cibiella - flexible and thin stick - vara

[Marta Elena Díaz García]

A cibiella is a thin stick that can be used to tie sheafs , to make wicker baskets, to make plaits, etc. Also, it is used to give a “cibiellazu” to others: it is very painful because the thinner is the stick, more piercing is the pain. The most common cibiella is a stick of osier (wicker).

By the way, here is another asturian word for the next week: blimal = osier.

Cibiella is used also to refer to the weenie.

I include here a “poem” highlighting the fiestas of Molleda in which the cibiella is used.

Non me güelvas a dicir,
has tenelu bien en cuenta,
que hay fiestes asemeyantes
a les fiestes de Molleda.

Porque con tal me lo digas
arremangu la cibiella
y doite tal cibiellazu
que te fiendu la sesera.

Conque chute y a callar,
a non dar la parpayuela;
si non ye pa char un viva
a les fiestes de Molleda.

Les mas galanes de todes,
les de mas garbu y fachenda
les de mayor ringorrangu
que la comarca cellebra.

Enrique Rodríguez.
(Molleda, 1971).

[Is]

Love that word, Marta Elena.

Last time I used it, we were re-thatching the roof of a chapel in Co. Ayande and we needed to use cibiel.las (pronounced thee-bee-AY-tsahs) to anchor down the broom shrubs used to thatch roofs in West Asturias.

We used thin hazelnut branches. Interestingly, we were told they can only be bent for flexibility without breaking the cibiel.la on a full or waxing moon. Any idea why that is so?

[Marta Elena Díaz García]

Hi, Ys:

I don´t know why the cibiella is more flexible in some times of the year than in others. Willow is a watery tree and I suppose that during the period from full to waxing moon, in which there are a lot of water movements, the hydration of the tree is in its optimum state.

I remember my father peeling cibiellas using a thicker one. He used willow's not hazelnut´s. I still keep one of the baskets he made and I hope it doesn´t get infested with woodworm.

Marta.

[Bob]