traditional Galician beliefs, myths and rituals are different though. They are a mixture from old pagan roots that survived the imposed catholicity over hundreds of years.

These myths do resolve a lot around the forces of nature, creatures living in the mountains, inside rocks, caves and under water.
Many of these have mixed up with Christian beliefs over time, it's always exciting to read and hear the magical histories, many of which do even include Xacobeu/São Tiago.

 

[Rainerbernd]

Macumba is a Brazilian- African tradition though.
Some immigrants will probably do it, but it's not very wide spread.

Traditional Galician beliefs, myths and rituals are different though. They are a mixture from old pagan roots that survived the imposed catholicity over hundreds of years.

These myths do resolve a lot around the forces of nature, creatures living in the mountains, inside rocks, caves and under water.
Many of these have mixed up with Christian beliefs over time, it's always exciting to read and hear the magical histories, many of which do even include Xacobeu/São Tiago.

Olá beiramar, you described the myths and rituals in norther Portugal and Galicia very well. Talking about macumba. The locals in Portugal do their rites in a different way, but they adopted the term from the immigrants. Dont´t get confused. We, the tripoeiros, call it macumba, but it´s different from the Brazilian-African tradition.

Btw. the people of Porto are called tripoeiros ~ tripe eaters~ while the Lisbons are called alfacinhas ~salad eaters~

 

[KinkyOne]

Btw. the people of Porto are called tripoeiros ~ tripe eaters~ while the Lisbons are called alfacinhas ~salad eaters~

I guess I'd be called tripoeiros then, good to know

And the Pagan beliefs in Galicia are fascinating to me, so thank you very much for posting
@beiramar

 

[beiramar]

Btw. the people of Porto are called tripoeiros ~ tripe eaters~ while the Lisbons are called alfacinhas ~salad eaters~

It's spelled tripeiro by the way.

If anyone is interested in Galician mythology, feel free to ask me for books about it. I recently finished my master's degree at the University of Porto about the topic.

 

[Camembert]

It's spelled tripeiro by the way.

If anyone is interested in Galician mythology, feel free to ask me for books about it. I recently finished my master's degree at the University of Porto about the topic.

Parabens !

 

[beiramar]

Parabens !

Muito obrigada

 

[Pelegrin]

Olá,

You are on your way and follow a call of nature, you may encounter something very strange. Off path you can find a small "altar" with candles, a bottle with some liquid, cigarettes and a cross or a doll. Maybe this never happens to you, but if, here is the answer:

People make a macumba on there. It has little to do with christianity. Mostly they make macumba to varios gods or saints for getting a love, money, health and so on. Some practioners purport to use it to inflict harm, illness etc. on other people for various reasons.

Portugal and Galicia are catholic countries. But in newspapers you will find so many adverts by witches, sorcerers and fortune tellers.

Bom caminho, Rainer
.

Macumba is not a tradition in Galicia. Actually I am from rural Galicia and I had to learn from internet what macumba is. I don´t think that the presence of adverts in newspapers about fortune tellers or witches is superior to the average in Spain.
In our European mitology, we have:
Meigas (witches).
Mouros ( they live under the ground and have different superpowers).
Santa Compaña ( A procession of dead people)
Wolfmen.

 

[beiramar]

For all of you interested in pagan mythology connected to Christianity and the Camino de Santiago, I recommend to read about Raíña Lupa! Super interesting stories!

For classic hero mythology have a look at Breogán.

 

[Rainerbernd]

It's spelled tripeiro by the way.

If anyone is interested in Galician mythology, feel free to ask me for books about it. I recently finished my master's degree at the University of Porto about the topic.

Olá beiramar, Muito obrigado pela correção: erros de ortografia são, por vezes, irritantes.
Você tem um masters - parabens.

 

[SYates]

Can you post some links to these, pretty please, @beiramar ? Thanks and Buen Camino, SY

 

[beiramar]

I attached a picture of some of my favorite books around the topic.
You should be able to purchase all of these in a well sorted bookshop in Santiago.

I do especially recommend the Mitoloxía de Galiza which really features all myths and creatures sorted by alphabetical order. Very fun to read!

There are some books that focus on the Galician mythology as being Celtic/ of celtic origin. These authors should be read with some caution... this ideology is a result of the period in which some Galician artists tried to create a past that is not related to "Arabic" Spain but to the "superior white races of the north".
This doesn't mean there is no Celtic heritage in Galicia, it just means these texts are often connected to a fascist ideology.

 

[Satírico]

It's spelled tripeiro by the way.

If anyone is interested in Galician mythology, feel free to ask me for books about it. I recently finished my master's degree at the University of Porto about the topic.

Greetings,

I am interested and would be grateful for reading recommendations on Galician folk legends. I am incorporating Galician identity into my Master's thesis.
Philip

 

[beiramar]

Greetings,

I am interested and would be grateful for reading recommendations on Galician folk legends. I am incorporating Galician identity into my Master's thesis.
Philip

I'll answer you later, I'm out for a hike just now!

 

[Pelegrin]

There are some books that focus on the Galician mythology as being Celtic/ of celtic origin. These authors should be read with some caution... this ideology is a result of the period in which some Galician artists tried to create a past that is not related to "Arabic" Spain but to the "superior white races of the north".
This doesn't mean there is no Celtic heritage in Galicia, it just means these texts are often connected to a fascist ideology.

The Celtism in Galicia apart from a very few cases is not associated to fascist or racist idiologies.
In Franco times and before, Spain was officially an unitary state inhabited by only one ethnic group: The Spaniards. Its signs of identity were: sun, guitars, flamenco, bullfights, a black bull that sometimes appears on the flag, paella, etc...
In Galicia we din´t have any of these signs of identity, but we had bagpipes (and other things). So, some nationalists (celtists) thought: we are really different people, we are not in the Spaniard group, we are in the Celtic group.
That means that the Celtism in Galicia establishes only cultural differences.
Curiously, now in a semifederal state, Galicia is much more integrated with the rest of Spain. Nationalism is very minority, only 6 deputies out of 75 in parliament in the last elections and the celtism is basically reduced to Music Festivals and some jewelry.

 

[Satírico]

The Celtism in Galicia apart from a very few cases is not associated to fascist or racist idiologies.
In Franco times and before, Spain was officially an unitary state inhabited by only one ethnic group: The Spaniards. Its signs of identity were: sun, guitars, flamenco, bullfights, a black bull that sometimes appears on the flag, paella, etc...
In Galicia we din´t have any of these signs of identity, but we had bagpipes (and other things). So, some nationalists (celtists) thought: we are really different people, we are not in the Spaniard group, we are in the Celtic group.
That means that the Celtism in Galicia establishes only cultural differences.
Curiously, now in a semifederal state, Galicia is much more integrated with the rest of Spain. Nationalism is very minority, only 6 deputies out of 75 in parliament in the last elections and the celtism is basically reduced to Music Festivals and some jewelry.

Thanks for sharing this point of view. I am very interested in the question of celtic identity in Galicia.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

I've heard a great mix of opinion and knowledge on "Celtic Spain." Some say it's a made-up heritage cobbled-together to give the Gallegos something to differentiate them from the rest of Spain (something akin to the Victorian invention of Scottish clan tartans); others say the Gallegos are genetically linked to the Irish, Scots, and Normans; others say the Celts were in Galicia so briefly they could not have had any lasting influence on the local culture or genetics or beliefs...

Does it matter? All religion is a bit of this, a bit of that. (A few years ago we had a Czech pilgrim here who worships fire. And a year later, an Italian pilgrims stopped, and recognized the marks of blessing he left on our doorways... she holds the same beliefs!)

 

[TerryB]

Thanks for sharing this point of view. I am very interested in the question of celtic identity in Galicia.

The Celtic identity of Galicia is included in a study on DNA analysis by Stephen Oppenheimer - "The Origins of the British". He postulates a pre - Iron Age migration along the Atlantic seaboard. Galicia has been struggling for a number of years to have its Celtic identity recognised and has been rejected by the other "Celtic Nations" because it lacks a Celtic language! However, the linguistic links are there in river (Tambre in Galicia and Tamar in Cornwall have the same Celtic root) and place names.
Mythology / religion is only one of many connections between North-west Spain, Brittany, Cornwall, Ireland and Wales.

Terry B

 

[TerryB]

Thanks for sharing this point of view. I am very interested in the question of celtic identity in Galicia.

If anyone is interested in university level studies here is a link:- http://www4.uwm.edu/celtic/ekeltoi/volumes/vol6/index.html

Blessings
Tio Tel

 

[Satírico]

Thank you very much for sharing the link.

 

[Mimimata]

It's spelled tripeiro by the way.

If anyone is interested in Galician mythology, feel free to ask me for books about it. I recently finished my master's degree at the University of Porto about the topic.

Hi I am interested please! Four years later

 

[jungleboy]

Btw. the people of Porto are called tripoeiros ~ tripe eaters~ while the Lisbons are called alfacinhas ~salad eaters~

So long as this thread has been bumped, it's not 'salad eaters' exactly but 'little lettuces'. Since the Portuguese word for lettuce (alface, and the diminutive alfacinha) is derived from Arabic, it is supposed that this nickname comes from Lisbon's Muslim time (714-1147) during which it is said that abundant lettuce was grown.

 

[Pelegrin]

So long as this thread has been bumped, it's not 'salad eaters' exactly but 'little lettuces'. Since the Portuguese word for lettuce (alface, and the diminutive alfacinha) is derived from Arabic, it is supposed that this nickname comes from Lisbon's Muslim time (714-1147) during which it is said that abundant lettuce was grown.

In Galego is leituga. This is a good example to explain why the two languages (Galician and Portuguese) now are different. In the case of Portuguese, among other things, due to the introduction of Arabic words after the conquest of the South.