Upon moving up North, I have noticed that most people are fair skinned with lighter eyes and hair. It is not common, yet not crazily un-common to see a blonde haired, blue eyed Asturian walking the streets. I even have a student that I figured was a foreign exchange student from Sweden. Turns out his name is Carlos...
It did not take too long to discover that Asturias has a Celtic past, and, well, present... I guess that would also mean it has a future, right?
Along with whitey skin, la gaita (the bagpipe), is a huge part of Asturian culture. Shit, there is even a sidra (cider) named El Gaitero (the bagpipe player). Forget "OLE" and flamenco, here it is all about the kilt.
On the streets today, I heard proof. As I walked home from running errands I heard a dad yell at his son:
- "No me toques la gaita!"
- Literal translation: Don't touch my bagpipe!!
- Meaning translation: Leave me alone!
And I walked home happily, laughing alone.
Check out this map of current Celtic nations... I hope you are just as surprised as I am... or am I the only one who did not know Celts ever left the greater Ireland/Scotland metro area?
UP WITH YER KILT
