Celebrating ‘Las Pascuas ’ in Gibraltar over the Ages

In a bid to promote local literature Gibraltar Cultural Services has highlighted authors and literary enthusiasts. In today’s newspaper Manolo Galliano writes about his newest book ‘Pan Dulces and Mince Pies: A Llanito Celebration of Christmas Traditions and Memories’.

By Manolo Galliano
It is said that Christmas comes but once a year and no sooner are we packing away our swimsuits, that we are confronted by a steady and subtle campaign (some could say ‘avalanche’) of slick marketing reminding us that the Season to be Merry is just round the corner! Shelves and shop windows in our stores and supermarkets commence to groan with festive fare of all kinds – mince pies and plum puddings, postcards and wrapping paper together with boxes of baubles and many other decorations. Nevertheless, despite this crass commercialisation of Yuletide, Christmas still manages to cast a magic spell of general bonhomie and conviviality on this Rock of ours.

We tend to use a variety of expressions, such as ‘The Christmas Season’ and ‘Yuletide’, ‘Las Pascuas’ and ‘Las Navidades’ to describe such a long-established and popular event which, in fact, although commemorating the birth of Christ Jesus in Bethlehem over two millennia ago, is actually rooted in the Roman festival of Saturnalia. This religious festival surprisingly had similar connotations to the manner and form in which we celebrate Christmas in the present day. This latter event, dedicated to the Roman God Saturn, was held from 17th to 23rd December and became an occasion for the decoration of public places, the exchange of gifts and candles and general instances of feasting and merriment.

In the present day, this important festive season, with its Christian liturgical meaning, continues to hold a special place in the hearts and minds of the Gibraltarian community. Suffice it to say that the memories of these past local festive events undeniably possess a deep felt Llanito flavour and will often trigger memories for all those who have enjoyed it over the years. It is a time to hark back to when we were young, a moment to recapture lost innocence and the ideal occasion to be close to family and friends. So, despite the daily worries and problems that might lurk in our lives, Christmas will forever have a certain special aura about it, so long as we endeavour to celebrate it in peace, joy and hope.

In this respect, I considered that it was about time to set these past memories and thoughts (some of them of a personal nature) into print and produce a book which would endeavour to record these local traditions and customs which have been and continue to be an intrinsic part of our Llanito heritage. Entitled Mince Pies and Pan Dulces, this present publication has again been carried out as a joint venture with my fellow collaborator, Victor M. Hermida, whose photographic images will undoubtedly assist the prospective reader to better visualise the context of the information presented.

The festive celebrations contained in this new book cover the period from 8th December (Feast of the Immaculate Conception) through to 6th January (the Epiphany), including the ‘red-letter days’ of Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve. It also contains personal reminiscences, vignettes and significant events of the recent past including the 1940s Evacuation period and the immediate post-war years when Gibraltarian families endeavoured to ‘make do’ at a time of separation, strife and economic difficulties.

Furthermore, two Appendices have been added – the first of which contains a selection of some of the traditional villancicos and Christmas carols often sung at this festive season. Most of the verses of these songs and ditties differ substantially from the original ones, containing as they do instances of both political and ribald refrains which are of a purely local nature. Appendix Two, entitled ‘Grandma Araceli’s Christmas Recipes’, provides step-by-step recipes of a number of sweet delicacies traditionally enjoyed at Christmas.

This Christmas book, which is published by the Gibraltar Heritage Trust, is available for sale at their shop premises at the Main Guard, John Mackintosh Square. It is recommended that purchases of this publication be made as early as possible, especially taking into account the reference to a 1950s advertising festive jingle, contained in the said book: “… y si no se apresura a comprarlo – se queda sin ello para Navidad!” (…and if you do not hasten to buy it - you’ll fail to have it by Christmas Day!)

Finally, I would just propose that we should all follow the example of Charles Dicken’s cantankerous and miserly character, Ebenezer Scrooge, in his famous novella A Christmas Carol, when he contritely avowed: “I will honour Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year.”