This weekend was full of some very fun activities! As many of you know, Saturday, April 22 was Earth Day all over the world. To celebrate our planet, I had the opportunity to head over to a small town in Salamanca to help clean up the town. Then, on Monday, we celebrated an interesting holiday in Salamanca, known as Lunes de las Aguas. All day was spent by the river with friends, special treats, and of course, plenty of laughter.

Earth Day: Going into this day, I was not exactly sure what the day had in store for me. I knew that I had signed up for a “Give Back Project” with API and that we would be going to a small town to clean up the local river, but that was about all I knew. As the day began bright and early, I found myself surrounded by good friends that would make the day go by easier. After a relatively quick bus ride, we arrived in El Escurial de la Sierra, a tiny town that was had a stark to the cobblestones roads in Salamanca. Upon arriving, we met the town’s mayor, introduced ourselves with silly games, and then were split up into two group: one that would work at the river and one that would work in the fields. I elected to go to the fields with my friends, which turned out to be quite an interesting experience. We began by picking up trash and ended by picking up large rocks! Although I felt strange disposing of rocks, it turns out that the rocks were being moved to make the fields more comfortable and workable for the cows and local farmers. 


After several hours of clean up, the mayor treated us by letting into her pasture to see her beloved cows. It was such a great experience, and I wanted so badly to pet them. The cows, however, preferred to keep their distance. We then were treated to lunch, played traditional Spanish games, and relaxed in the shade. After such a fun day with old and new friends, we headed back to Salamanca. I can honestly say that I would not have wanted to spend Earth day any other way!


Lunes de las aguas: Once Monday rolled around, I was more than ready celebrate this holiday that is specific to Salamanca and Castilla y León. Before I came to Salamanca, my Hispanic Studies advisor had mentioned a funny little holiday that I would be celebrating near Easter, and Lunes de las aguas was just that holiday. Historically, it is quite an odd day of celebration. Hundreds of years ago during Lent in Salamanca, all of the city’s prostitues (yes, prostitues) were banished to the country and river banks. Why, you may ask? Basically to rid the city of temptation and lust during such a holy and religious time near Easter. On Lunes de las aguas, however, all of the prostitutes who were once banished arrived back to Salamanca in such a lavish manner. The townspeople, having been without the prostitutes for so long, celebrated this day by convening at the river awaiting their arrival. Nowadays, there are no prostitutes being welcomed back, but rather all of the people in Salamanca either flock to the countryside or riverbanks to spend time with friends and family while eating the famous hornazo and drinking vino and cervezas. 


As a new to town, I knew that I needed to celebrate this local holiday as well! I gathered with several friends from my study abroad program, and we headed down to the river with hornazo in tote. We got there pretty early and were able to pick a nice shady spot with plenty of room for the others who planned on joining us later in the day. Hours passed, and eventually almost all of our program was crowded around in a circle laughing and enjoying the warmth of the sunshine. More people were also starting to flock the riverbanks as the day progressed, but I did not realize just how many people were at the river until the evening. It was absolutely packed! It was amazing to see how many people there were celebrating and just enjoying one another’s company. 


In all these two celebrations taught me a lot about the importance of community. To see young people wake up early on their weekend to go clean up trash and pick up rocks because they want to is inspiring. The power of our tiny community can truly impact the lives of others. Then on Monday, seeing so many people come to gather and just be in the presence of one another was beautiful. The holiday itself is just centered around people being with one another, which I think we need more of in this world. People coming together and just doing life together. Wow. What an amazing weekend.