WAYS OF LIFE

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.