Lunes de Aguas

I would like to share with all of you a wonderful holiday that is only celebrated in Salamanca.  It is called Lunes de Aguas and takes place eight days after Easter.  This unique holiday originates in the sixteenth century during the reign of King Phillip II, who ordered that all "public women" vacate Salamanca during Lent.  Every year on Ash Wednesday, a priest would escort the prostitutes to the other side of the Tormes River.  Two Mondays after the end of Holy Week and Easter, the prostitutes would be escorted back into the city by the priests and students, a great cause for celebration.  To commemorate this great day, Salmantinos would gather on the banks of the river to eat and drink with their friends.  The tradition continues today despite the long-time absence of these scandalous women.  Yesterday, I made my way down to the river with nearly our entire program to have a picnic.  On one side of the river, there were students drinking to excess at four in the afternoon.  On the other side, I witnessed the family-friendly version:  Parents fondly watching their children play games alongside the river.  Angelita packed us girls a slice of hornazo and an orange to have as a picnic-style dinner on the banks.  Hornazo is a typical dish eaten on Lunes de Agua and consists of pastry-wrapped chorizo and hard-boiled eggs.  You would not believe how many people were having picnics yesterday afternoon.  Salamanca shut down.  The tourist shops, restaurants, and offices closed for the day...even more than during the Christmas season.  It was a blast.