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Gaita gastoreña

El Gastor, Sierra de Cádiz, Cádiz

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Gaita gastoreña

Curiosity · El Gastor, Sierra de Cádiz, Cádiz

The gaita gastoreña is a single-reed aerophone native to El Gastor (Cádiz), related to bagpipes from other Spanish regions: in Spain similar instruments are found only in Madrid and in the Basque Country, where it is called the alboka. It consists of a single reed, a perforated wooden sound tube and a resonance bell made from a horn. Traditionally it was played from November onwards, when young people made their gaitas beside bonfires to liven up the nights at the end of the year, and it fell silent once Christmas ended until the following year; today it is played at Christmas and at Corpus Christi, a festival during which a gaita gastoreña contest is held in the town. It also lends its name to an annual flamenco festival dedicated to the guitarist Diego del Gastor.

Photo: El Pantera (CC BY-SA 3.0)

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