When talking about Madrid’s traditions, there is a growing concern that is being expressed more and more frequently: the lack – or possible lack – of generational replacement when it comes to keeping them alive. In this scenario, proposals appear that seem to be telling the older ones that, perhaps, there are more reasons for hope than it might seem. As, for example, the first parade of chulapa costumes to be held this weekend, driven by three young people.
The place chosen, moreover, is not trivial: it is the Centro Cultural La Corrala-Museo de Artes y Tradiciones Populares (Calle de Carlos Arniches, 3), a space located in the heart of Lavapiés and ceded by the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM).
The event will take place on Thursday, May 24, time to be confirmed. Admission is free in order of queue and until a capacity of 180 people (80 seated and 100 standing) is reached.
The origin of the first chulapa costume parade
Behind this initiative are three young women -Ainara, Marta and Sandra- between 19 and 20 years old, who want to spread the chulapa culture in Madrid: “This movement arose at the beginning of this year, when we started to make our chulapa costumes, because we wanted to encourage other girls our age to do the same”, they explain to Madrid Secreto.
The movement they refer to is MazodeMadrid, an account that was born with the aim, in their words, to make Madrid’s parties shine again. Its birth, on the other hand, could not be more from here: “We wanted to add a very common word among young people in Madrid, which is “mazo”, and we came up with it in a very spontaneous and simple way: in the Madrid subway waiting for the train”.
With this parade they want to put in trend the castiza fashion, showing the costume in girls of all ages, and claim loud and clear that “the chulapa costume is not a costume and deserves the recognition that other costumes of Spain have“.
To support the parade they have been joined by the regional costume brand D’Pertíñez (which collaborates with accessories and children’s costumes), the Association of Castizos de Lavapiés (with the presence of the Maja Mayor and Maja Infantil 2025) and MazodeMadrid’s own models (youth and children).
How to dress well as a chulapa?
If this year you want to dress well chulapa for San Isidro, in addition to get ideas in the parade we encourage you to watch the video in which our colleague Elena Francés explains step by step how to do it. And if you are worried about the parné, we talk about it here.
Updating Madrid’s traditions
The renovation and updating of traditional traditions is a reality that can be seen from the costumes -the fantastic workshop of Carmen17 is a good example- to the music, with the chotuits or the cuplés of Livianas Provincianas.