THE FORMS OF LIFE OF THE RURAL COMMUNITY.
It is a varied and heterogeneous society. The peasant is the
main character of the small farming estate, family- administrated.
The basic tasks frequently demanded a superior number of arms
to which the family nucleus could contribute. Tasks like the harvest
or the vintage required the employment of journeymen, either chosen
in group or individually. The solidarity among neighbours mainly
among wealthy peasants- showed their resistance to the liege lord
or the urban lords. This solidarity, nevertheless, didn't ever
question the individual or family character of the farming estate.
The peasant showed stronger bonds with the cult places than with
the castle. The parishes were the ones which generated movements
of solidarity. The rural mentality was respectful with the parish
priests and local churches. The church was in their favour: it
defended the rural life, it celebrated its festivities with reference
to the agricultural calendar.
In Catalonia the parish priest was the central axis of the community:
he knew how to read and to write, he preached, he taught to the
children and acted as a notary. He took charge of the sick and
the vagabonds, he welcomed the poor and the beggars.
This hierarchy was completely rigid, social mobility was impossible.
The peasants worked from sunrise to sunset. Some cultivated the
lands surrounding the parishes; in other cases it took them an
important amount of time to get to the fields. Until noon only
children, women, old men and artisans filled the streets. When
the sun set, the streets were crowded with people. It was dinner-time
and there were still things to be done: such as the feeding of
the animals.
These animals wandered about the streets, which would explain
why the streets were so dirty. In fact dirt was a feature of rural
life.
At nightfall people met by the fire (during winter time) and
in spring and summer time they met in the yards or in the street.
These meetings were the occasion for the oral transmission of
the culture.
The square was the neuralgic centre: a place where the trade
and exchanges took place, where to bake bread and even a meeting
point in solemn or extraordinary moments.
THE WAYS OF LIFE OF THE PEASANTS
The peasant's life was marked by the rhythm of the agricultural
seasons. Bread production was his great concern since it was the
staple food. During the winter they cut firewood, they were devoted
to the works related with the vintage and with the cereals. During
the summer they were devoted to harvest. Summer was a busy period.
In spring and summer food was more varied: beans, peas, garlic,
cucumbers, fruits....
Shovels, axes, esparto baskets or palm baskets, , ropes, stickles...
constituted the agricultural farm tools.
Among the animals the pig ( the slaughter and the preserving
of its meat took up completely the peasant's life during the months
of November, December and January) and the hens (eggs were also
a part of the staple diet) were the most important ones .
In the coast districts fish was also considered part of the staple
food while bovine or sheep livestock were basic in the mountains.
The rural family had a clear aim: to fulfil its own needs.
The eldest child lived with his parents. The single brothers
who still depended on their parents or those who hadn't still
moved shared the farming work The eldest child was a key figure
in Catalonia. He meant the continuity of the rural society once
the father was dead. He kept the unity of the farming estate.
In case there was not a male, the pubilla, that is to say the
first-born daughter, inherited the estate and when she got married
she had special legal rights. It was thought that without a man
the rural country property could no longer exist.
It is necessary to highlight the woman's role within the rural
society. She took care of the house, of the children, of the animals,
of the orchard... Even some were paid by the liege lords to be
wet- nurses. Both the women and the children were under the husband's
rule, so was the woman to the liege lord . No peasant could marry
without the lord's permission. He had also to pay to get married.
The widows were even in a worse situation since they had to live
with some son-in-law.
The dowry was a common must for any woman- no matter they wanted
to get married or enter a monastery.
The kitchen was the main room where most of the activities took
place. Pots, copper boilers, iron pans, mortars.... were the basic
kitchen tools.
The rooms were situated around the kitchen or the dining room.
The beds were a main component and they could be found anywhere.