For days now, Madrid smells like a party. In a city like Madrid there is always a party, but Not all of them are like the San Isidro festivities . With an extensive program of activities and concerts since the beginning of the month, the celebration of San Isidro Labrador reaches its culmination on the May 15, holiday in the capital when the areas surrounding the Pradera de San Isidro and the Vistillas are packed with people lining up to eat donuts and wafers, drink ‘agua santa’ and yes, they also dance chotis dressed as chulapos and chulapas. And to be chulapa or chulapo, you have to have style.

The chulapas, in addition to their traditional dress, usually wear a headscarf white, accompanied by one or two carnations, of one color or another. Everything has its meaning, its logic and, of course, its meaning. The simplest thing to be a good chulapa is to use a white triangular scarf, to which a soft knot is tied at the height of the neck, without the need to tighten it too much. To tie it, it is best to do the following:

  • Place the scarf over your head, with the longest side surrounding your head and the tip towards the back, making it centered and with the two corners on both sides at the same height.
  • With your fingers, take the two corners of the scarf that are more or less at the height of your ears, and tie a simple knot, not too tight.

With this, the scarf would already be in place. But what is a chulapa without a carnation? Little thing. The Madrid tradition does not lack detail and next to the white handkerchief one or several carnations are usually placed, of one color or another, depending on the situation. They can be red, white or pink (the least), and the fact that they get one, two or three also makes sense, although you have to go back to tradition and word of mouth to know it.

He red carnation symbolizes love and admiration, while white refers to purity and innocence. Pink, for its part, points to unconditional love, a love that goes from parents to children. The number of carnations used (and the color) each one means something different:

  • Two red carnations: the chulapa is married
  • One white and one red carnation: the chulapa has a partner or is engaged
  • Two white carnations: the chulapa is single
  • Two red carnations and one white: the chulapa is a widow

In addition to these, although many girls usually wear a red carnationyou can also opt for a pink one, which represents the smallest chulapas, the chulapilla girls of Madrid.