Although there are still days of celebration ahead, the staging of the end of the Arrecife 2024 Carnival experienced one of the best-kept surprises of the program prepared by the City Council presided over by Mayor Yonathan de León, through the Department of Festivities, the responsibility of the Deputy Mayor, Echedey Eugenio, this Ash Wednesday.
The funeral cortege that departed punctually from the roundabout of the Arrecife Gran Hotel in the direction of La Rocar, had been organized with secrecy for two protagonists: Doña Sardina appeared accompanied by a friendly two-meter-long pejín, who wore proudly on the shoulders of the members of “Los Noveleros”, the winning murga of the First Prize for Interpretation, Lyrics and Music of the VIII Children's Murga Contest.
The mayor of the city, Yonathan de León, has highlighted that this year of commemoration in the municipality of Arrecife, “we have planned a carnival with many novelties from the City Council. The location of the burning of the sardine, united for the first time to the pejín, symbolizes keeping very present the origin of our city, a few steps from that place. La Puntilla is next to the Islote del Francés, and in this seafaring enclave of Charco de San Ginés, Arrecife was born as a port before being a city and capital”.
“These carnivals have been extraordinary, and we have planned that the burning of the sardine and the pejín, which symbolizes the end of carnival time, would have this reminder of the origin of our city in this 2024 where we commemorate the 225th anniversary of the municipality of Arrecife", added Yonathan de León.
For his part, the Deputy Mayor and Head of Festivities, Echedey Eugenio, has highlighted that “it was time for the presence of the little ones in the act that symbolically puts an end to the Carnival festivities to have the importance and recognition it deserves”.
Thus, Eugenio has pointed out that “this was a demand and a desire that the children's murgas had conveyed to us, and I think it is fair that from now on, the Pejín stays in the carnivals sharing prominence, cortege and funeral pyre with the Sardine.
The Philharmonic “Las Revoltosas” was in charge of leading the delegation and, after it, the different comparsas, batucadas and children's and adult murgas paraded.
The first float to appear was “Poppy's Garden”, winner of the third prize, and later “Madagascar 2 Escape from Africa”, second prize, and “Explorers of the Monster of the Charco de San Ginés”, as the first prize of the Float Contest.
There was also no shortage of grieving and inconsolable widows, widowers and masquerades, among whom were members of the municipal Government Group.
Finally, Doña Sardina appeared, majestic and haughty; seven meters of fish with a lisote body and a cabrilla head, inspired by the specimen on the coat of arms of the Arrecife City Council, and made with organic materials, whose scales sported an intense “red skin” color in honor of the theme of the Carnival.
The float carrying the symbol that puts an end to the Carnival to make way for Lent paraded escorted, as is traditional, by the winning murga of the Adult Murga Contest; on this occasion, the Philharmonic “Los Tabletúos”.
Doña Sardina and El Pejín shared flames, tears and applause. Only the matriarch's hat was spared, which “Los Tabletúos” took as a trophy.
The fireworks were not an end point on this occasion, but a semicolon, as the party continued in La Recova with a party for the grieving masquerades to forget their sorrows.
The program of events will continue this Thursday, February 15 with children's entertainment in the Islas Park, as will Friday, February 16.
For adults, there will be a ‘Barbie Party’ in La Recova that same Friday and, finally, on February 17, Piñata Saturday in the José Ramírez Cerdá Park, and Carnival in La Recova.
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