It is clear that the main source of inspiration we have when we think of Granada is the Alhambra. However, a small town that barely exceeds 400 inhabitants is The origin of a famous expression throughout Spain.
Surely you have used the expression a thousand times Turn off and let’s gobut when you know what the legend about its origin is you will have even more desire to use it.
Apparently, this phrase so typical throughout Spain was born as a result of a bet between two priests in the tiny town of Pitres several centuries ago.
Why the expression ‘turns off and let’s be born in a tiny Granada town?
We use the expression very often Turn off and let’s go To terminate an action, especially when we do not see a possible solution. In addition, we also use it as a sign of indignation in an absurd situation.
It has all the meaning of the world that we give that use, if you think about history about your birth. The most widespread legend is that it was born in Pitres, a population belonging to the municipality of La Taha, in the Alpujarra Granada.
As they tell, Two clergymen played in the region the Castrense chaplaincya religious position of greater prestige, which enjoyed certain advantages within the army.
Both did not agree on who would take office, so they decided to play it in a striking commitment: who managed to celebrate the Mass in less time would keep the chaplaincy.
One of the two clergy made a small trap during its Mass celebration. When the ceremony began, the words pronounced directly Ite Missa is.
That is, he really did not celebrate the Mass, since He limited himself to pronouncing the liturgical formula with which the ceremony endswhich left the other cure without the possibility of beating him.
The other competitor, hearing thatmisaHe immediately understood the trick and told the Monaguillo the expression that has endured to this day: “Turn off and let’s go.”
The little town of Granada that gave rise to an iconic expression
Today, the use of expression Turn off and let’s go It is not limited only to Granada and Andalusia, but is one of the most used phrases in Spanish.
However, Its origin will always be in Pitres, a mountain enclave that despite having only 419 inhabitantsaccording to the National Institute of Statistics (INE), has managed to maintain its cultural and religious wealth.
In fact, until 1975 it was considered an independent municipality. In that year, he merged with Ferreirola and Mecina Fondales to form the Taha. In addition, it is a few kilometers from the Sierra Nevada National Park.
Other Spanish expressions with religious origin
Spain has a great link with the Catholic Church, which causes some of the expressions that we use most in Spanish have a religious origin. Therefore, Turn off and let’s go It is not the only known case.
A good example of this is the expression The Rosary of the Aurorawhich has its root in a conflict that occurred during a procession in Madrid Holy Week.
On the street of the remedies, two religious courtships coincided: the Brotherhood of the Aurorathat started from the convent of San Francisco el Grandeand another procession from the asylum of Santa Catalina.
The dispute for preference in the narrow via escaped quickly, ending in a confrontation in which the brothers of the dawn, armed with lanterns, They used these objects as weapons against their rivals.
The conflict was such that the expression Farolezos like the Rosario de la Aurora It spread like a metaphor of any situation that ends in altercation.
