Lunes de Aguas
Lunes de Aguas ("Water Monday") is a festival in the city of Salamanca and other locations in the Salamanca province. It has been characterized as a symbolic and ritual break with the penitent solemnity of Holy Week. It is celebrated on the Monday after Easter Monday in the city of Salamanca, while some other towns celebrate it on Easter Monday itself.
History
The festival dates back to the sixteenth century when Philip II of Spain issued an edict that banished prostitutes from the city of Salamanca during Holy Week.
The prostitutes left for the other side of the river on the outskirts of the city, only returning at the conclusion of Holy Week. This homecoming became the excuse for a celebration, marked by copious drinking while escorting the prostitutes back across the river.
The director of the exile and return of the prostitutes was a priest by the name of Padre Lucas, who became known as "Padre Putas" (Whore Father).
The festival today
The Lunes de Aguas festival was banned, or perhaps faded away, during the 17th or 18th century. However, it has since been revived. Today it is marked by picnics, a festival atmosphere, and the eating of "hornazo"—a pastry stuffed with chorizo, pork loin, hard-boiled egg, and other ingredients. This food was also a symbol of breaking the Holy Week fasts, and a practical measure as well, as chickens continued to lay during the fasting period and so egg dishes became very popular immediately afterward.
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