Their last name couldn't fit their profession better. The Luz family has been in charge of burning fireworks at the San Ginés festivities since 1985 and this year they are preparing a show that will not leave any Lanzarote resident indifferent. A total of 400 kilos of pyrotechnic material, of which 90 are gunpowder, will be launched into the sky of El Reducto beach on August 25 at 10:30 p.m. The final firecracker promises.
The Luz family, which has been in this business for 26 years, is aware of the importance of fireworks for the people of Arrecife. For this reason, they strive to make the entire burning process perfect. Almost the entire family participates in the assembly of the material, some 12 or 15 people, from the youngest to the oldest. The burning is carried out by three of them, who hope that the applause of the public will resonate more than their final firecracker.
It is this "final outburst", precisely, that requires the most effort. "People are very attracted to that mixture of noise and color. And our success is the firecracker. In fact, we learned it from one of the best pyrotechnicians in Spain, Ricardo Caballer, who has won the San Sebastián International Fireworks Festival many times," explains José Manuel Luz, one of the three brothers involved in this company.
Almost 12,000 euros in three minutes
In fact, of the 24,000 euros that this burning will cost, more than half "is consumed in the last three minutes, in the final firecracker." "The fireworks last between 8 and 12 minutes. The material is very expensive and is used up very quickly. The last container we brought cost us around 9,000 euros," explains this pyrotechnician.
Despite the sacrifice of his work, José Manuel remains passionate about pyrotechnics. Thus, he was the one who became interested in this business in 1983 and "put the bug" in the rest of the family, especially his brothers Javier and Juan. "I worked in a hotel on the island. At the end of the year, a man came to burn fireworks. I met him, we became friends, we started selling a box of firecrackers and look how far we've come," he says proudly.
To prepare the fireworks for the San Ginés festivities, the Luz family must get the material in time and start assembling it in their warehouse, in Teseguite, two weeks before. "From here we take everything pre-assembled. In the theme park, from where the fireworks are launched, everything is placed in pipes. The area is closed and we program the computer.
In all this time, in the 26 years of history of this company, technology has changed and advanced a lot. I remember that in the 80s the installation was much smaller. Before we had to bury the tubes one by one and we lit each fire with a flare. Now everything is electronic, by computer. The assembly is simpler, less dangerous than before and much more spectacular," says this expert.
"People are amazed"
And, precisely, this spectacularity makes the people of Arrecife "amazed" when the sky lights up, on one of the most special days of their festivities. "What makes us happiest is that people start applauding and shouting with emotion after our final firecracker," says Juan Luz, another of the brothers who participates in this business.
"There are even times when they have applauded us a lot and we have been disappointed because it didn't turn out as we had programmed it," says José Manuel, who assures that "all this effort is compensated when people are happy."
These brothers also recognize that one of the greatest prides is that "a Valencian comes and tells you how well you do it." "The parents of a friend who were Valencian came. They were not very excited to see the fireworks, thinking they were going to be much worse. Well, they were amazed. Because it is different, because they are launched in a spectacular environment, in the bay of El Reducto. That filled me with pride," says José Manuel, while manipulating part of the pyrotechnic material.
The crisis hits the sector
Although this family is already preparing for the San Ginés festivities, the truth is that a feeling of weariness and fatigue is drawn on their faces. "We are very discouraged because working for the town halls is not profitable. We are doing badly. We have not received our salaries for three months. No money is coming in and we are going through a very bad time, in which we have even considered closing down," these brothers warn, who assure that they will continue trying to "pull the business forward." "We love it and we don't want to throw in the towel, but it is a very complicated situation," they lament.
During recent times, help has come to them from heaven. "We have had the great luck of having worked for many years with Francisco Dávila, the pyrotechnician who died with his son in an accident in his warehouse in Teror. When we call the Peninsula to order material, they lend it to us without paying in advance just for having been friends with Francisco. He taught us everything and without him we would not be what we are now," says José Manuel Luz.
In addition, this family also manages to get ahead with the weddings that are celebrated on the island, in which fireworks are burned. "Above all, people from Ireland come to get married in Lanzarote. We usually do about 25 weddings a year and that helps us," he says.
Despite all the economic difficulties, the Luz family continues to prepare the pyrotechnic material for San Ginés with enthusiasm. "We know that there are people who come from the countryside and come down to Arrecife just to see the fireworks. This is a pride, because our work only serves if we hear the applause of the public," says this family, who promises to bring a smile to the people of Arrecife on this day of gunpowder, color and noise.
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