Translate

Sunday 3 March 2013

WHITE PALM HANDCRAFT WORKSHOP AND DATES.



Plaited and smooth palm
Plaited and smooth palm

In Plaza Rey Jaime I Square, (Lat. 38°16'6.47"N, Long. 0°41'37.85"O),     4 minutes walking from Elche City Hall, you can find the Serrano Valero family´s workshop. Between October and Easter, this family sells here pomegranates and dates of their own plantations, and white palm handcraft that they make in this place. From Easter to October it´s closed.

White palm leaves are carried by thousands of people in the Palm Sunday procession in Elche, through the streets in the city. The first reference of this tradition was written in 1371.  

The production of the white palm leaf (lapel pin, smooth palm and plaited palm) is a quite laborious process. The plaiting of the white palm is a task that takes a lot of dedication, and it´s hard to teach.

 In worked palms, leaves are plaited, joint and sewn in order to make decorative motifs like stars, chain stitches, crosses, virgins, balls, flowers, etc., which are added little by little to the central palm leaf and thus manage to get beautiful results.
Families of palm farmers like Serrano Valero family, have passed their artisan knowledge down from generation to generation.







Fig bread (pan de higo), dates and pomegranates
Fig bread (pan de higo), dates and pomegranates



Natural dates
Natural dates



Other products for sale
Other products for sale



palm-leaf lapel pins
Palm-leaf lapel pins




working plaited palm
Working plaited palm


Serrano Valero family, to mid-twentieth century
Serrano Valero family, to mid-twentieth century


Serrano Valero family´s workshop
Serrano Valero family´s workshop



white palm workshop map
White palm workshop map

No comments:

Post a Comment