So The Virgin is Black...

Meltingpot readers, I found the Virgen de Regla in Chipiona. Yesterday we drove to the lovely town of Chipiona, about 30 km away from el esposo's parents' home. As I mentioned before, Chipiona is considered an "undiscovered gem" for foreign tourists, but is full of Spaniards enjoying the miles of clean, calm Atlantic beaches and walkable boardwalk dotted with restaurants and cafes. Of course I couldn't help but chuckle at the restaurant that was offering both "paella y menudo." For the uninitiated, menudo is Spanish for pig intestines, or as we Black people call them, chitlins. Winning combination, right? Almost as good as Kinky Gazpacho.

And speaking of Black people, the reason we traveled to Chipiona was to find the Virgen de Regla, a very popular Virgin, known for healing and protecting ships. On September 8th she is brought out of the church and paraded around the city in a grand parade/festival. All of this we learned on the internet, but we wanted to see her in the "flesh" because we wanted to find out how and why the patron saint of this beach town is Black.

It wasn't hard to find the church on the Avenida Sevilla where the Virgin lives. The church is like the focal point of the town, situated right at the end of the beach. In fact, some people were coming in to the church still brushing off sand and dripping sea water. The church, as expected, was a gorgeous display of Catholic-ness with the altar dedicated completely to the Virgen de Regla, not Jesus. Jesus was up there, but in miniature form, under the Virgin. I was surprised by this. And the Virgin was beautiful. But I wanted to know why she looked more like me and less like the throngs of Spaniards pouring in to the church to get a look at her.

Luckily there was a nice man sitting in the back of the church who seemed to be there for the sole purpose of answering questions for tourists like me. I asked him some warm up questions, like what the Virgin was famous for, and he reiterated the healing and protector of ships information. He told some fantastic stories of people who claimed they were healed from horrible diseases, shipwrecks and the like by the Virgin. In a burst of inspiration, he ran in the back and brought out a bottle of holy water "from the Virgin" for me. He admitted with a smile that it was just tap water, but the tap came from the church so if I drank it with a healthy dose of faith, it might heal whatever ails me. So I'm going to keep that water, just in case.

But back to the Black thing. So, finally I asked him, why the Virgin was Black and he just shrugged as if that wasn't such a big deal. He said nobody knows for sure why she is Black. Some say that the figure was carved out of dark wood and that's why she's black. Some say, because she was hidden in a well for hundreds of years (hidden from the invading Moors by the Augustine monks) she darkened up during those years underground. It wasn't like the guy didn't really care, it was more like it didn't really matter. The people of Chipiona recognize that their Virgin is Black, but that doesn't change how much they love and worship her. In fact, he told me, there are a lot of Black Virgins in Spain and nobody considers them second-class Virgins or God forbid, discriminates against them.

Isn't that interesting Meltingpot Readers? Maybe I'm making too much out of finding Virgins that look like me. But maybe I'm not? Once again I cannot wrap my mind around a people who worship Black Virgins, but still dress up like Mammy for Carnaval. What do you think? Do White people worship Black virgins in the United States? Why or why not?

In the meantime, I still think it is fascinating to find out more about the Black Virgins in Spain. El esposo found this great websitethat lists all the Black Virgins in Spain, and gives some fascinating information about them, including which Virgins started out White but became Black. Those that started out Black and became White and everything in between. Sorry, it's in Spanish, but there's probably a way to translate the page. Enjoy.

Peace.

(photo by El Esposo)

Hunting for Black Virgins--In Spain

Tomorrow, el esposo and I are traveling about one hour from his home to the town of Chipiona in search of the Virgin de Regla, the Patron saint of Chipiona. She is a Black Virgin with roots in North Africa, according to legend.

The town of Chipiona, described in my guidebook as a "hidden gem" of a beach town, actually dates back to the 4th century, was built by the Tartessus, was a battle sight between Moors and Christians, and they faithfully worship a Black Virgin. It all sounds very exciting to me.

I'll report back what we find in this hidden gem of a town.

Peace.

Back to the Black Virgens

A couple of days ago I received a comment on my post about the Virgen de Regla in Chipiona, Spain. A reader --trying to help me solve the mystery of why the Virgen in this small Spanish seaside town is Black -- wrote:

"St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo (which was located in Algeria, Africa), was trying to convert his fellow Africans to Christianity and created a black Virgin. The image eventually made it to Chipiona, Spain."

Aha! Makes perfect sense I thought, but I figured I'd do a little research on my own before I decided to take this new theory as fact. If you recall, I'd already discovered many theories for the Virgen's "questionable race" but none of them seemed believable. So I did what any intrepid reporter would do, I googled St. Augustine of Hippo. Turns out, St. Augustine led a fascinating life, and left volumes of works behind to document his beliefs, teachings, and life story. However, I could not find a single text of his titled, "The Story of How and Why I Created a Black Virgen." (sigh)

But, dear readers, there are other people out there in the blogosphere who agree with my commenter. People who seem to know the story of the Virgen de Regla's origins very well.

I found this tidbit of discussion on a the forum Orishanet.org:

"The origin of the devotion to the Virgen de la Regla can be traced back to St. Augustine. It was this great saint who hand-carved the first image of the Virgen de Regla and made her the patroness of the Rule of what is the present-day Order of St. Augustine. As a founder, St. Augustine made reglas or rules for the members of his Order to follow. He dedicated these reglas or rules to the Virgin, thus making her the Virgin of the Rule of St. Augustine.

Why is the image of the Virgen de la Regla dark? Contrary to what many people presume, the image of the Virgin is dark not simply because its original statue is made of wood but because its devotion developed in Africa. St. Augustine, who died in the year 430, was from Hippo in north Africa. Since the setting was Africa, the original image was probably made by St. Augustine to harmonize with the color of the people who would be its first devotees. Since most Africans were dark-skinned, a dark-skinned patroness would give them a sense of familiarity and closeness. It is because of its dusky color that both in Africa and in Spain the Virgen de la Regla is also known as La Virgen Morena (The Brown Virgin). "

I also found a more complex and detailed story which includes the same premise -- that the Virgen was purposefully created as a Black woman because the people of Hippo were dark --but that her arrival to Spanish shores included a dire escape, hundreds of years hidden underground, miracles and a fig tree. You can read that fascinating story here.

But the part about this Virgen's story that I blew my mind is what happened to her when her image and legend arrived in Cuba. (We go way Kinky Gazpacho here.) According to Salsa Havana author, Viviana Caballo, "Upon arrival in Cuba, La Virgen de Regla's legend grew even more extraordinary. She became part of the Santeria pantheon and merged with the powerful African deity Yemaya, the mother of all life."

Wow! Who knew the power of a Black Virgen? What still makes me scratch my head though is, how can people all over the world worship Black Virgens and yet discriminate against and hate Black women (and men) in real life? How do you reconcile those two feelings in your soul? Got answers? Let's hear them.

Peace!

Enjoy Your Weekend.

The Meltingpot Book Review -- The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters by Lorraine Lopez

The Meltingpot has been stricken by an unpleasant stomach bug and her hunting trip for Black Virgins postponed. I hope to still visit Chipiona before we have to head back to the United States and I will definitely keep you posted on what we find.

But that doesn't mean I don't have something to share today. Seeing as how I spent almost 24 hours in bed yesterday waiting for my stomach to stop trying to stage a revolution, I took advantage of the quiet and read, The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters by Lorraine Lopez. And it was so good, I almost didn't mind the stomach pains.

I picked this book off the shelf at the bookstore before I left without knowing anything about the author. As you know, I'm pretty much a sucker for any novel that features non-White characters. It's my soft spot. So based on the title alone and the flap copy I decided to take a risk on this book that sounded like it would be a cross between, Like Water for Chocolate and Little Women.

The story spans almost 20 years in the lives of four Hispanic sisters whose mother has died at the beginning of the story. In alternating chapters we hear from each sister who narrates the family history. Woven between the sisters' sometimes heartbreaking and often hilarious tales, is the story of the Hopi woman who was the family servant, but treated like a treasured member of the family. And in the spirit of Like Water for Chocolate, there's something mystical about the Hopi woman, an otherworldly mystery that all four girls need to unravel to find peace in their own lives.

I loved this book because the characters were so unique (each sister is named after a famous film star, i.e. Sophia Loren Gabaldon and Bette Davis Gabaldon) and well developed. What's more, the story of a contemporary Hispanic family (the story takes place from the 1960s - 1980s) that isn't about being Hispanic as much as it is about being a family -- marriage, divorce, children, annoying relatives, incest, drug abuse, etc -- feels rare. Anybody, regardless of their ethnicity, who is part of a large family will recognize the drama and sympathize with the characters, especially if they have sisters.

After reading The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters, I will definitely be adding Lorraine Lopez to my list of favorite authors. She has a short story collection coming out in the fall and has already written a YA novel and another short story collection. Has anybody else read this book, or any other by Lopez? What did you think? And based on my review, can you recommend any other books like this you think I or other Meltingpot Readers might like? I'm listening.

Peace!