Here's a little clip of some Galician pipers (gaiteiros) doing the 'vermut' rounds at Viveiro's mighty summer party: Naseiro.
As a teenager, growing up in Viveiro means suffering a pretty bleak winter but a prospect of a damn good party-fuelled summer AND counting down the days for Naseiro.
Old and young build the shacks where they'll spend the five best days of the summer: day and night. Basically, Naseiro is like a massive picnic gone out of hand. Whereas my grandmother's generation used to go down to their nicely set up temporary tables to have a few dances and enjoy a few drinks and food with friends, the whole thing has now evolved into a shanty-townesque mad structure spreading along the river. Imagine cramping a whole town into a few acres of land. The whole town moves temporarily for five days. That's Naseiro. And Viveiro people love it.
All the excesses are allowed: too much food, too much drink, cross dressing, maybe a few unplanned pregnancies as well... Since Naseiro means the end of the summer holidays for some, the energy that goes into the whole affair is phenomenal - had it been organised in early June, the myth of Naseiro, the mighty party of Viveiro, might not be quite as huge.
Each of the five days is dedicated to a traditional Galician dish but the most popular one is Octopus Friday, cooked 'a feira' style (fair/market style - what the non-Galicians call Galician Style).
I've loved it since being a child, I worshipped it as a teenager and now, living abroad, I don't get to go to Naseiro too often. In fact, until this year, I hadn't been for a good few years. Having enjoyed the sesion vermut (the midday dance and drinks session), some tasty pulpo and a couple of dancing nights, I'm back to work feeling homesick - and counting the days for next year's.
If there is one thing that a true Viveiro person doesn't want to miss, that is Naseiro- without a doubt.
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