Capturing Living Culture in Cantabria

The Regional Government for Cantabria have captured the intangible cultural heritage of the Camino Lebaniego region on film as part of the Atlantic CultureScape Project. The set of interviews that record Spanish living culture along the pilgrimage route have attracted great interest, inspiring further interviews entitled ‘Célebres del Camino’, to be launched by The Lebaniego Way Foundation.

Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) is a living culture and encompasses social uses, rituals, art, oral traditions, habits in rural areas and crafts amongst other things. ICH traditions are often inherited and passed down through generations and by communities. One of the aims of the Atlantic CultureScape Project is to encourage the recording and safeguarding of ICH across the Atlantic Area and create experiences to boost tourism.

Altogether there are seven short films available via YouTube with further films being added. In the series filmed for the Atlantic CultureScape Project viewers can experience the Andruido La Paré Piasca Celebrations, watch the making of albarcas by Hilario Gonzalez albarqueros and hear about life as a shepherd by Lupicinio, ‘El pastor’. The project is co-financed by the Interreg Atlantic Area Programme through the European Regional Development Fund.

The initiative ‘Célebres del Camino’ or ‘Celebrity of the Way’, focuses on the older generation of Camino Lebaniego, recording their links with living culture today. With the threat of technology and changes to ways of life in rural environments impacting on ICH it gives even more reason for records to be made. The films feature men and women between 70 and 95 years old telling what life was like in the past. They talk about everything related to uses and customs, addressing aspects such as folklore, medicinal plants, disappeared trades, textile elements, literature or legends.

Watch the films here:

Atlantic CultureScape series:

Célebres del Camino series: