When I was very young, my grandfather told us a story that told about a caraway that was captured by a cunning slut. When the caraway was about to be eaten by the fox, the bird, smarter than the mammal, told him he had to say I ate the caraway! so that everyone knew how scary it was. Obviously when the slut opened her mouth to scream I ate the caraway! the bird flew off and said You will eat other fools but not me! And my grandfather laughed while I told him making all the grandchildren laugh too even if we didn't understand almost anything he told me.
The other day we were able to attend a street representation like those that happen in the thousands of villages in Spain during the summer, in which they told, with much more time, dedication and paraphernalia the story of the caraway. While I was watching, I thought about my daughter and that the tradition seems to be maintained and that stories from many years ago are still alive and well.
They also told riddles, sang songs, involved children and adults and put many on the table classic ingredients and condiments full of appeal to children. There was the Enriqueta suitcase, the Lola pan, the Sara and Tamara spoons and the Julieta tambourine that was cousin of the Enriqueta suitcase. That pun, that way of remembering things, that smile that enlightens children is very typical of these artists who travel the villages telling classic stories.
For more than an hour the kids were entertained with the stories of the caraway, with the most classic songs, a fragment of the song of the Vaccine was sung that seems so wonderful to me, with riddles, with much participation of the children and also of the elderly. One of the things I liked the most is that the artists observed that the children were very far from them, so they begged them to come and sit on the floor, with the culete stuck in it, and very close to them. They showed that they didn't need any barriers or physical space between them and the children. Very much appreciated.
And the elders were able to advance our positions, attend the show and keep an eye on the children. Why Now in summer, the good weather allows the street to become a leisure space with many live performances and fill it with the thousands of smiles that children give us every day.
In Peques and More | Nelson Calderón, storyteller, Storytelling in RTVE Image | Marcos López
