PHOTOS: Miguel Hernández
The last ten heralds of the San Bartolomé festivities met on Thursday night in a very special evening, which served to officially start the festivities and, at the same time, to pay tribute to all the heralds in the history of the municipality. The event, dubbed "proclamation of proclamations", began with words from the mayor, María Dolores Corujo, inviting participation and wishing that the San Bartolomé festivities, "although modest, meet neighborhood expectations."
After recalling the "laughter and tears" that the festival speeches have left for years, the mayor referred to the last ten heralds, who were the protagonists of the event. "Marcial Pérez, Manuel Acosta, Pilar Perdomo, Domingo Corujo, Marisol Arrocha, Belén Elvira, Francisco Gutiérrez, Tere Perera, Tito Perera and Juana Saavedra represent the memory of these festivities of the last ten heralds, all of them left us living literature," said María Dolores Corujo.
"These ten heralds have been stringing and weaving, skein by skein, our traditions, with memories that are as current as they are perennial in the history of San Bartolomé, as literary and poetic as those of any great writer, as simple and clean as those of a child who knows nothing else. Poetry after each proclamation, which made us feel everything they told us," continued the mayor.
The "proclamation of proclamations" told through a video the story of the last ten proclamations, interweaving some with others and highlighting something important from each of them.
Ten years of living history
"It must be true that there is no homeland more affectionate than childhood, because those memories accompany me today and I am sure they will accompany me throughout my life," Marcial Pérez highlighted in his proclamation. For his part, Manuel Acosta praised the greatness of San Bartolomé, "the city settled on high so that others may look at it."
Pilar Perdomo brought to the stage the memory of one of her first memories, the school, to Doña Margarita Martín and Don Antonio Lorenzo, and Domingo Corujo dedicated emotional words and verses to emigration and its harshness, he fondly recalled his experiences and origins, but focusing his proclamation on the hard journey of the founder of San Antonio Texas, a neighbor of the municipality, and the adventures and hardships of the long journey.
Marisol Arrocha recalled "that wind that characterizes us so much, which refreshes our dry lands, which moves the palm trees of our town, like upright ladies who raise their arms to the sky", while Belén Elvira relived her memories of Doña Eulogia González, José Hernández and their importance, because she recognized that they are responsible for part of her appearance, "excited and committed people."
For his part, Francisco Gutiérrez stressed "the value of the people of this town and their character" and Tere Perera recalled Mozaga and her experiences and stressed that "proclaiming the town of San Bartolomé means launching its greatness to the four winds, feeling the pride of all its neighbors."
The evenings of music and the typical images of the festivities were recalled by Tito Perera, who recalled the revelries that were formed. "I was lucky enough to be in the store and be able to see the revelries, because the kids couldn't be where the adults were. From here, perhaps since my childhood, my hobby, because I have lived surrounded by players and singers such as Damián (El Zapatero), Bernardo Barreto known as El Rubio, Rafael Elvira, Casimiro Tejera and many who passed by there," he said.
Juana Saavedra, the last herald of this decade, made her special tribute to the farmer, to the effort and work in the field proclaiming from her experiences and memories, concluding with words eager for hope in the future. "It is the mission of a herald to highlight her Patron Saint and I also consider it the mission of the same to bet on youth, a beautiful treasure that when it passes leaves the memory and nostalgia of a time long gone. Betting on those young people, especially in these times where magic is lacking, work is scarce and there is an abundance of unease in the face of an uncertain future."
Music to open the festivities
After that review of ten years of proclamations, the mayor praised the work of all the heralds. "Wise words all these, in the mouths of simple people, who today are the ones who open our festivities, in this special way. Words that are already history and are a legacy for the future."
The event also featured the performance of the Municipal Choir, which delighted the public with a lively repertoire of different styles. The night continued with the performance of Tina Riobo, who drew applause from the public, recalling well-known songs by great artists. The public sang, danced and had fun with the performance of this tremendous voice.
At the end of the performance, the exhibition of historical photography in its XIII edition was opened to the public, the ruling of which was read before the musical performances.
