The Xinzo Entroido Song Contest: verses and humour on stage

Among the events of Entroido Saturday in Xinzo, for decades there has been the Entroido song contest, also called the Humorous Song Festival. The groups go on stage with coplas (verses) with their own lyrics, almost always sung to very well-known tunes, to poke fun at characters and events of the town. It fits the satire that defines the whole festival: in the Xinzo Entroido nothing escapes the wit ^[1][2].

A memory from 1989

Xosé Calleja recorded in As tradicións da Limia (2021) the copla sung by the group Os de Sempre at the 1989 contest, a testimony that helps to imagine what the atmosphere was like then ^[1]:

• The contest was held on Entroido Saturday afternoon and, when it ended, the party continued in the Barrio de Abaixo ^[1].
• The lyrics were not of the winning kind, but what mattered was taking part. The tune was that of the salsa Quítate tú pa’ ponerme yo, popularised by the group Fania All Stars; since the original group was largely made up of Black musicians, the members of Os de Sempre went on stage in costume, some as women and others as men, in a costume that would today be considered inappropriate and is only explained by the context of the time ^[1].
• In those years, the group that "swept" the song contests was Merecumbé, of an older generation than Os de Sempre ^[1].
• The song was chosen and written by one of the members, rehearsed a couple of times, and some of those who went on stage knew neither the words nor the tune: "that’s how the entroido is" ^[1].
• In earlier editions one of the singers already had the habit of interrupting the performance with a Navarrese jota, so that the rest of the group came off stage laughing and only those singing the jota remained until it ended ^[1].

From the stage to the 21st century

The contest continued over the years. The official 2009 programme included its 27th edition in the Casa da Cultura on Entroido Saturday, together with the presentation of the Entroido poster prize ^[2], placing the first editions around 1983. In 2019 the Humorous Song Festival was held in the Praza Maior, on an open-air stage ^[3]. Each year the times and participants change; check the official programme of the current edition on the Town Council website.

Frequently asked questions

When is the song contest held? On Entroido Saturday, since at least the late 1980s ^[1][2].

What tunes are the coplas sung to? Almost always to well-known songs, whose lyrics are changed to make humour about local life ^[1].

Links

• Entroido of Xinzo de Limia
• The Entroido cycle, day by day
• Wills of the donkey

Sources

1. Xosé Calleja López, «“Os de Sempre” no Concurso da Canción do Entroido de Xinzo do ano 1989», As tradicións da Limia, 14/03/2021. https://tradicionsdalimia.es/os-de-sempre-no-concurso-da-cancion-do-entroido-de-xinzo-do-ano-1989/
2. «Programa Entroido 2009», xinzodelimia.eu (arquivo web). http://www.xinzodelimia.eu:80/programa_entroido_2009.htm
3. Vía Lethes, «Entroido de Xinzo de Limia 2019 – Programa oficial», 01/02/2019. https://vialethes.es/entroido-xinzo-limia-2019-programa-oficial