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Boys and girls from Burela, still being young, know that our Sea is full of incredible creatures. They also know that, near Burela, in San Cibrao, there lives a siren, a being with woman body and fish tail, called Maruxaina.
Sometimes, Maruxaina can be seen as ungainly, skinny old woman, but on other occasions, she is a beautiful long haired young lady.
Those who swear to have seen her at sometime, say that, in either of the two forms, she is holding a spindle with which she is spinning without knowing if it is for a fishing net or an article of clothing to dress herself.
There are those who say that she possesses an underwater palace made of seaweed and coral, and she only comes out on blustery days, to appear upon the small islands trying to warn poor sailors to keep clear of danger. Others say that she try to do is charm with her songs and lure the sailors to sail their ships into the rocks.
We, view Maruxaina as such an old creature, who, after so long a time, has ruined her figure and has changed her mermaid lyre for a spindle, being fed up with never captivating anybody.
Maruxaina Fiesta:
This is held every year in San Cibrao, very close to Burela, on the second Saturday of August, and one can discover if she has been good or bad, because she is sought to be brought to land, to be passed judgement and to decide on her behaviour during the year.
If she has been good, she will dance until dawn and then, returned to the Cantabrian Sea. If she has been bad, she will burn at the fiesta’s end.She is usually declared innocent and return to the sea to continue enjoying a fiesta that has been around since August 1985.