Mention Aragon and most people think of the Queen divorced by Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon.
c.1214
In the Middle Ages, Aragon was a kingdom in the northeastern part of Spain. It included what is now Catalonia. The map at right demonstrates that a large part of Spain was still dominated by Muslim peoples in 1214. The struggle by the christian kings of Spain to reconquer Spain went on for hundreds of years, and is also part of the plot of my book, set in 1107.
In modern times, Aragon is a region of Spain that does not extend to the coast.
Aragon is the setting for my latest release, Dance of Love. My hero and heroine cross the Pyrenees Mountains into Aragon from France.
Aragon is a land of castles, monasteries and magnificent scenery.
Loarre Castle, near Huesca
I hope you will enjoy reading something of the history of Aragon in the early part of the 12th century from my book, Dance of Love.
While researching the monasteries of Spain for my latest release, Dance of Love, I found this gem. The monastery of San Juan de la Peña is a religious complex south west of Jaca, in the province of Huesca, Spain. It was one of the most important monasteries in Aragón in the Middle Ages. The monastery is built in a natural cavern beneath a huge rock. Its two-level church is partially carved into the stone of the great cliff that overhangs the foundation. San Juan de la Peña means "Saint John of the Rock".
The lower church includes some mozarabic architectural surviving elements, although most of the parts of the monastery (including the impressive cloister, under the great rock) are Romanesque. After a fire in 1675, a new monastery was built. The old monastery (built in 920) was declared a National Monument on 13 July 1889, and the new monastery in 1923. In the 11th century the monastery became part of the Benedictine Order and was the first monastery in Spain to use the Latin Mass. In my story they are still using the Aragonese language.
Tucked into a natural cavern
The second floor contains a royal pantheon of kings of Aragon and Navarre. It contains the resting places of the following kings of Aragón: Ramiro I, Sancho Ramírez, and Peter I of Aragon and Navarre. Sancho Ramirez is the one we are interested in for Dance of Love.
Legend said that the chalice of the Last Supper (Holy Grail) was sent to the monastery for protection and prevention from being captured by the Muslim invaders of the Iberian Peninsula.
You won’t be surprised to learn that my upcoming release, Dance of Love, centres on the theme of dancing. My heroine, Farah, is a Spanish woman respected as a gifted dancer.
The closest thing to the type of dance I envisioned her performing is the SEVILLANA, though on the cover she is performing the Sword Dance, another of her specialties. The video clip at the end of the post will give you a good idea of sevillanas.
Sevillanas are a type of Spanish folk music. Historically, they are a derivative of Castilian folk music (seguidilla), spiced with Arabic rhythms. They have a relatively limited musical pattern, but rich lyrics, based on country side life, towns, neighborhoods, pilgrimage, and love themes.
Sevillanas can be heard in southern Spain, mainly, in fairs and festivals, including the famous Seville Fair, La Feria de Sevilla. There is an associated dance for the music: "Baile por sevillanas", consisting of four different parts. One can find schools teaching "baile por sevillanas" in nearly every town in Spain.
Generally speaking, a sevillana is very light and happy music.
The Sevillana did not originate in Seville. It is an old folk dance, danced by couples of all ages and sexes during celebrations (fiestas or ferias), often by whole families and pueblos. Sevillanas choreography is very stable, and knowing it is very useful, since it is a fiesta dance. It is a very vivid dance, but it is NOT flamenco. Paradoxically, during spectacles and shows it is usually Sevillana dancing that some people take for flamenco, as it is full of turns.
The dance can be very erotic and sensual, although the pair will never touch each other until the final moments when the man will put his arm around the waist of the woman to finish the dance. The sevillana was originally a courting dance where the man sets out to woo the woman in a display similar to two mating flamingos. In the old Spanish tradition, young couples were limited in their courting practises, the man would spend the night talking to his novia, through the iron grills of her door or window, and if they did get the chance to go for a walk, they would most definitely be chaperoned by the girl’s mother, sister, or whole family.
The feria week would be the only time that the man could show his affection to the girl, asking her to accompany him in the dancing of sevillanas, and this is most probably why there is little physical contact, as the whole night would be watched over by her family.
Today the sevillana is danced at any form of get-together, whether it is the feria, a wedding, or at a family party, where all and everyone present will join in. For many, dancing the sevillana is just routine, something they have grown up with and learnt simply by being constantly surrounded by it, although there are many schools where you can go to learn it.
It is normally far better and enjoyable when performed by everyday Andalucians rather than professional or trained dancers, because even though the movements are set to a pattern, it is a dance of the people, and when they are simply enjoying themselves, it will be far more entertaining.
The casetas or small bars at the feria will be bursting with people who for one week of the year will forget about everything other than enjoying themselves, and like all fiestas in Andalucía, the colour, the theatrical scenes, and the traditional dress, all combine to make a most wonderful experience.
Dance of Love will be available in early November.
