Tuna
Tunas are associations of students in Spain and different countries in Latin America . In Portugal the term Tuna exists as Tuna Estudantil (also Estudantina or Tuna Académica ) or simply as Tuna , which can then also refer to another band organized as a club.
The members of the student Tunas, the Tunos wear on festive occasions traditional, largely black clothes and bring on guitar and Bandola accompanied songs represent.
Occur
Tunas are found predominantly at Spanish and Portuguese universities, but also in parts of South America . There they sometimes also call themselves Estudiantinas ( Spanish ) or Estudantinas ( Portuguese ). In the meantime, the tradition is also sporadically maintained in other countries, for example tunas based on the Iberian model have been created in the Netherlands since the 1960s .
Tunas are usually tied to a specific faculty of the university, more rarely to a university as a whole.
Clothing of the Spanish tunas
Traditional clothing includes the cap, the jubón , the beca , a white shirt, wide trousers, knee-high stockings and shoes:
- The jubón is a black coat. Both the collar and the sleeves are cut very wide. This form of the coat is documented for the first time in 1377 and has been worn generally since the 16th century. A white shirt is worn under the jubón.
- The Beca is a colored cloth that is thrown forward over the chest from both shoulders. It is in the colors of the university and faculty (common colors are, for example, yellow for medicine, blue for natural sciences and red for law) and shows a corresponding coat of arms. The Beca originally indicated that a student was enrolled at a university and was supported by it ( beca means scholarship in German ). The Beca is awarded to a tuno as soon as the members of the tuna find a new member worthy to represent the tuna. As an exception to the rule, the tuna of the Colegio San Xerome from Santiago de Compostela does not wear a Beca (in contrast to the Colegios Fonseca and San Clemente in Santiago), but a Compostela cross on its chest because the students of this university did not receive a scholarship.
- The tuna trousers are cut wide. While long trousers were still common in the 16th and 17th centuries, today only shortened trousers are worn, which come together at the bottom.
- Traditionally, tights or leg-length stockings were worn, but knee-high stockings have now become popular.
- The coat of arms of the cities or countries that Tuno has visited are embroidered on the hat. In addition, colorful ribbons are attached, which the tuno is given by women as a token of affection.
Clothing of the Portuguese tunas
The traditional clothing is determined by "Capa e Batina" , literally "cape and sutane". Due to the ecclesiastical origins of the educational system, the traditional garments are derived from the priestly gown , which, under constant bourgeois influences, found its present form.
Essentially, student clothing consists of a white shirt, black tie, black vest and heavy black cloak that reaches the floor and can be used to attach various faculty and travel badges and ribbons. The rites for this fill books. At the end of the course, these pieces of clothing are ritually torn, today often only symbolically.
Under the capas , the students wear everyday pants and shoes, which should, however, be kept as simple and discreet as possible.
music
The tunos accompany their singing with guitars and bandurrias (a form of bandola ). In Portugal (e.g. the Azeituna from Braga ), a mandolin called a bandolim is usually used instead of the bandurria . A tambourine is used for rhythmic accompaniment . In addition to these instruments typical of the Tunas, other instruments can also be used.
history
The Tunas can look back on a history that goes back to the 8th century. Even Alfonso X of Castile already mentioned Tunas and called them “jugglers”.
Originally, the students, who could barely make a living because of their poverty, asked for food and a little money in the restaurants. Essentially, they were given the leftovers from the daily menu, often just simple water soup. In return, they sang well-known songs. At that time they were also known as sopistas (from Spanish / Portuguese sopa : soup), because apparently they only lived on simple soup.
In the 16th century the material supply of the students improved. Thus the singing served less as a consideration for alms, but more to attract the favor of young women. In the archives of the Catalan University of Lleida (Spain) there is a ban on singing at night, with the threat of confiscating the instruments. Under the reign of Maria Christina in the middle of the 19th century, the formation of associations was allowed, so that the tunas of today's character were formed.
Tunas in Spain today
The Tunas have retained many traditions. With the clothes they put on for performances, they can be recognized from afar. Characteristics such as sociability, spontaneity and a thirst for adventure have always been characteristic of the Tunos. Wherever they go they are welcome guests with their entertaining performances. Nowadays it seems that in the pubs, happy and sad songs are played to satisfy the wishes of the audience. A good tuno quickly earns its tip.
The rondas are the pub or house tours, where performances by the tuna exclusively for women can be seen. These tours through the local businesses have a very long tradition in the Spanish Tunas. In the past you met in a pub, drank enough courage to later sing a beautiful ballad under the window of your beloved and accompanied by a tuna from your beloved.
“Los Viajes” are the journeys of the Tuna. Tunos love to travel and get to know new cities. Often trips are organized in connection with Certámenes. There are often rondas in the selected places because the tuno should earn its bed for the night. Most of the time, viewers in foreign cities react very positively to the unknown group. It can be said that viajes are one of the highlights of tuna life. A tuno has to make at least one trip and that is the apprentice trip.
“Certámenes” is the Spanish word for competitions. The Certámenes for Tunas are not typical competitions. The focus is always on having fun with the music. Often prizes such as “Happiest Tuna” or “Best Newcomer” are given. This turns the competitions into a nice music weekend with much more drink than urge. A Certámen also offers the opportunity to make good contacts with other tunas, for example to learn new songs or simply to exchange travel tips.
Tunas in Portugal today
Here, too, the Tunas zealously preserve their traditions. The external aspects of the student tradition in Portugal are determined by three terms: the praxe ("custom", especially the initiation rites for freshmen), the traje ("traditional costume", essentially "capa e batina") and the tuna . Then there is the Semana Académica , better known as Queima das Fitas (the parade and folk festival at the end of the year with the ritual "burning of the ribbons", which show the respective faculty affiliation at the Capa ). There are also numerous all-female tunas in Portugal.
In Portugal, the term "Estudante" not only explicitly refers to university students; the students of each university are traditional "Estudantes" (technical colleges, technical colleges, etc.). In addition to parades on appropriate occasions, the Tunas concerts and festivals are particularly popular.
The Tunas like to travel and travel a lot, travel is part of the Tuna's nature. Despite all the tradition, there is generally a lively exchange. The tunas are a happy part of everyday student life in Portugal, in which the general public also takes an active part, especially at the student festivals , the Queima das Fitas . There are around 300 tunas in Portugal today (see "Lista de tunas em Portugal", the list of tunas in the Portuguese Wikipedia).
