THE BONFIRE OF THE QUINTOS. VALDECABALLEROS

Date: Holy Week, 8, 24 and 31 December.

It should be pointed out that two kinds of quintos (by tradition, military conscripts) are distinguished each year: the adults and the boys. The so-called adult quintos are those who have their eighteenth birthday that year, and the boy quintos are those who will be seventeen.

The small bonfire

The boy quintos burn a great bonfire (called la lumbre chica) in the square on 31 December. Years ago, the firewood had to be stolen but nowadays they spend all day collecting it and then bring it on trailers. The fire is lit at midnight, when the New Year begins and they entran en quinta or begin their time as quintos.

The panderetas

On 8 December, when they are already adult quintos, they celebrate the festival of the pandereta (tambourine), when they hand out wine to the people. They organize a meal with the donations they receive. At night they take out the tambourines and play them and sing until the early morning. Some days later, the quintos look for a pine tree, cut it down, bring it to the square and place it there, and then decorate it like a Christmas tree. When the holidays are over, they meet again and take it down.

The large bonfire

On 24 December, the quintos meet again and go off to the countryside to collect firewood and bring three or four trailers loaded with it to the square to make another great bonfire called la lumbre grande. This does not mean that it is the biggest bonfire, but rather that it makes them big. Some families keep a cock for this day and for each quinto.

The quintos arch

In Holy Week, when the quintos are nearing their nineteenth birthdays, they hold the last celebration of their group which is, without doubt, the most beautiful, the making of the quinto arch.

Early in the morning on Holy Saturday, they go off to the countryside and collect branches four or five metres in length, scrub (broom and thyme) and two pines, that they take to both sides of the corner of the square alongside Constitution Street.

                               Building of The Quintos Arch

These pines serve as a base and support for the arch; the branches are bent until they reach the right shape to form an arch, which is placed and tied between the two pines. It is then dressed with the scrub that they have brought in the morning. While some quintos deal with this operation, others go around the outskirts of the town and take whatever they like from the gardens, generally green plants: garlic, beans, laurel, flowers, etc. All these plants are also placed on the arch over the first layer of scrub.

Each quinto has his own flag which has been embroidered by his girlfriend or his family.

They are nailed onto the two pines, above the height of the arch. Once the arch is completed, the quintos have the obligation to take guard under it, standing in the way of any person. Nobody can pass under the arch except for the quintos. They stay there, guarding the arch, until midnight, when the Encounter procession takes place.

The arch stays up all night but, early the following morning, the quintos take it down and sell, house by house, all the decorations from the arch: the laurel, garlic, oranges, beans, flowers, etc. The sale is symbolic; a laurel leaf, for example, can be sold for one, two or five euros, according to the buyer’s will. With the money collected by the quintos, they pay off their debts and organize a meal, thereby putting an end to the quinto celebrations.