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The abarka (Basque), abarca or albarca (Spanish) is the traditional
The abarka (Basque), abarca or albarca (Spanish) is the traditional footwear
Footwear refers to garments worn on the feet, which typically serves the purpose of protection against adversities of the environment such as wear from ground textures and temperature. Footwear in the manner of shoes therefore primarily serves th ...
in Pyrenees
The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...
.
This sandal made in one piece of calf leather
Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hogs, ...
is tied by braided wool laces around the socks.
Note however that in Cantabria
Cantabria (, also , , Cantabrian: ) is an autonomous community in northern Spain with Santander as its capital city. It is called a ''comunidad histórica'', a historic community, in its current Statute of Autonomy. It is bordered on the east ...
, ''abarca'' is used for a wooden shoe
Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin tha ...
.''Vocabulario de Las Encartaciones, Cantabria, Las Merindades, Asturias, Palencia y León en las obras de José María de Pereda y Antonio de Trueba'', Txomin Etxebarria Mirones, 2004 .
They were supplanted by espadrille
Espadrilles (Spanish: ''alpargatas or esparteñas''; Catalan: ''espardenyes''; Basque: ''espartinak'') are casual, rope-soled, flat but sometimes high-heeled shoes. They usually have a canvas or cotton fabric upper and a flexible sole made of ...
s and rubber sandal
Sandals are an open type of footwear, consisting of a sole held to the wearer's foot by straps going over the instep and around the ankle. Sandals can also have a heel. While the distinction between sandals and other types of footwear can some ...
s for agricultural activities, but remain used for dance.
The Spanish name of the espadrille, ''alpargata'', is a derivative Mozarab ''al-párğa pl. al-parğāt'' of ''abarka''.
See also
*Avarca
The avarca (, plural ) is a type of sandal popular in the Balearic Islands (Spain), especially Menorca. The shoes are made using a leather upper and a rubber sole. Avarca is a traditional sandal originally developed in Menorca in the Balearic Isl ...
, a sandal from the Balearic Islands.
References