Esteru

The Esteru is a Christmas character from the oral tradition of Cantabria.

The Esteru is a big, warm hearted woodcutter with a beret, a smoking pipe and long beard who usually wear wooden albarcas and always takes his axe, his walking stick, and his loyal servant, el Burru (the Donkey). He represents kindness and goodness on the Earth. He leaves in the forest in Cantabria and dedicates all year to cut wood, except at Christmas, when he manufactures the toys he will later deliver to all the homes in Cantabria.

Oral tradition AbOUT this character was exclusively documented in Ruiseñada, Comillas, a village of western Cantabria where Esteru is popular and appears every year in the Three Kings parade. Since then, the myth has spread throughout the region of Cantabria particularly in recent years. He is therefore, along with the anjanas, one of the most representative symbols of Christmas in Cantabria.

See also

• Anjana
• Cantabrian mythology

External links

• RNE interview to Apalpador,Angulero, Esteru y Olentzero

• , TV report of the Santander City Council.

ast:Esteru ca:Esteru es:Esteru eu:Esteru pt:Esteru