Bulletin # 423 November 2019
POTES, CANTABRIA
The population of Potes is located in the center of the Comarca of Liébana, where the rivers Deva and Quiviesa meet. Surrounded by a spectacular landscape and situated at the confluence of the four valleys of the Comarca. From the middle of the ninth century and from the final years of the Middle Ages it was linked to the House of the Marqués de Santillana, first, and to the Infantado, later. Potes is known as the city of bridges (hence its name) and of the towers . In a special way they emphasize the Infantado Palace (today the seat of exhibitions) and the Orejón de la Lama, both from the fifteenth century. The set of neighborhoods in the old part retains a great popular flavor and much charm; its alleyways and mansions (most with coats of arms) helps the visitor to imagine the past times full of history.
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE/ FROM THE PRESIDENT:
Next Sunday 10th of November, starting at 6:00 PM, we will have our House of Spain General Assembly. During this assembly we will give you a report on the status of our organization on this past year, continued by the elections of officers for the Board of Directors for 2020.
I, with my team, will run for president of our organization. It has been a pleasure to have been your president for the last ten years in a row and it will be an honor for me to be re-elected again.
In the last ten years we have improved our organization 100%, physically and financially, thanks to the different Board of Directors that have worked with me year after year.
Thank you for your support. Jesus Benayas
***************************************************************
El próximo domingo, 10 de noviembre, a partir de las 6 de la tarde será la Asamblea General de nuestra organización. Durante esta asamblea les daremos un reporte general de nuestra organización y se elegirá una nueva directiva para el 2020.
Yo, con mi equipo, me presentare una vez mas para presidente de nuestra organización. Ha sido un placer llevar nuestra organización por los últimos diez años y sería un honor para mí continuar como vuestro presidente.
En los últimos 10 años hemos mejorado un cien por cien la casita, físicamente y económicamente gracias a las diferentes Mesas Directivas que han trabajado conmigo año tras año.
Saludos y gracias por su apoyo. Jesús Benayas FIESTA DEL ORUJO IN POTES (CANTABRIA)
Each year, during the second weekend of November , the Fiesta del Orujo takes place in Potes (Cantabria), one of these annual autumn dates that is always worth attending. In this setting between mountains, capital of the comarca of Liébana, festivities are held approximately with the orujo as main protagonist. It is a celebration full of events to give value to a liquor so proper of the region as is the Orujo.
The Fiesta del Orujo in Potes, has its origin in the year 1984 when the organizing committee of the Fiesta del Aguardiente wanted to explain and make known the complex process of elaboration of the Orujo of Liébana. They also wanted to emphasize that to develop the Cantabrian Orujo they used alembics instead of stills as in the Galician orujo.
The meaning of the fiesta del Orujo consists in public distillation and later tasting of the Orujo, in the streets of Potes. The Orujo is made from the skins of grapes that are fermented and later distilled . All the Orujo that is distilled during the feast should be consumed during the feast.
In its program, which begins Friday afternoon and ends on Sunday night, are offered activities such as parades, concerts, parades of folkloric groups and gastronomic tastings, tastings of Orujo, commented tastings , cooking workshops and acrobatic cocktail bar with orujos of Liébana. With all of this, the Fiesta del Orujo, declared a Fiesta of National Tourist Interest in the year 2012, is a perfect date to know the historic village of Potes.
"The Village of the bridges and towers" stands out for its history and gastronomy. The greatest milestones to be seen in Potes are the Torre del Infantado, the Church of San Vicente and its numerous bridges. To see them one morning is enough, although to relax and live its isolated environment requires more days. As well, the ideal is to immerse yourself in the natural paradise of the Picos de Europa National Park.
A number of remains found testify to the fact that the territory was inhabited in prehistoric times. The Romans, Visigoths, and Arabs also left their footprints. After the Reconquest, the chronicle Alfonso III (c. 848-910), last king of Asturias and first one of León, mentions the repopulation which took place in the eighth century. It became the county administrative center in the tenth century and will soon begin to stand out for its commercial activity.
In 1808 Potes was the scene of hard struggles between the French and guerrillas of Liébana. The brave Cantabrians came to reject the enemy up to sixteen times. The French general Mahy boasted having managed to dominate them.
At the end of the nineteenth century, many locals emigrated to America . Those who triumphed built important buildings in the village on their return, in a style known as architecture of Indians. In 1937, during the Civil War, Potes was affected by a fire that destroyed its historic old town. This would be rebuilt and is considered an Asset of Cultural Interest, with the category of Historical Quarter. ACTIVITIES OF OCTOBER
OCTOBER 12: NATIONAL DAY OF SPAIN AND COLUMBUS DAY
With the attendance of many members and friends we commemorate our national feast uniting us as well to the celebrations that took place in Spain. The attendees were able to enjoy the friendship and camaraderie of all persons who attended as well as the toast and dinner that was offered. Many thanks to the volunteers who helped us to prepare this feast.
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES
GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND ELECTIONS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Curiosities of the Spanish language Spanish is the official language in more than 20 countries around the world and it is estimated that there are about 490 million Spanish speakers all over the planet. A language so widespread by force has to have a lot of peculiarities. We explain 10 curiosities of the Spanish language that perhaps you did not know.
First Spanish language text Until a few years ago it had always been said that the first written text in Spanish were those known as the Glosas Emilianenses, handwritten notes made a little before the year 1000 in the margin of a codex that is saved in the Riojan monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla. It is believed that its author was an anonymous monk who translated the Latin of the codex to his mother tongue, which then had already begun to be Castilian. Currently, a text of the year of 959 known as Nodicia de kesos disputes this merit. Attributed to the monk Ximeno, the one responsible for the pantry of the Monastery of Saints Justo and Pastor, in the community of La Rozuela, the Nodicia de kesos is in reality a grocery list, the inventory of cheeses which the religious carried. Longer words The longest word that appears in the Dictionary of the Royal Academy is electroencefalografista (23 letters) (electroencefalographist); while the longer words without repeated letters are: vislumbrándote (14 letters) (glimpsing you), calumbrientos (13) (dazzling), and centrifugados (13) (centrifuged). Words with the 5 vowels The Spanish language has many more words with the five vowels than might seem to us, but none has the vowels in order (aeiou) and only three have them backwards (uoiea): sudorífera (sweaty), sudorienta (southeast), and cuodlibetal. The shorter words with the 5 vowels are: eufonía (euphony), euforia (euphoria), and eubolia (7 letters) (eubolia); and among the longest, with 15 letters, are: cumplimentarlos (fill them out), instrumentarlos (implement them), reconstructivas (reconstructive), and transcurriremos (we will pass). Numbers with curiosities Mil (thousand) is a unique number, it has a characteristic that no other has: this is the only one that does not contain any E nor any O. The number 5 is also curious, in its case because it is the only one that has so many letters as its name indicates. Palindromes The palindromes are those words or texts that can be read the same from right to left and from left to right, that is to say they are symmetrical. Examples of palindrome words in the Spanish language are: reconocer (recognize), acurruca (snuggles), somos (we are), arenera (sandbox), and sometemos (we submit). Also there are palindrome phrases, which each can do according to its imagination, as for example: "la ruta natural" ("the natural route"), "se es o no se es" ("is it or is not it"), and "yo haré un imán a mi nuera hoy" ("I will make a magnet to my daughter-in-law today"). Anagrams An anagram is a play on words that is to create a word from the reordering of another. For example: ecuatoriano (Ecuadorian) contains the same letters than aeronáutico (aeronautic), argentino (Argentinian) than ignorante (ignorant), irónicamente (ironically) than renacimiento (Renaissance) and cleopatra (Cleopatra) than aceptarlo (accept it). It not only has the five vowels but each one of them is repeated two times. Twists The word "pedigüeñería" ("pedigree") has the four twists that a term may have in our language: the tilde of ñ, the dieresis above the ü , the tilde of the accent and the point above the i. Fruits and vegetables in the Spanish language The last of the curiosities of the Spanish language has to do with the variety of names that we the Spanish speakers have to denominate the same product. If we traveled through Spain or Latin America and we stop to eat in a restaurant it can happen that we do not understand anything of what the menu offers us. Fruits and vegetables have their own name according to the dialect of Spanish that is spoken. The following is a list with the names in the Spanish of Spain and with its variants in the Spanish of Latin America: Albaricoque (Apricot): durazno (peach), damasco (apricot), chabacano (peach). Berza (Cabbage): col forrajera (collard greens), col silvestre (wild cabbage), repollo salvaje (wild cabbage). Cacahuete (Peanut): maní, mandubí. Fresa (Strawberry): fresón, frutilla, fresera, amarrubia, madroncillo, mayueta. Guisante (Pea): arveja (green pea), chícharo (green pea). Maíz dulce (Sweet corn): adaza, arcazaba, arto, artua, borona, cañota, choclo, dacsa, espigón, farfolla, mazorca, mijo turquesco, millo, paniza, panocha, panoja, trigo de indias, trigo de Turquía, jojoto, elote, olote, jilote.
YOUR VOTE COUNTS
Sunday November 10, 2019
From 6 to 9 PM
IN OUR CASITA IN BALBOA PARK
We invite all members to this important meeting in which we will know this year's activities and plans and programs that we will have in 2020. In addition, we will elect the members of the new Board of Directors that will carry out each and every one of the proposals that they plan.
Remember that all members are the heart and soul of our institution and your presence is very important!
GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND ELECTIONS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE HOUSE OF SPAIN/CASA DE ESPAÑA IN SAN DIEGO
Sunday November 10, 2019
From 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
IN OUR CASITA, IN BALBOA PARK
We invite all members to participate in this important meeting where you will be given a report of this year's activities and plans for the next year, and then we shall elect the members of the Board of Directors for 2020.
YOUR PRESENCE IS VERY IMPORTANT, DON'T MISS IT!
OPENING OF THE CASITA
We thank Pedro Ramón, Arkady Chernin, Alejandro Paredes, Nina Yguerabide, Regli Dee,
who helped us to open the Casita during the month of October as "ambassadors"
attending to the numerous public that visited us.
Board of Directors
President: Jesus Benayas 619-462-7982 Vice president: Nina Yguerabide 858-453-4158 Secretary: Penelope Bledsoe 619-876-3248 Treasurer: Philip Hinshaw 619-448-8858
Advisors Angeles Leira, David Buenaventura. Carlos Fernández, Giancarlo Taylor, Álvaro Baeza, Pedro Romon Diaz
Sergeant at Arms Henry Herms Editor Cecilia Anguera Tel: 858-278-8664
Consulate General of Spain in Los Angeles http://w ww.maec.es/consulates/losangeles House of Spain, Casa de España in San Diego is a private, non-profit organization, whose purpose is to preserve and disseminate Spanish culture in the community of San Diego. The views in this bulletin do not necessarily reflect the thinking of House of Spain, Casa de España in San Diego.
P.O. Box 33064, San Diego, CA 92163 Phone (619) 615-3188 http://www.houseofspainsd.com Email: [email protected]
To read the Bulletin in English, visit the web page of House of Spain/Casa de España in San Diego: http://www.houseofspainsd.com