Barbastro lived its magical and sweetest festival, Crespillo, to which it added its 28th edition this Sunday, gathering a multitude of residents and guests who formed long lines to taste the sacred table.
Crespillo is a ritual table from Somontano and other regions with a tradition of olive oil. Oral tradition tells that in the houses of the farmers, for the Ascension of the Virgin (March 25), this table was made with a base of borage leaf – in some places spinach leaf is used, flour, egg, yeast, anise, covered in flour; orange cupid, cinnamon stick – the recipe varies depending on the cook). They ate the grapes on the day of the Incarnation as an example of sympathetic magic so that the olives would be pregnant and bear abundant fruit on Christmas Day coinciding with the birth of Jesus.
30 years ago, Elita Davias, then Councilor of Culture in the City Council, decided to create this festival which was celebrated in the Plaza Aragon in a very modest way. Over the years it traveled to different venues until it settled decades ago in the Market Square, where it reached its peak this morning, gathering 16 fireplaces, four more than the last edition, where about 16,000 crepes were cooked distributed among the attendees. .
The part had the ingredients that cannot be missing: the music of the Peppers of Somontano, the Ladies of Barbastro, who distribute the crepes and the volunteers. Among these were representatives of neighborhood associations, social groups such as Down Huesca and Valencia, the hoteliers’ union, residents of Berbegal, the host town this year, women, merchants from the old town, the Red Cross, celiacs, children and stoves. , where two veterans, Iovita Pardinilla, who is over 90 years old, still comes to the party, and Dorita Mur, who has already passed away.
A group of traditions named Luis Montes, president of the neighborhood of Entremuro, Crespillero de Honore, and was loyal to him from the beginning. The mountains praised “the spirit of Barbastri, which are its traditions and characteristics. And among them is the ideas of Grupo Tradiciones, which are organized in a multitude of things. The group was founded by Elita Davias, who also created this festival day. Take this tasty table from the houses to the streets to new generations can make it happen. Today it is one of the most participatory festivals in the city’s calendar.”
Major Fernando Torres recognized the figure of Montes “who served as the city president of the neighborhood or the true messenger of the town. It is a great pride to pay this tribute to him, who has always carried the name of Barbastri in honor.” Torres also thanked the work of Grupo Tradiciones and especially its president Elita Montes “that they laid the first stone in 1994 and celebrated thirty years later, it shows it magnificently”.
Other towns in Somontano celebrated their crespillo festivals this Sunday, such as Estada or Castejón del Puente, these on the occasion of the La Bella festival.
