New non-religious festivities in Spain

Abstract

Spanish society has undergone a profound transformation since the death of dictator Franco. One of its most relevant manifestations relates to popular festivities. The rigid Catholic morality that dominated the festive space, controlled by relentless censorship, gave way, with the democratization of political institutions, to profane festive behaviors, in which the playful aspect is central. This article aims to summarize the evolution of festive rituals in the last eighty years, highlighting the current trends and influences: secularization, coexistence of formal models, institutional interventionism, integration into the European framework, incorporation of women as protagonists, dynamism of associations and exaltation of military prowess. In this last point, we highlight the conversion of the scheme of struggle between two factions – which monopolized the celebrations of Moors and Christians, from medieval roots and based on the triumph of true religion – into civic-historical recollections (especially Roman and Napoleonic invasions) of profane and even pagan content, as is the case with recent and numerous festitivies in Galicia.