home Misc. Pictures Country Living Where we are What It's Like True stuff Lotsa lies
Picnic 2002 at Ponte do Porco
September 2002


Our friends in the village of Ponte do Porco have a picnic every August and we've gone to the last four. Unlike the fiestas held every summer to honor parish patron saints, this picnic is a social affair held by neighbors who get together just to enjoy each other's company.

The weather hasn't been good for the last three picnics, but it didn't prevent everyone from having a good time inside a big tent. (Marivi and I are card-carrying members of their Neighbors' Association now, in addition to the one in our own Ambroa Parish.)
 
Inside
It's a huge tent.  Here's a view from the corner of the bandstand.
We sat at a table in the back, near the center of this photo.
Our table
We shared a table with Fely Sanmartin (left) and her family. From left to right,
here's Fely, her mother, Marivi's mother, Victor (Fely's son), Rosa (Marivi's
sister, and Marivi. (The empty chair is mine.)

There's always some music at these picnics for folks to listen to, sing along with and dance to. This year, we had a group of young people from San Pantaleón play traditional folk music on bagpipes and drums. Then the trio Escala played more modern music for the dancing.


 
Gaitas and Tambores
Galicians always enjoy Celtic folk music played on gaitas and tambores
Escala
This trio played modern popular music for listening and dancing


Dancin'
Dancing to modern popular music
Kids dancing
Kids imitating TV dancers

While the adults danced at ground level, young kids danced onstage. They obviously had been watching the popular music programs on TV. The dancers on the TV programs are professionals and perform rehearsed routines while the music is going on. These youngsters apparently memorize some of the TV routines. They're not part of the scheduled entertainment at the picnics but put on quite a spur-of-the-moment show, anyway.