Published by Petra K. Tags: Erasmus blog Salamanca , Salamanca , Spain. Spain has many traditions and many public holidays โ even a little bit too much. The Semana Santa has just ended but they are already celebrating again: this time the so called Lunes de Aguas. Note that this tradition exist solely in the province of Salamanca. I was told that the name comes from the petticoat of the prostitutes they were wearing under their skirts, in Spanish enagua.
The Lunes de Aguas is celebrated always on Mondays โ logically โ, and it is always the first after the Resurrection Day. This time, it is the 4th of April. Lunes de Aguas is a tradition that dates back to the XVI.
Therefore, he decided to enact a law, which was about forbidding prostitution during Semana Santa in the city and exile the prostitutes to the other part of the river Tormes so that the man would not be distracted from the holy week.
They could not cross the Roman Bridge because they were living in sin. After a week of deprivation, the whole city, including the regular inhabitants were happy to see them again, so they gathered on the riverbank to wait for the arrival of the prostitutes, which was later followed by a huge celebration, where they were drinking and eating together.
Of course, the law itself does not exist anymore, but the people of Salamanca, and in the surrounding areas, still take the tradition very seriously โ so seriously that all my classes were cancelled and also afternoon classes at the university.
