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Like a Whore at Lent
By m.p. - Feb 6, 2008 - 5:45 PM
ALSO SEE : • Carnival in Spain - Jan 31, 2008 - 11:53 PM

A postcard view of Salamanca from the river - Photo www.imagespain.com
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The story of 15th century prostitution in Salamanca in the times of Felipe II
There’s a saying in Spain, ‘Como una puta en Cuaresma.’ It means to have no money or to be very poor, and equates to expressions in English like ‘I haven’t got a bean,’ or ‘as poor as a church mouse.’ The literal translation is ‘like a whore at Lent.’

It comes from an edict issued in the sixteenth century by Felipe II, which banned all prostitutes from plying their trade at Lent. In Salamanca, in order to prevent the university students from flouting the ban, the city’s brothel was closed down on Ash Wednesday and the women were taken across to the other side of the River Tormes, and remained there with the priest who was assigned to their care, popularly known as ‘Padre Putas.’
Another saying is said to date from that time, as the prostitutes were reduced to begging in the streets in order to survive: ‘pides más que una puta en Cuaresma,’ ‘you ask for more than a whore does at Lent.’

The only brothel which existed in Salamanca at that time was one which was authorised in 1479 by the príncipe, Don Juan, who was the son of the Catholic Kings, Ferdinand and Isabella. The priest assigned to manage the brothel, who held a municipal licence for the job and had to have the approval of the city council, ensured that the brothel – la Mancebía - complied with the regulations set out in a royal ordinance issued for Castilla by Felipe II in 1570. The regulations were very precise: the women could not be married or have living parents, they must be older than the age of 12, and have lost their virginity before starting work in the mancebía. There were medical checkups every eight days.

The big celebration came at the end of the 40 days’ abstinence on the second Monday after Easter Week, when the Padre Putas would bring the prostitutes back across the river in boats which the students had decorated with ‘ramos de flores,’ - bunches of flowers - and a feast laid out on the opposite bank to celebrate their return. It is said that another Spanish word for whores, ‘rameras,’ comes from the word ‘ramos.’

Today, there are no whores waiting on the other side of the river for their banishment to end so they can go back to work. The people of Salamanca celebrate Lunes de Aguas with picnics out in the countryside, as the local shops close down for the afternoon and the city is almost completely deserted. The dish which, according to custom, goes hand in hand with the celebration is the traditional type of empanada which is typical of Salamanca province, a delicious thick pie stuffed with cold meats, chorizo, jamón and boiled egg: the hornazo which the students are said to have served to the returning Ladies of the Night.


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