Some keys to the history of the zambomba (4): Religious and secular verses

I commented in the previous entry, using the words of Professor Virtudes Atero of the University of Cadiz, that the oral ballad: “had been lovingly preserved in the conscience of the people” until its rescue well into the 19th century by the romanticism of the time. (On the cover, the painting 'Flight to Egypt' by Murillo and an engraving of Mr. Don Gato)

Many people have been curious about the coexistence in the zambombas of lyrics of a marked religious nature (alluding to the Birth of the Child God) and many others of a profane nature, even satirical burlesque, that have nothing to do with the Gospels and their narration of the Christmas events. Here is a possible answer.

Why are verses that are not specifically Christmas-themed also sung in zambombas?

Connecting with the entry dedicated to the ballad, it can be seen that its subject matter is as broad as it is differentiated. Broadly speaking, within the diverse literary corpus we find the own ballads “of the Christmas cycle” containing lyrics alluding to the Birth of the Child God (such as “The Paths They Made” o «When the Eternal», to cite an example). A category, so to speak, that encompasses all the compositions proper to Advent; liturgical time of preparation and that comes from the Latin Adventus Redemptoris. Which would be translated, more or less, as "arrival of the Redeemer." One can even carry out a catechesis following the tenor of the meanings of this Christmas lyrical body.

At first, they shared a table with bell-ringers, typical of the rosaries of the dawn, but due to their temporal proximity they led to the zambomba. Also, among the religious letters of the same, remains of ancient sacramental autos can be seen. ("Tell me, child, who you belong to") and, curiously, some Christmas carols that have been inspired by the apocryphal gospels (*1). A good example is the ballad of "The Virgin and the Blind Man" (found in the log of the Flight into Egypt). There is no record in the synoptic gospels that the Mother of the Child God performed any miracle (*2). But in that specific verse, Mary, who always appears in the Scriptures as a mediator, does perform a miraculous act by restoring the blind man's sight as a reward for offering him some oranges, since the waters of the river were murky and could not be drunk (in this area it has been sung with the refrain 'long live love / long live the laurel'):

The Virgin, as she is so pure (* 3), does not take anything more than three,
and the child, being so childish, wants to catch them all…
The Virgin leaves and finally the blind man begins to see:
—Who was this lady who did me so much good?
—It will be the pure Virgin and the patriarch Joseph

(*1) It could be the apocryphal gospel of pseudo Matthew, which is usually dated to the XNUMXth century.

(*2) Curiously, the miracles of the Virgin Mary also appear in the Cantigas a Santa María, which are attributed to the wise king Alfonso X. A manuscript that includes 427 compositions in honor of the Virgin Mary, most of them to tell of different miracles worked by Her.

(*3) In another of the many versions, the lyrics say: "the Virgin as she is so short," in the sense of demure.

There are other examples, such as that of the foul-mouthed farmer who sees his harvest turn into stones, while the other, understanding, sees his wheat grow in abundance through a miracle of Mary; which I insist are not known in the official Gospels. But we cannot dwell on each verse and its theme, as it would be a very long-winded task.

The reason is that the ballad was sung throughout the year and not just at Christmas.

A good part of the ballad It was sung throughout the year, divided into festive or seasonal cycles. Did you know that there was a cycle of ballads specific to Lent and Holy Week? But this custom of getting together to sing was gradually lost until it was practically only practiced when Advent arrived.

The neighbors and families, once gathered around the candles, would sing the Christmas songs when the time came to celebrate. In Jerez they have always been called "Christmas Songs." start dates of the zambombas There are many theories. Some suggest that they began on the Immaculate Conception bridge until Christmas Eve. However, more in-depth studies could indicate – we are talking about much longer ago – that they began in the month of December, once the month of the dead had been respected, and continued until the day of the Three Wise Men.

In any case, once the zambomba was celebrated and already in action, people were singing one song after another. It was then that The people would remember many others which were lodged in their collective memory and had nothing to do with the religious celebration itself. Along the way, the repertoire expanded to fill the long winter nights for hours and hours. Let us remember that back then there was no television or radio and most of the zambomba players lived in neighbouring houses.

From children's songs to erotic-burlesque couplets

With the aim of a mere entertainment, the lyrical body of the zambomba was extended to romances of all kinds until it was perpetuated as a amalgam of couplets of very different origins. They included children's songs and those of quintos (which the young girls sang to their boyfriends when they went to military service or to war), old ballads (such as the already studied Don Bueno or «Al pasará por Casablanca»), enumerative songs giving life to a turkey, satires on the clergy or erotic-burlesque couplets (seeking the knowing wink between the women when they met together: «Father, priest, my husband / wants to step on my foot» ). And a long etcetera…

This historical sedimentation of popular elements was shaping an oral heritage of enormous richness. A lyrical body of its own, of the already known zambomba, in which we can cite couplets of very diverse subject matter. As “The Sailor Overboard” (Conceptionist vote); “Mr. Don Gato” (children's song); The bell ringers (dawn rosaries – moral sentences such as “Jesus disguised as a poor man”); “The Twelve Words Returned” (enumerative – Christianization of ancient pagan songs) or “The priest being there” (burlesque satire on the clergy – burlesque erotic content)… And these are just a few notes because there are many more.

Continued ...

Jose Maria Castano @caminosdelcante