This year marks the 25th anniversary of the first time that women managed to participate in the Alarde de San Marcial de Irun (Gipuzkoa) dressed as soldiers, on equal terms with men. That was a before and after in the history of this parade of arms that for more than a century, until 1998, had restricted the presence of women. It was a conquest of those who defended a party without distinction of gender. This coming June 30, the mixed and egalitarian boast will mark a new milestone in the same direction. Antxon Jauregi, 19, will act as a bartender. It will be an unusual event, because never before has a man played the role of bartender, one of the most emblematic figures and revered by the residents of the border town. "I am aware that my presence as a bartender means breaking molds, but I live it normally, like any girl who goes out as a soldier," says this young Irundarra.
The participation of Antxon Jauregi as a bartender would have been impossible a quarter of a century ago. It would have been considered a festive sacrilege. This is still understood by those who at the end of the nineties opposed in bad ways that women paraded as shotgunners and now also criticize that a man plays the role of bartender. In Irun there was a social schism between the defenders of the traditionalist-style party and the promoters of a non-discriminatory celebration. The climate of tension and neighborhood confrontation that existed then, sometimes with violent episodes, has been appeased over time (the Ertzaintza no longer has to escort the women's parade) and now develops with a high degree of civility. The division persists, although without serious incidents, and is manifested in the existence of two differentiated parades: the mixed boast, which makes no distinction of gender, and the traditionalist, where women only act as bartenders.
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The young Irundarra, 1.85 meters tall, has a very long black hair, has very long and feminine nails and has piercing on his face. He works as a hairdresser and will be the only male among the 12 bartenders of the mixed and public display. "I'm not a bartender; I'm a bartender," she says. It will be the banner of the San Miguel company, a recently created troop that will bring together about 200 people. She comments that "it is more or less accepted that a woman plays the roles of a man, but it is still considered rare that it is the other way around": "I know that there are people who have thought it bad that I am a bartender, but it was an illusion that I had since I was very young". Antxon already paraded as a soldier with three different companies of the mixed boast when he was between 13 and 15 years old. This year she decided to apply as a bartender in the company of her neighborhood: "I have felt very welcome. I have received more congratulations than signs of rejection. Out there I have been criticized in some comments, but personally I have not seen bad gestures in the street. It is true that some usually turn when I pass, but only out of curiosity."
Antxon Jauregi, with his mother, before rehearsing as a bartender in Irun.Javier Hernandez Juantegui
There is no clause in the statutes of mixed boast preventing a man from parading as a bartender. On the other hand, the ordinances of the traditionalist boast establish that it is an "indispensable condition" that the bartender is "single" and has a "great love and enthusiasm for boasting", in addition to being a native of Irun or residing at least 15 years in this locality. Mikel Malmierka, captain of the mixed company San Miguel, is convinced that "Antxon is going to do wonderfully, because he is aware that all the eyes of the public are going to be directed to him". And she defends the decision to accept that a man is a bartender: "This is still a performance. As long as the person inside the suit plays his role well, what does it matter if he is a man or a woman? Company captains are not captains in reality either."
The Alarde de San Marcial commemorates the victory of the foral militias over the French army in the confrontation that took place in the early hours of June 30, 1522 in the Peña de Aldabe (today Monte San Marcial) of the town. Since 1881 it has been celebrated in Irún (a similar one takes place in neighboring Hondarribia in the month of September) the Alarde de San Marcial according to a centuries-old tradition: men march as soldiers and women can only do it as bartenders.
The High Court of Justice of the Basque Country endorsed the right of women to parade in the boasts of Irun and Hondarribia on equal terms with men. In February 2005, the Basque Parliament approved the Equality Act, article 25 of which prohibited "the organisation and implementation of cultural activities in public spaces where women's participation on an equal footing with men is not permitted or hindered".
Antxon was not born when the division broke out in the town ("I have always seen two boasts," he says) due to the irruption of women at the party. He says that "this must be seen normally and naturally", and he would like "the party to develop with great joy and respect". This Friday will be one of the most observed protagonists during the party. He will be dressed as the canons command, with the official uniform of the bartender. She will go out with her hair tied up in a bun and will be dressed in a red beret, some bombachos under a pleated skirt of white flannel and a small embroidered black apron. He will wear a white shoulder strap from which he will hang a barrel and wear white canvas boots up to his knees. During the parade you must greet the public with a fan. "I encourage all Irunese to live the party in coexistence," he says.
Antxon Jauregi rehearses as a bartender of the boast of Irun.Javier Hernandez Juantegui
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