Alghero and a Pageant

 

Alghero is the Italian name of a town in Sardinia, but perhaps I should better have used L'Alguer, the Name in Alguerese [1]. Alghero had been conquered by Catalans in 1354 and the town has retained the language since the end of the Middle Ages. Algherese or Alguerese [2] is a variety of Catalan. Catalan was replaced first by Spanish, then by Italian and is recognized as a minority language today. Quite an achievement! But the number of speakers is constantly diminishing. My guess is that Alguerese has deviated from Catalan, but is going back to Standard Catalan, especially after Catalan has been recognized in Spain as one of the languages of this country. On the other hand Alguerese has loanwords from both Italian and Sardinian [3]. Let's see how it develops in later time.

Alghero bit us welcome with a pageant, which was part of a festival of culture (Adifolk), which unites Alghero with Catalonia [4]. The old town of Alghero was literally flooded by folk groups from Catalonia with dances, music, songs, and costumes. The event is part of the Sant Miquel Festival 2021 (the celebrations in honor of the patron saint). We could see Bastoners (they were rhythmically beating clap sticks), Gitanes (Gypsies), Capogrossos (Bigheads), Gigants, and others.

 

 

Former Catalan Prime Minister Carles Puigdemont wanted to take part in the Catalan event, but had been arrested upon arrival [5]. He was released by an Italian judge and left the penal institution in the city of Sassari in Sardinia, which is bout 30 km away from Alghero.

Only after the unexpected vibrant and loud event we looked at the the old city, which showed a remarkable tranquil aspect.

Links and Notes:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alghero
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algherese_dialect
[3] https://www.academia.edu/5492085/LAlguer_Alghero_a_Catalan_linguistic_enclave_in_Sardinia
[4] http://algherolive.it/2021/09/23/ladifolk-ad-alghero-la-festa-della-cultura-unisce-lisola-alla-catalogna-al-via-laplec-ecco-il-programma/
[5] https://www.derstandard.at/story/2000129934996/anhaenger-auf-sardinien-feierten-puigdemonts-freilassung

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