Soon you will not be able to buy certain types of souvenirs in Barcelona as the government is putting an end to them. — AFP
Whether it’s a wooden penis engraved with the name of a tourist hotspot – often doubling as a bottle opener – or postcards featuring scantily-clad ladies, unfortunately, there’s something for everyone in the world’s souvenir stores. But these tasteless items seem to belong in another age.
For the Esquerra party, which represents Catalonia’s republican left in Spain, this type of souvenir is offensive. Indeed, certain items have been deemed sexist or homophobic, such as T-shirts with questionable slogans.
According to Catalan News, Barcelona City Hall could now ban these outdated souvenirs. The measure is reportedly in the pipeline, as the city council’s economic commission has approved a motion to ban this type of item.
According to Esquerra, Barcelona’s engraved penises damage the city’s image. However, it’s not so easy to regulate a trade that’s deemed to be in bad taste, as it’s ultimately a purely subjective matter.
Particularly present in Greece, wooden phalluses are a common sight in souvenir stores. Although their presence often brings a smile to vacationers’ faces, their symbolism is not linked to a purely sexual connotation. In Greek mythology, they were worshipped as a symbol of prosperity, believed to be able to ward off all ills.
“The penis even had its own god: Priape, son of Aphrodite and Dionysus, endowed with a disproportionately large member, seen as a scarecrow with magical virtues. That’s why erect penises, sculpted or moulded in terracotta, were mounted on street corners and at the entrances to stores and houses,” writes Christian-Georges Schwentzel, professor of ancient history at France’s Universite de Lorraine, in an article for The Conversation about why Greeks and Romans worshipped the phallus.
For vacationers, these trinkets have become a form of good luck charm, or an amusing gift for someone back home. In fact, many destinations around the world have appropriated this unique souvenir, albeit without having the cultural or historical legitimacy to hang them over the doors of their souvenir stores. – AFP Relaxnews
