Maratón de los Cuentos

The Maratón de los Cuentos (Storytelling Marathon) is an oral narration that takes place every year in the palacio del Infantado de Guadalajara (Spain) during the second or third weekend of June. The festival gather storytellers or cuentacuentos from around the world who narrate uninterruptedly stories over the weekend. Started in 1992, the Maratón de los Cuentos of Guadalajara is celebrated every year since then. It reached its twentieth edition in 2011 achieving 46 hours of storytelling without interruption. It brings together 200 volunteers who help develop more than 70 activities.

History
The Marathon was born as one of the projects created by Blanca Calvo, director of the Library of Guadalajara, when in 1982 she promoted the Seminary of Children and Youth Literature of Guadalajara, which in addition to the Marathon organized the National Encounters of Animation of Reading between 1984 and 1996

The first edition was held on April 23, 1992, as part of the activities program of the Guadalajara Book Fair, which included oral narration. That first edition lasted 24 hours, from 12 noon on Friday to 12 on Saturday, with the goal in turn to enter the Guinness Book of Records. In this marathon participated personalities such as Antonio Buero Vallejo and José Luis Sampedro.

In 1993 the Marathon was held for the first time in the palace of the Infantado and reached 36 and a half hours.

Since then, and thanks to the collaboration of the Seminary of Children and Youth Literature of Guadalajara, it ended up defining what is now known as the "Marathon of the Tales of Guadalajara", which takes place in the courtyard of the Lions of the Palace of Infantado uninterrupted during the weekend.

In 2016 the festival reached a quarter of a century by telling stories and it is considered as the largest festival of oral narration, aimed at children and adults, adolescents, storytellers and curious in general and known as the world capital of the story. After 25 years, the festival declared to be working to be part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity granted by UNESCO.

Event locations
The palace of the Infantado de Guadalajara has hosted the event since 1993 and is specially decorated for the occasion. Inside, in the Patio de los Leones, the main courtyard, the marathon of oral narration is developed as well as the marathon of illustration, and in the hall, a smaller courtyard at the entrance of the Palacio del Infantado is told stories by more accountants novices or more timid. The entrance hall also houses the main story marathon in case of bad weather, since this courtyard is interior which allows the marathon not to be suspended until its program ends on Sunday, when the concert of the end of the Marathon, also developed in the hall of the palace of the Infantado.

The gardens of the Palace of the Infantado host some activities, although mainly there are several stalls where you can buy books or stalls where you can buy traditional products or have tea. Also in front of the Palacio del Infantado are some stalls with the same objective, as well as activities and shows at different times.

The Plaza del Jardinillo de Guadalajara and the Plaza Mayor de Guadalajara as well as the main street also tend to host some activities and shows.

Among the locations of the event have also included the Chinese Hall of the Cotilla Palace, the Palace of Antonio de Mendoza (Liceo Caracense) or the crypt of the Church of San Francisco.

All locations participating in the event are decorated for the occasion.

Marathons included in the event
There are different activities that are performed in parallel to the Maratón de los Cuentos, like the oral narration marathon, the illustration, radio and photography marathons.

Oral Narration marathon
Multitude of professional and non-professional storytellers participate during the event telling stories, either alone or accompanied, with or without musical accompaniment, singing or narrating, interpreting history without more, dressed especially for it or even camouflaged behind puppets or puppets, any option is possible.

Illustration marathon
Different illustrators from around the world are responsible for putting on paper the stories that storytellers are narrating during the weekend. The illustrations are hung in one of the corners of the patio of the lions of the palace of the Infantado so that all can approach to see them.

The illustrators also participate creating the poster of the event each year, which will serve to promote the same serving as an image for posters, shirts and badges in each edition.

Photography marathon
The Photographic Group of Guadalajara makes this photographic follow-up creating an annual archive of the celebration and providing a souvenir to each participant of the Marathon.

Radio marathon
Radio retransmission of the stories through Radio Arrebato, both by radio frequency and online at www.radioarrebato.net.

Music marathon
Since 2002, and depending on the year, the music marathon is performed simultaneously in the gardens of the Infantado Palace.

Extra activities for the marathon

 * Translation of the narrations to sign language for deaf people since 2003 and transcription by screen of the stories narrated in languages other than Spanish.
 * Different lectures on oral literature.
 * Reading workshops.
 * Photographic exhibitions of previous marathons.
 * Exhibitions of the giant stories created by the schools of the province or in the different activities of the marathon.
 * Chimenea de los Cuentos, place where the most timid can tell a story in a smaller environment.
 * Various street shows, juggling, counters, mimes, etc.
 * The Traveling Word is a program that moves the Marathon to places such as hospitals or nursing homes.
 * Since 1999, the Traveler Marathon has traveled through different towns in the province of Guadalajara, performing in each of them a small Marathon of Tales.
 * Festival of Professional Oral Narrative since 1997.
 * The Bicicubeto travels by bicycle the streets of the city and at each stop a story is told.
 * Monuments open at night, such as the Luis de Lucena chapel, the Antonio de Mendoza palace and the Cotilla palace.
 * Night walks and guided tours of the city.
 * Tourist train that runs through the city.
 * Bookmarking workshop.
 * Concert of the Provincial Band of Music at the end of the Marathon of the Tales of each year as a farewell, on Sunday between 12:00 and 15:00. Concierto_fin_maraton_de_los_cuentos_DSC_9170.jpg

Viernes de los cuentos
The Friday of the stories is not included in the festival program, but it completes the story marathon by developing oral storytelling sessions for adults from October to May, including filandón on two of the Fridays during this period, reaching its 21st edition in 2017.

Editions of the Maratón de los Cuentos of Guadalajara
Each year, the Maratón de los Cuentos assigns a theme that gives rise to a theme of the edition: