GEOGRAPHICAL SITUATION

Odon comes from the province of Teruel, which is 75 km apart. It’s situated in the Iberic System and its altitude is 1090 ms, its temperature is 11ª to 13ª. Winters are cold but they aren’t very wet and there isn’t much rain (371mm/year). Its population has been 1178 people.  

HISTORY

The deposit found describes who   the first people were and their customs in Odon.

In “El Castillejo” in a mound we found rest of ceramic of the Celtiveric time (century II BC.) and medieval (century XII). In “The Lomilla” we found ceramic material very damaged and glasses like a bell with geometric drawings, and some geometric “microlitos” (they are something to cut, rasp perforate and engrave, were used in temporal camping made with cane of straw and mud). In the “Pozo Salobre” we found remains of different times: Celtiveric, Medieval, and possible a half Bronze Ages (1.500a.c.).

Odon is a Germanic name that means: “more than a lot”. This is because San Odon was from the Cluny Order, and there were a lot of monks.

The town first was called Curtona, but in the XI century it was called Odon. On the top of the mountain, near a town, there was a wall. In the centre there was a castle. During Pedro’s wars, Odon was destructed a lot of times, but people rebuilt it. With Castilla and Aragon union, all wars finished.

RESORTS

Population is dedicated to agriculture and livestock farming (90 people).

The ground and the climate are very poor, for this the land (7417 has), they are dedicated to cultivate cereal and sunflower in winter, it gives every year one part (338 has) not cultivated for recuperate the humidity and the fertility of the land. Only 12 has are of irrigated land.

The best harvest of all years was in 2000 with 7970tn. of cereal, next year was a disaster: drought of 100%.

The most important livestock farming is sheep’s; shepherds take the animals to the lands to eat. To many years ago the breed of pigs has increased for the artificial food and the build of industrial farms.  

LOST TRADITIONS

“Dance of Odon”. In 1500, a four year old child had an incurable illness. The child said that he could see the “Hoz Virgin” in the room and she healed him. The neighbours to compensate decided a romeria every year, on Easter Sunday to the “Hoz Virgin Church”, near Molina of Aragon, the day before they dance in the town square with sticks and dresses, which it is called Dance of Odon.

An other lost tradition is the night celebration  the 17th of January  “San Antón”, to bless animals, in the morning, all neighbours have to give firewood and then at dinner time they make a big fire giving  between neighbours, they sing and dance around the fire jumping over it or with  potatoes following  around the bonfire.

On the 3th of February  “San Blas”. To the church to bless wheat, bread and cakes and holy water to distribute to all the houses to be protected.

“The carnival” in February, the most popular disguise was the gypsy on his mule with his cordoves hat, and the girls with Andalusia’s frill disguises of gypsies too. There are two roads, one walking and the other on a mule, “Peiron” to the “Peña”, go and return. There are dances in the square too. An other diversion was hang with a string, that  goes to one side to the other or the street, chickens , and on the mule, the boys had to catch the heads of the chickens.

“The field blessing”. On the 3th of May from the “Cuesta Church” they bless the field, and for the rain they pray rosaries from 5 a.m.   on the streets. They sing popular songs too:

Cristianos venir, cristianos llegar
A rezar a Cristo que está en el altar.
El Rosario de la madrugada
lo rezan los pobres que no tienen pan,
y los ricos que están en la cama
pa que la rosada no les haga mal.

The “Rosario Virgin”. This virgin had two Mayordomas, who have to be young girls. The Mayordomas had to pay for the mass on the Rosario Virgin day, buy candles and keep them in a large chest in the sacristy too. She had to divide the candle in the processions on the Rosario Virgin day, on San Bartholomew day and on Mercedes Virgin day. From 5 a.m. the boys had to ring bells. The new “mayordoma” had to make cakes in the oven, and when she blessed it to turn them into   holy bread; they are given in a basket to the people in the mass.

They did a very big party with dances and drinks. All the expenses had been paid by an auction for carry holies, flags and standards in processions.

The last women who were “Mayordomas” were Nieves la Santiaguilla and Mercedes Fuertes.

On the 24th of June “San Juan”.  Young boys put bunch of ivy or one branch of poplar or “rebollo” on the young girl’s balconies. When the young boy passes in front of the house of his girlfriend, he has to put sweets and some cherries. If the love isn’t given, he has to put a jaw’s animal or a mule’s head in the balcony.

At San Juan dawn before the sun goes up, young girls had to clean his face in the spring. In one year she didn’t have any spots.

In October “The Grape Harvest”. This party lasts one month, it starts in the picking’s grape, and it finishes the day when there is wine to carry to home. Neighbours put the wine in a “lagar”, because there are lots like the “lagar” of Tomas el Morenico, Felix el Prieto, Barreta, Máximo el Quirillo and others. The party was in the “lagares”, they treaded the grape, and they tasted the grape juices in an old kiln. The culmination of the party was the last day because the wine was divided to carry home. The presses were manuals, and while ones treaded, the others sang songs. With the “orujo” (strong spirit made from grape pressings), it was pressed again and the bad wine was divided and the must and the salt was food for the sheep. There is danger in the fermentation and once it finished in a tragedy.