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The Planting of the Poplar of Casas Altas

Casas Altas, El Rincón de Ademuz, Valencia

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The Planting of the Poplar of Casas Altas

Curiosity · Casas Altas, El Rincón de Ademuz, Valencia

Image of Casas Altas, not of the place itself.

Ancestral ritual of Casas Altas, in the Rincón de Ademuz, linked to the Pascua Florida of late May or early June. The poplar is planted in the plaza de la Iglesia (today plaza de Serafín Manzano), at the foot of the bell tower, and remains there until the Assumption of the Virgin, on 14 August. It is related to propitiatory rites of agrarian fertility typical of spring festive-tree celebrations. The ritual unfolds in four phases: young men select and fell a poplar from the riverbanks, strip and clean it, carry it on their shoulders to the square and plant it with ropes and supports. In the past a live rabbit was hung from its top, tied by the legs, like a greasy pole, for some young man to climb up and untie it; today it is replaced by a rabbit skin stuffed with straw.

Photo: Panotxa (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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