Muixeranga
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The ''Muixeranga'' () is the collective name given to the performance of ancient
street dance Street dance is an umbrella term for a large number of social dance styles such as: breakdancing, popping, locking, house dance, waacking etc. Social dance styles have many accompanying steps and foundations, created organically from a culture, ...
s and
human pyramid A human pyramid is an acrobatic formation of three or more people in which two or more people support a tier of higher people, who in turn may support other, higher tiers of people. People above the bottom tier may kneel or stand on the shoulders ...
s or ''
castell A ''castell'' () is a human tower built traditionally at festivals in Catalonia, the Balearic islands and the Valencian Community. At these festivals, several ''colles castelleres'' (teams that build towers) attempt to build and dismantle a t ...
s'', originating in the ancient
Kingdom of Valencia Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...
(currently the
Land of Valencia The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid with ...
), which are still preserved in the town of
Algemesí Algemesí () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Ribera Alta in the Valencian Community, Spain. The town of Algemesí is one of the major centres for the production of citruses in Spain, and several cooperatives are based there. This is due ...
, southwest from
Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
, and certain other Valencian towns. The ''muixeranga'' is much more than an artistic
acrobatic Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance (ability), balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sports, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most ...
dance. It is a collection of ancient human choreographies of enormous
plasticity Plasticity may refer to: Science * Plasticity (physics), in engineering and physics, the propensity of a solid material to undergo permanent deformation under load * Neuroplasticity, in neuroscience, how entire brain structures, and the brain it ...
illustrating various figures and shapes, which are held during the Algemesí town festival (September 7 and 8th), in honor of the Virgin of Health (''Mare de Déu de la Salut''). The ''Muixeranga'' resembles the modern ''
casteller A ''castell'' () is a human tower built traditionally at festivals in Catalonia, the Balearic islands and the Valencian Community. At these festivals, several ''colles castelleres'' (teams that build towers) attempt to build and dismantle a ...
s'' in many ways, the latter being spread all over
Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...
. Both traditions share the same origin, the "Moixiganga", (a series of dances of human towers) once found throughout the
Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...
. Muixeranga differs from
casteller A ''castell'' () is a human tower built traditionally at festivals in Catalonia, the Balearic islands and the Valencian Community. At these festivals, several ''colles castelleres'' (teams that build towers) attempt to build and dismantle a ...
s mainly in that the ''Muixeranga'' has a religious background and is accompanied by a traditional dance, it is also focused in the height of the
human towers A ''castell'' () is a human tower built traditionally at festivals in Catalonia, the Balearic islands and the Valencian Community. At these festivals, several ''colles castelleres'' (teams that build towers) attempt to build and dismantle a t ...
, but focuses also in the complexity and technique in order to create a
plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...
, figurative scene.


La Mare de Déu de la Salut Festival The Festivity of La Mare de Déu de la Salut is a festival celebrated in Algemesí (Valencia), Spain, from August 29 to September 8. The festival is in honour of the patron saint of Algemesí, La Mare de Déu de la Salut, and has been dated bac ...

The feast day of Our Lady of Health, patroness of Algemesi is September 8, and commemorates the legendary discovery in 1247 of a statue depicting the Madonna and Child. The image venerated in the town since the mid-twentieth century is a replica, because during the Civil War the original image of the Virgin of Health was destroyed, as was the chapel. The festival appears to have originated in a street party in the area of the Chapel of Finding and gradually spread to other neighborhoods. The main celebration in held on 7 and 8 September, is preceded by a novena at the Chapel of the Finding, which begins August 29 and ends on September 6. The festival has preserved traditional dances and music, and has served as a source for the recovery of dances that formally existed in other locations and have been able to be re-established. The involvement of the town's inhabitants is the foundation upon which the continuity of this celebration is based. Each ritual works and has been prepared independently since the 18th Century. From the “Muixeranga” through to each of the dances, the different variations and musical scores have been passed from generation to generation. In the early 18th Century the dances belonged to different guilds; for example, the “Muixeranga” was the domain of construction workers, the “Carxofa” of the weavers, and so on. But social changes brought modifications to this custom and the traditions opened up to include people from other professional sectors. UNESCO has recognized the ritual, festive and community participation dimension of the Valencian celebration Our Lady of Health as part of the "intangible heritage of humanity"."Unesco declares Algemesí Muixeranga intangible heritage of humanity", ''el Periódico'', 28 November 2011
/ref> The Festivity of “la Mare de Déu de la Salut” has been studied by ethno-anthropologists, sociologists and historians. It has inspired artists, musicians and poets. All of these people have remarked on the breadth of the cultural content of this event. Artistic groups such as the “Muixeranga”; dances like “els Bastonets” or “els Tornejants”; or the music that accompanies the performances are all the result of having conserved a fundamental part of the cultural heritage of an entire town. It was this popularity and interest in the tradition that led to the creation in 2002, of the Museu Valencià de la Festa (a Museum dedicated to the Festivity); which offers exhibitions and research into the Festivity. At the centre, visitors can learn about the history, the ritual acts, the dances, the music and the costumes of the celebration, as well as enjoying many stories from the event.


Origin and evolution

There are several theories on the origin of muixeranga, especially in relation to its name. The first theory advocates that the word comes from the
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
word ''mochain'', meaning "
mask A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment and often they have been employed for rituals and rights. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practic ...
". A second theory links it with ancient processions held on the streets to commemorate some special event. Even though the tradition in the
Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...
may date back to the 13th century, the first written record of the ''muixeranga'' in
Algemesí Algemesí () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Ribera Alta in the Valencian Community, Spain. The town of Algemesí is one of the major centres for the production of citruses in Spain, and several cooperatives are based there. This is due ...
can be traced to the first third of the 18th century. However, its constant, strong presence suggests a much older origin. The first solemn celebrations of the Virgin of Health happened in 1724, so this is the earliest that the muixeranga could be linked to this celebration. However, the first concrete date comes from the town account book in the year 1733, when the
dulzaina The dulzaina () or dolçaina (/) is a Spanish double reed instrument in the oboe family. It has a conical shape and is the equivalent of the Breton bombarde. It is often replaced by an oboe or a double reeded clarinet as seen in Armenian and ...
players employed in the festival were given an annual stipend. The guilds were the real driving force behind the event, and in changing times, they died out. The Muixeranga began to wane and by 1973 it had almost disappeared altogether. A group including writer Martí Domínguez i Barberà, Mayor Manuel Rico, Vicent Raga, festival organiser in the Capella neighbourhood, and Father Vicent Castell Maiques, with the support of the students’ association Associació d'Antics Alumnes dels Maristes, were responsible for re-launching it under the guidance of Tomàs Pla. A year later the Friends of assossiació Muixeranga was founded."Muixeranga", Museo Valencia de la Festa
/ref> Eloi Miralles, a member of the Colla de Castellers de Vilafranca del Penedès, arranged for the muixeranguers to visit the Penedès capital and on August 31, 1978, the Muixeranga rose up in Villafranca's main square, banishing forever that lack of visibility which might have proved fatal.


Processions


The Promeses Processó

At nightfall on 7 September, the beginning of the festivities is signaled by the ringing of the bells of the Basilica of St. James the Apostle. When the ringing stops and silence descends, the first notes of the flutes are sounded and the first of the processions begins. The procession, which begins with the mysteries and martyrdoms, (short theatrical pieces, performed by groups of children), has a scrupulous order with the towers of the Muixeranga second, followed by the Bastonets, the Carxofa, the Arquets, the Pastoretes, Bolero or llauradores.


Processoneta of Mati

On the morning of September 8, there is a second, shorter procession known as the ''Processoneta of Mati''.


The Volta Great

The procession called the Volta Great, starts about 4:00 p.m. and is the longest, lasting over seven hours. Starting from the Basilica of St. James, the traditional dances of Algemesí and the image of the patron pass back through the old city, repeating the original itinerary of 1724.


Characteristics

After the mysteries and martyrdoms, all the processions display a series of dances; the Muixerangas leads the rest. The Muixerangas, a set of tableaux composed of human towers and representative figures, has several stages, and opens with all muixerangueros dancing in two rows with candles burning. The dance is accompanied by the music of drum and flute. The muixerangueros then form a human tower moving to the sound of the music. The tower is topped by a child with open arms. The forms of the Muixerangas assume plastic or pliable shapes that open or appear to form different figures which have all Marian symbolism. The Valencian town of Algemesi and its Muixeranga, lays claim to being the origin of the ''
castell A ''castell'' () is a human tower built traditionally at festivals in Catalonia, the Balearic islands and the Valencian Community. At these festivals, several ''colles castelleres'' (teams that build towers) attempt to build and dismantle a t ...
s'' found throughout Catalonia. The people composing the castles are usually a group of men, of virtually any profession, but preferably of strength and physical skill. Nowadays, around 200 men participate in the plastic figures, but historically there were not more than thirty. There is a master, or conductor, which coordinates the dance and the human castles, towers and other figures, as well as admitting and training new people. The clothes are idiosyncratic in many ways. They are composed of a shirt, trousers, farmer's shoes and sometimes a special hat. The fabric is coloured with vertical red and blue stripes on a white base, like a
harlequin Harlequin (; it, Arlecchino ; lmo, Arlechin, Bergamasque dialect, Bergamasque pronunciation ) is the best-known of the ''zanni'' or comic servant characters from the Italian language, Italian ''commedia dell'arte'', associated with the city o ...
. It seems that this strange appearance is unintentional. Older people can still remember that they were once made from old mattress fabric. Accompanying the group, some young members carry some jugs cut in half and painted with stripes with typical colors of the same muixeranga (designed by former member Juan Ezquer in 1973) which serves to collect funds for the activities of Muixeranga.


Music and symbology

The dance is accompanied by the music of tabalet (a
drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...
) and
dolçaina The dulzaina () or dolçaina (/) is a Spanish double reed instrument in the oboe family. It has a conical shape and is the equivalent of the Breton bombarde. It is often replaced by an oboe or a double reeded clarinet as seen in Armenian and ...
(valencian
shawm The shawm () is a Bore_(wind_instruments)#Conical_bore, conical bore, double-reed woodwind instrument made in Europe from the 12th century to the present day. It achieved its peak of popularity during the medieval and Renaissance periods, after ...
), with a very old characteristic tune, of unknown author. Some people striving for the recovery of the Valencian culture and its language, such as
Joan Fuster Joan Fuster i Ortells (; 23 November 1922 – 21 June 1992) was an influential Spanish writer. He is considered a major writer in the Valencian language (a dialect of the Catalan language), and his work contributed to reinvigorate left-wing, pr ...
, have suggested the music of the Muixeranga as an
anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...
for the
Valencian Community The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid with ...
.Viadel, Francese. "The Muixeranga: a Long Journey", ''Mètode'', University of Valencia, 2012


See also

*
Acrobalance Acrobalance is a floor-based acrobatic art that involves balances, lifts and creating shapes performed in pairs or groups. A performer on the ground doing the lifting and supporting in an acrobalance formation is often called the ''base'', while ...
*
Acrobatic gymnastics Acrobatic gymnastics is a competitive gymnastic discipline where partnerships of gymnasts work together and perform figures consisting of acrobatic moves, dance and tumbling, set to music. There are three types of routines; a 'balance' routine ...
*
Govinda sport Dahi Handi (also known as Gopal Kala or Utlotsavam) is an entertainment and Competition, competitive event associated with Krishna Janmashtami, the Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Krishna. During the event, which takes place during Augus ...
, events to celebrate the birth of
Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...
*
Gymnastic formation Gymnastic formation is a collective art based on gymnastics expressed by 30 to 5000 figurants using only human bodies without instruments. It is commonly presented in Japanese schools as a part of physical education curriculum. The expression of t ...
*
Human pyramid A human pyramid is an acrobatic formation of three or more people in which two or more people support a tier of higher people, who in turn may support other, higher tiers of people. People above the bottom tier may kneel or stand on the shoulders ...
*
Castell A ''castell'' () is a human tower built traditionally at festivals in Catalonia, the Balearic islands and the Valencian Community. At these festivals, several ''colles castelleres'' (teams that build towers) attempt to build and dismantle a t ...
or Human tower


Notes


References

*Bertran, Jordi: ''El Ball de Valencians. De la dansa a les torres'', Quaderns de la Festa Major, 12, Ajuntament de Tarragona, 1997. * Vestirse para la Fiesta: el baile de “les Llauradores” de Algemesí. * Algemesí: Ayuntamiento de Algemesí, 2002. * Un mundo de “Muixerangues” Ayuntamiento de Algemesí, 2004. * Literatura popular sobre la “Mare de Déu de la Salut” de Algemesí (1924-1925) Ayuntamiento de Algemesí, 2004 Colección Algadins, 16. * La “Muixeranga” de Algemesí” Amigos de la “Muixeranga”, 1997 . * La “Mare de Déu de la Salut” de Algemesí Basílica Menor de San Jaime Apóstol, 2004.


External links


Non-official web of the Muixeranga
(part of the information of this article has been extracted from this web, with permission)
Nova Muixeranga from Algemesí

Web Official of Moixiganga of Vilanova and the Geltrú

Facebook Official of Moixiganga of Vilanova and the Geltrú
* Museu Valencià de la Festa. www.museuvalenciadelafesta.com * Asociación del ritual de La Muixeranga d’Algemesí: www.muixeranga.net * Asociación “Ball de les llauradores”. www.llauradores.com * Ajuntament d’Algemesí. www.Algemesí.net * Escola Municipal de Tabalet y dolçaina d’Algemesí, creada en 1973. www.lainestable.com {{World Heritage Sites in Spain September events August events Festivals in Spain Tourist attractions in Valencia Spanish folklore Valencian culture European folk dances Spanish dances Spanish folk music Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity Human towers Events in Valencia