A Spanish people adorns its streets by Corpus Christi

On the night of May 28, 1964, in the town of Elche de la Sierra, Albacete (Spain), a group of ten young people left their homes in hidden and, patiently, covered the ground with chips dyed along the route that would make the procession of the Corpus Christi the next day.

After the feat of these young people, at dawn, colorful carpets decorated the streets of this corner of Spain. Without knowing it, they had started what would become one of the most entrenched traditions in Castilla La Mancha.

In conversation with ACI Prensa, Andrea López, from the press department of the Association of Carpets of Serrín in Elche de la Sierra, founded in 1990, explains which initiative arose from Francisco Carcelén, who, when observing the carpets of flowers that were held in Barcelona during the feast of “The Octave of the Lord”, was inspired to turn his people into a beautiful canvas.

“In our town there were not many flowers, and the blacks and shades abounded. Francisco and his friends painted them and without anyone knowing the people, who woke up full of colors,” he says.

To do this they used the chip of the nearby sawmills, which stained with the dyes that Carcelén used for their clothing business. Over the years, the chip was replaced by Serrín, which, although similar, is finer.

López comments that last year, shortly after the solemnity of Corpus Christi, Francisco Carcelén died, “so this year is a special tribute to him.”

Last Sunday, June 22, as every year, Elche de la Sierra was adorned for the party that honors the true and real presence of Jesus Christ under the appearances of bread and wine.

Everything was possible thanks to the effort of the neighbors who, divided into 30 “rocky rocks”, created mosaics with religious and decorative scenes. “About 600 people participate in the elaboration of these carpets, covering the streets throughout the night with designs that have been prepared for months,” says Andrea.

The streets are distributed based on the position of the previous year, and according to priority, since “first choose the three winners of the previous year.”

“To my rock we have this year in the Church Square, it is the first carpet, so the responsibility is enormous,” he adds. “First we delimit the perimeter with chalk and then we start with the design. We usually start at 6 in the afternoon, but the most difficult time are from 11 at night until 8 in the morning. We do not stop at any time, because otherwise it does not give time,” says Andrea.

Each group competes to achieve the most spectacular design of this ephemeral art, whose mosaics last a few hours, due to the passage of the Corpus procession.

“Tourists always vote, so that it is more objective, since among all those of the people we know each other,” says Andrea. In addition, it ensures that the “most shocking” designs are those of religious motifs. “One of the special awards is for the design that is made in the church, under the altar.”

Although the custom of Serrín’s carpets was consolidated in the 1960s, the tradition of colored carpets, especially made during Holy Week, already previously existed in Spain. The Spaniards introduced it in countries in South America, such as Guatemala, Mexico or Peru, where it is still preserved.

It is also done in other countries, although with different materials. In Italy, for example, the infioratawhich can be translated as “decorated with flowers.”