THE DRUM
FESTIVAL

Although it seems like already in the last quarter of the 19th century the Drums Night was on a Tuesday night, it was the Mula’s newspaper The Week where it was stated in 1919 that the “tamborada” (drum parade) would begin on Holly Tuesday at 12 at night:

 

“During the cogitation days of the Holly Week, our first administrative authority would like to make an announcement to authorise the drums procession from 12am on Holly Tuesday to 12pm on Holly Wednesday…”. The Week, 24th April 1919.

 

The designation as Drums Night came with the creation of the Mula’s Drummers Association in the 1980s and it was used as the official name for that night from 1995, as contained in the announcement poster.

DEVELOPMENT

From 11pm on Holly Tuesday, the Town Hall Square starts getting crowded with the drummers of Mula, who are attired in a penitent robe and wait for the desired “tamborada”. There are also many visitors who attend the event that day as spectators.
A few minutes before midnight, the square lights are turned off and the drummers raise the drumsticks over their heads to show that they will not bang the drums until the old public clock strikes midnight, in accordance with the tradition. Suddenly, it starts to play the “Call to the Tamborada”, which is a melody composed by Fernando Belijar. After the melody, the first clock bell rings when it strikes midnight, and with it, thousands of drums start making noise which makes the city vibrate.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT

The announcement is the official release that the Town Hall issues days before the Holly Week. It informs the neighbours of the days and times when the drumming takes place.
MORE ABOUT THE ANNOUNCEMENT
DOCUMENT:
Announcement city of Mula – 1926
(click on the document to enlarge it)

THE CLOCK AND THE SQUARE

The Town Hall Square has been the hub of the town of Mula since it was built in the first quarter of the 16th century. It hosted the festivals, markets, announcements and any other events.

For that reason, the Town Hall Square has been and still is the meeting-place for the drummers, and the place where the “tamborada” commences every Holly Tuesday.

The Clock Tower in the Town Hall Square also plays a fundamental role, and it is closely related to the “tamborada’. Although in recent times the “Melody Call to the Tamborada” indicates the beginning of the festival, traditionally the public clock was starting it. In those days, the drummers waited for the clock to strike midnight inviting them to beat their drums.

MULAMULA

THE PÁNGANA

One of the features of the “tamborada” in Mula are the “Pánganas”, which is a spontaneous show where the drummers compete to demonstrate who holds out for longer or who plays better.

The monument to the drummer: the sculpture of Rafael Pi Belda

In 2000, it was inaugurated the monument to the Mula’s drummer, which was an artwork by the sculptor Rafael Pi Belda. The sculpture shows two drummers attired in a penitent robe and a pointed hood, and confronting each other with the intention of fighting their instruments in a traditional “pángana”.

Initially, the monument was placed in the west zone of the square, but it was moved under the Clock Tower a few years ago, so it faces all the drummers who gather in front of the square’s clock every Holly Tuesday.

Texto:
José Antonio Zapata y Juan Fernández del Toro