ciadoncha; ¡cuántos recuerdos - Webpages at SCU - Santa Clara ...

With time, the majority of houses in Ciadoncha came to have a “Gloria”, which is
a tunnel that goes through a room of the house and that has a chimney where the smoke
leaves (fireplace). According to the participants, the glorias are from the roman times,
but were not used much in the town until the middle of the 20th century. The gloria is
heated by burning straw or firewood. As the heat rises, it heats up the habitations that are
on the top floor. Also called a gloria was the room where the tunnel passed through,
which was the hottest room of all. In the past, during winter, everything was done in this
room. Above all else, the children were washed and changed in this room. This was the
room most used in the whole house.
Today, the glorias are very pretty and the spot where they are heated is used as a
place for special decoration. However, in the past, it was no more than a hole with an
iron cover. Normally, in the glorias there is a table where everyone eats, a sofa, several
chairs and a piece of furniture that holds the television. But the gloria is not sufficient
enough to heat up the rooms that are not above it. In the past, in order to heat the beds
they used braziers (a metal pan used for burning coal or charcoal) or bottles of hot water
and today they use electrical heaters.
Brazier
www.aqua-sur.cl
Bed heater.
cache.tias.com
Many of the participants say that the best memories they have of their family are
of the times they spent in the gloria. That is where many heard their first story, where the
daughters hand was given for marriage, where the mother sewed the siblings clothes, or
where they listened to the radio. Many also remember how clean and orderly they were
maintained.
Modern kitchen in a house in Ciadoncha. 2006
Another important room was the kitchen. Firewood was used for cooking. Later,
butane stoves were used, and today electric ones are used. In the kitchen there was a
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