Arde Lucus

It all started with a red poster that appeared one day in shop windows, bus shelters and posted along empty walls. It was hard to tell what the event was about because other than the name ´Arde Lucus´ at the top and the black silhouette of roman helmet or building at the bottom there was little other information. The first people I asked told me they thought it was an opera and then looking on the website I found a program of events along with costume and hairstyle reccomendations http://www.ardelucus.com/. I had also heard something about free cloth distribution, so I set out the next day to look into it. I found myself in a line-up (well actually two, but I made a deal with another woman to wait in one line for me, while I waited in the other for her) outside of the music house. I had a couple friends join me and eventually take over waiting while I excused myself to teach an English class. At the end of the two and a half hour wait and due the high demand we ended up with material for a Celtic Lepress costume.

The next day I met my friend Daniela to start sewing the costumes. I think the last time I had used a sewing machine was when I was about 10 years old, but luckily it is a little like riding a bike. On the first day we sewed a very simple dress and then on the second and third days we worked on the cape. We made a rather elaborate design by cutting the cloth into a half circle shape, hemming the edges, making fitted shoulders and then by adding a pointy hood (if needed the hood could also be used for a Semana Santa Nazareno outfit)

On the Friday afternoon we put on the newly sewn costumes and walked around to check out the event. Inside the roman wall banners were put up and down the streets, new statues of the cities Roman founders were put up in the main square and in front of the city hall a small wooden fort had been built. In the main square you could now walk through a small market set up in tents where you could buy bread, meat, cheese, jewellery and other trinkets, and meanwhile roman soldiers marched through the streets and a few horse drawn chariots went by. People greeted us by saying ´Ave Caesar´however since we were Celts we did not respond, luckily no one tried to take us as slaves. It was a short trip back in time because the skies opened up and it started to pour rain.

The next day the festivities continued and so did the rain. At the end of the costume parade we took shelter in a small bar at the corner of the Rosalia Park. Umbrellas did not go with the costume so we had to wait the downpour out, but lucky for us we were ´stuck´in the bar with a group of a couple bands from the parade. It was wet and quiet after that until midnight when a crowd gathered for the Queimada in front of the city hall. There were several cauldrons of burning orujo, a large man dressed in a grass costume chanting a spell over the drink and some shrieking `meigas` (witches) accompanied by gaitas (bagpipes) to liven everyone up. The program listed activities until 5am and I am sure the party continued even later, but I snuck home to bed a little earlier.