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Last modified: 2020-11-14 by ivan sache
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Flag of Piornal - Image by Ivan Sache, 22 March 2020
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The municipality of Piornal (1,519 inhabitants in 2019 vs. 2,263 in 1950; 3,600 ha; unofficial website) is located 100 km north-east of Cáceres and 30 km north-east of Plasencia.
Piornal was established in the 13th century by shepherds, some say from Zapardiel de la Ribera (Ávila), other say from León mountains. The village is named for the Pyrenean broom, Cytisus oromediterraneus Rivas Mart., T.E.Díaz, Fern. Prieto, Loidi & Penas, in Spanish, piorno serrano. Alfonso XI's Libro de Montería lists Piornal as a minor hunting site, with wild boars and wild goats.
In the 15th century, Piornal was ruled by an Open Council; every Sunday after the mass, the villagers met to take important decisions. The meetings had to be held in front of the church, not in a private house.
Piornal celebrates every 19 and 20 January the Jarramplas festival, named for its main character, demon Jarramplas. The other characters are the Majordomos, who organize the festival and manage the corteges, groups of young singers and dancers, St. Sebastian, as the symbol of Good. Jarramplas, as a scapegoat, is consistently booed and bombed with turnips during the whole festival, whose climax is the choreographed "battle" between Jarramplas and the villagers in front of the church. To prevent any ammunition shortage, the municipality purchases every year 1,000 kg turnips.
The origin of Jarramplas is disputed. Most probably, the ritual refers to the punishment given to cattle thieves by the local shepherds. More romantic hypothesis refers to a native ritual brought back from America by conquistadors or to episodes of Hercule's myth.
[Jarramplas unofficial website]
The Jarramplas festival was proclaimed a Festival of National Tourist Interest by a Resolution issued on 1 December 2014 by the Spanish Government and published on 20 December 2014 in the Spanish official gazette, No. 307, p. 104,140 (text).
Ivan Sache, 22 March 2020
The flag of Piornal (photo, photo,
photo,
photo,
photo,
photo,
photo), adopted on 2 October 1986 by the Municipal Council and validated on 19 June 1987 by the Royal Academy of History, is prescribed by an Order issued on 6 July 1987 by the Government of Extremadura and published on 14 July 1987 in the official gazette of Extremadura, No. 55, p. 909 (text).
The flag is described as follows:
Flag: Green, horizontally diagonally crossed by a white stripe. Charged in the center with the municipal coat of arms.
The coat of arms of Piornal, adopted on 2 October 1986 by the Municipal Council and validated on 24 October 1986 by the Royal Academy of History, is prescribed by an Order issued on 5 February 1987 by the Government of Extremadura and published on 26 February 1987 in the official gazette of Extremadura, No. 16, pp. 285-286 (text).
The coat of arms is described as follows:
Coat of arms: Argent a Pyrenean broom proper surrounded by two wolves sable surmounted by a cross potent gules. A bordure or eight saltires azure. The shield surmounted by a Royal crown closed.
The Royal Academy of History validated the proposed arms, which were designed from scratch. The Pyrenean broom makes the arms canting, while the wolves come from the canting arms of priest Lobera. The Academy seems to have recommended to drop the bordure for the sake of simplicity.
[Boletín de la Real Academia de la Historia. 184:1, 196. 1987]
Ivan Sache, 22 March 2020
