San Isidro, one of the most traditional festivals in the Madrid capital, is synonymous with open-air festivals, Donuts, carnations, concerts and its unmistakable chulapos and chulapas. they, with their blink (type of cap associated with the clothing of the chulapos) and they with their Manila shawl decorated with flowers, they take to the streets of Madrid during the San Isidro festivities to flood the capital with color, joy and good chotis.

Madrid is characterized by many things, and among them its great diversity stands out, being a city of coexistence in which all kinds of people with different styles and ways of living live. But this quality is not purely current, but since centuries ago the streets of Madrid were home to a large number of characters who, depending on the neighborhood in which they lived, adopted different ways of dressing and behaving. This is how they began to become popular. manolos, the sparklers, the majos and the chulapos during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.

the manolos

In one of the most cultural hearts of the Madrid capital, Lavapiésthe term ‘manolos’ was born, alluding to the name of “Manuel”. The Lavapiés neighborhood has always been a neighborhood marked by the multiculturalism, so much so that in the 18th century Jews, Christians and Muslims lived side by side, until the Catholic Monarchs ordered the expulsion of the Jews from Spain. It was then that the converted Jews who decided to stay in the neighborhoodin their eagerness to prove that they were new Christians, They gave their firstborn the traditional name of Manuel, a typical and recognized name in the Christian society of that time. Given the large number of “Manuel” names that abounded in the neighborhood, he began to be known as the neighborhood of the Manolos.

the sparklers

The sparklers were the blacksmiths and workers in the forges of the Barquillo, San Antón and Maravillas neighborhoods during the 17th and 18th centuriesareas where most of the smithies of the capital were located. Its name comes from the word “sparks”, which were produced during the process of welding objects. In addition to their work, they also stood out for their way of dressing with a “sucks” and one net with which they collected their hair.

They stood out for their courage and their skills with metal, which helped in the manufacture and repair of weapons during the War of Independence (1808-1814).

The nice ones

The majos and majas were characters belonging to the working class of the Barrio de Maravillas (Malasaña) during the 18th and 19th centuries. They were characterized by their simplicity, solidarity and elegance. Among the tasks they performed were carpentry, commerce and hospitality, but what stood out the most about them was their characteristic wardrobe and his passion for music and dance. Such was the popularity of these characters that became symbols of national culture and artcoming to be portrayed by the mythical painter Francisco Goya with works as well known as “The Naked Maja” and “The Clothed Maja”.

the chulapos

The chulapos have become a hallmark of Madrid. His marked character, his cockiness and his self-confidence when it comes to developing himself, has his origin at the beginning of the XIX when the city of Madrid was divided into different neighborhoods and there was an important local identity in each of them. Its name comes from the term “cool”appellation that the Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy defined as: “person of the popular classes of Madrid, who affects handsomeness in the suit and in the way of conducting himself”.

The most popular way used at this time to differentiate the residents of some neighborhoods from those of others was through clothing. In the case of chulapos HE They dressed (and do wear) a white shirt, a vest, a sash, black boots and narrow pants to the knee. The coolhowever, they are dressed in a large long dress with ruffles and floral decoration, a white scarf in their hair and a Manila shawl.