Photos: Sergio Betancort
An emotional opening speech was given on Monday afternoon by resident Aurelio Rodríguez Padrón at the El Molino Sociocultural Center in Tiagua on the occasion of the festivities in honor of Our Lady of Socorro.
Having always been present at the reading of his predecessor speakers, he thought on more than one occasion that if he was ever invited to give the opening speech for the festivities, he would do so happily and with great enthusiasm, sharing his experiences with the residents of the town where he was born, as he did this Monday.
At the age of two, Aurelio Rodríguez moved with his family to Corralejo (Fuerteventura) until he was five years old, when he returned to his town. Barely twelve years old, he moved to live in Arrecife, but never lost contact with his town and its people.
Aurelio is the third of four siblings and his parents, Paco Rodríguez and Maruca Padrón, like most families, were dedicated to agriculture. Maruca, a courageous mother, had to take care of the family when her husband emigrated to work in Argentina, where he remained for four years. During that time, Aurelio, with his mother and siblings, visited his grandparents, Marcial and Bárbara, every night, and together they prayed the rosary.
Memories of the festivities and the school
Grandmother Bárbara was a second mother to the speaker and his siblings, a very helpful woman willing to help not only them but everyone who came to her house, like the well-known Juan Peseta from San Bartolomé, whom she invited to a plate of potatoes and meat on the day of Our Lady of Socorro. Also to Margarita, from San Bartolomé, making a room available for her to leave the purchase of vegetables that she would later take to sell to the Recova of Arrecife.
Aurelio also recalled how, when the days of the festivities were approaching, his mother, who worked from sun to sun, was the one who was in charge of whitewashing the house with lime and painting the doors and windows in the absence of his father. For the festivities, the stalls were decorated with palm leaves and the open-air dances were held each year in different parts of the town, enlivening them with the Lira and Lido orchestras from the Villa de Teguise. The neighbors wore their best clothes and shoes.
With great humor, the speaker recounted the adventures he went through to be able to see some of the films that were projected in Pedro Cabrera's garage. He also recalled the chicken soup and the meat stew with potatoes that the neighbors prepared for the day of the festivities, with some Muscat grapes for dessert. The speaker also had words for those who were his teachers, Don Jorge, Juan the Majorero, Agustín Valenciano and Manuel Acosta from San Bartolomé, who recently passed away.
Petition for the street where his grandmother lived to be named after her
Aurelio Rodríguez shared many experiences and anecdotes in his opening speech, which everyone present enjoyed. Before finishing, very excited, he also made a request for the street where his grandmother Bárbara lived to be named after her. With a cheer to Tiagua and Our Lady of Socorro, Aurelio finished his speech to the applause of family, friends and neighbors who accompanied him on a day he had been eagerly awaiting.
The festival committee presented him with a commemorative plaque as a souvenir, which he received from Iván Carmona, a member of the board of directors of the Socio-Cultural Center. The Councilor for Festivities of the Teguise City Council, Antonio Callero, and the councilors Nori Machín and Javier Díaz, also traveled to Tiagua to support the speaker on behalf of the City Council.
