Photos: Sergio Betancort
The Villa de Teguise is already immersed in the festivities in honor of its patron saint, Nuestra Señora del Carmen. The celebrations officially began on Thursday night, with the reading of the proclamation by the neighbor José Manuel Fontes Herrera, popularly known as Manolo Fontes, current president of the Rancho de Pascual de Teguise.
The event was presented by Miriam Hernandez, who was in charge of giving way to each of the participants located at the presidential table. On this table were the Councilor for Culture and Festivities, Olivia Duque, who invited all residents to participate in each of the scheduled events; and Oswaldo Betancort, mayor of the Teguise City Council, who delved into the historical legacy of the municipality, which was the first capital of the Canary Islands.
Next, the mayor introduced the town crier, who reviewed what those festivals of Nuestra Señora del Carmen were like, which he enjoyed since his childhood. He pointed out that these were very different from those of today, since before the festival was focused on the celebration of Holy Mass, the procession and some other dance; but they were very happy since the games of the time were all held in La Plazuela, a meeting place for young and old. The children were the owners of the streets, where they played skittles and, wherever there was a small plain, it became an improvised soccer field. In addition, when the goat herd passed by, they knew the names of the neighbors to whom each of the goats belonged.
Manolo Fontes, who carried some small notes as a guide, was commenting on what those festivals of San Juan, Carnivals and Christmas were like; and he remembered the names of many neighbors and their professions. In addition, he referred to the music bands existing in Teguise and the names of each one, the barbers of the time, the teacher, the priest and the municipal guards; who today are local police.
The audience enjoyed the anecdotes and the ease of the town crier when telling them. He also explained how the residents of Teguise, with a lot of work, put a face to each of the problems that were presented to move forward.
Next, the mayor presented him with a gift as a souvenir for having accepted the invitation to proclaim the festivities in honor of Nuestra Señora del Carmen in this year 2017. Then the Villa de Teguise Polyphonic Choir went on stage, which, directed by Professor Nuvi Tavio, performed a varied repertoire, ending with a composition accompanied by the pianist Yasuyo Tschiya.
