THE PASSION OF CHRIST OF VILLANUEVA DE BOGAS
5 de April de 2023
Enjoy other festivals of Regional Tourist Interest: Oropesa, Méntrida, El Toboso and Mora
5 de April de 2023
THE OLDEST FESTIVAL IN SPAIN THAT TAKES PLACE ON THE SATURDAY AFTER THE HOLY WEEK (APRIL 9). AN ANCESTRAL FESTIVAL DECLARED OF NATIONAL TOURIST INTEREST.
The Mondas were celebrated in Roman times, and have remained until today, changing as the historical epochs succeeded each other. Something that is reflected in the most characteristic of this festival: its four historical floats. The first. It celebrates the Roman goddess of agriculture Ceres, and the marriage of her daughter Proserpina to Pluto. The second, from the Visigothic period, when the sanctuary of Ceres was transformed into a hermitage of the Virgin of Prado, and the feast celebrated the betrothal of the Virgin with Saint Joseph – today disappeared from the Christian liturgy. The third float is for the days of pain: in the plague that almost devastated Talavera in 1507, the city council and clergy made a joint and solemn vow to celebrate with honor the Virgen del Prado if she saved them from the epidemic. The fourth float, that of the Brotherhood of the Virgen del Prado, whose members have contributed to the splendor of the festival.
BETWEEN APRIL 9 AND 16, 2023 YOU WILL BE ABLE TO ENJOY THE KEY MOMENTS OF THE CURRENT CELEBRATION
THE PROCLAMATION OF THE FLOWERING LOG
During Mondas, on Easter Sunday itself, it was a tradition to ask for alms to be used to buy firewood for the benefit of the poor of the city. At present, on the same day the Proclamation of the Leño Florido is celebrated, in which the mayor, from the balcony of the Town Hall, invites you to participate and enjoy all the events that will last for a week.
THE PROCESSION OF MONDAS
It is the part of the festival directly related to its Roman origin, although with many nuances. The Cortejo de Mondas is a parade that takes place on the Saturday following the Pregón del Leño Florido and in which up to 3,000 people participate, who in groups and floats recall the history of the city linked to these festivities. The procession closes with the “Carrito de Mondas”, which recalls the ancestral origin of the festival and is pulled by two rams, full of thyme and flags.
THE MAYORS
The festival has always been considered regional and not only local. For this reason, the mayors of the surrounding area, almost 100, are today part of the final part of the celebration, at the time of the offerings. The mayor of Talavera gives a ceramic baton to each of his counterparts who, in return, give him the one representing their locality. They remember the Alfoz de Talavera, the old administrative extension of this city, which has nothing to do with today.
GAMONAL AND ITS TRADITIONAL “CARRO DE MONDAS” CLOSE THE PROCESSION OF THIS ANCIENT FESTIVAL OF NATIONAL TOURIST INTEREST.
The festival also brings together, as we have seen, the mayors and neighbors of all the towns of Talavera, who come with their own mondas and carts, and folkloric groups from all over Spain, who perform music and dances along the route. However, the closing of the parade is provided by the town of Gamonal and its traditional “Carrito de Mondas”, pulled by two rams and full of rosemary.
The purpose of all these wagons is to bring offerings to the Virgin of the meadow, like a bride in her betrothal to St. Joseph. The depositing of offerings, and the singing of the hymn of the Virgen del Prado by the choirs of Talavera close the celebration.
- Mondas Link: https://mondastalavera.es/
