Monday, May 22, 2006
Lovelorn Spanish Singles Fiesta Proves a Hit
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For lovelorn Spanish singles there's nothing like a village fete to spice up one's romantic chances -- particularly if your local mayor is among those looking to get spliced.
 Villafrechos' eligible bachelors(L) meet with visiting single ladies
© AFP/File Javier SorianoSo it was that a "caravan of women" arrived over the weekend of dancing and dalliance in the central northern village of Villafrechos in Spain, where bachelors seeking solutions to loneliness are in plentiful supply but local women "emigrate" to urban climes.
Miguel Angel Gomez, a 37-year-old still living at home with mum and his three single brothers, decided in November to contact a lonely hearts dating agency with a view to luring women interested in finding out what the Villafrechos male has to offer.
As well as stoking romance, Gomez also wants to boost the slumping population of Villafrechos, now down to 540 people from more than 1,600 residents 50 years ago.
 Single women arrive in Villafrechos
© AFP/File Javier Soriano"The women go off to study or work in the city," says Gomez.
"The men, they take on their father's land and stay on their own, adds Gomez, who took his inspiration from the Spanish village of Plan, which started off something of a tradition.
Plan, in the Aragon region, was itself inspired by the 1951 "Westward the Women" western starring Robert Taylor and directed by William Wellman depicting the era of the Californian pioneers.
Eleven o'clock strikes and the sun is shining brightly as villagers come out for the fete.
Around 50 men, freshly shaven and spruced-up agricultural workers, masons and cafe staff in their 30s, have paid a fee of 100 euros to come along.
As they arrive the orchestra strikes up a "paso doble" to get people into the swing of things.
"I'm shaking," confides Goyo, a 43-year-old forestry worker who has, by his own admission, been "unlucky in love."
 Singles dancing in Villafrechos
© AFP/File Javier Soriano"I'd like a good woman. Being on your own is so sad. In this region, the guys don't talk a lot, don't go out much."
Two blue buses draw up, out of which step some 80 women, some as young as 30, others around 60.
Many are Spanish but others are Latin American or Romanian immigrants.
Some are single, others widowed, yet more divorced.
Each receives a flower and an aperitif as they and the men glance coyly at each other.
Nervous smiles are apparent as everyone clutches their glass of white wine.
"Welcome. Have a good time," says Gomez.
"Enjoy yourselves and, why not, fall in love!"
Roxi, a Spanish woman aged 35, is hesitant as the men hang back.
"I wonder why they don't come forward, I shan't bite - even if I like that in an intimate context," laughs Roxi, a call centre worker in nearby Valladolid who is "looking for stability and someone who makes me laugh."
Goyo blushes as he sits down and admits "I don't know which one to choose."
 A bachelorette arrives in Villafrechos
© AFP/File Javier SorianoUriel Paeza, an elegant Chilean woman of around 40 and a widow, closes in.
Later she explains "I work a lot and don't know many people.
"I don't want someone too young who will end up dumping me for two 20-year-olds."
The would-be couples head off on a guided tour of the village to be shown anything from churches to cheese and sausage factories.
Soon, a Peruvian woman and a local man have formed the first couple.
"I basically came to dance and it was like love at first sight," explains the woman, Elisabeth, as she hangs on the arm of Jose Antonio, a fellow divorcee and ex-munitions factory worker.
"I consulted a tarot on a television programme," he volunteers.
"They said it was going to be my day."
The pair say they will "get talking and take things one step at a time..."
Over a lunch of veal, Galician octopus and sausage, several more singletons break the ice.
 Singles dancing in Villafrechos
© AFP/File Javier SorianoBy the afternoon, an array of "couples" have graduated to walking hand in hand as they watch folkloric dance groups perform or a little football.
The evening has in store a ball and the last chance to move in on the person one may have been eying up all day.
Cast in the role of Cupid is "Selvis", a muscled black transvestite.
Crecenciano, a shepherd aged 64 who says he has "never been engaged," has a delighted look on his face as he dances the tango with an Argentine.
Then it's time to say goodbye -- and scrabble down a telephone number for those who want to pursue things further.
Finally, at half past one in the morning, it's time for the "Cindirellas" to board the bus as a firework display bids them a loud adieu.
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