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Bonfire Night in Labastida, 2015. José Ángel Chasco.

I would like to make a reflection and express a point of criticism regarding the stubbornness of some ethnographers to develop complicated interpretations and mythological studies about the origin and meaning of certain festivals and customs. They make assertions that go against all logic and common sense. Refusing to see reality as it is, ancestral origins and esoteric meanings are claimed. They construct picturesque, fictitious and fantastic theories and hypotheses that can only be the result of a lack of good sense and an unreasonable use of works such as The golden bough: a study in magic and religion by J. G. Frazer or Fiestas populares e insólitas [Extraordinary popular celebrations] by Juan G. Atienza. (more…)