IMAGES: Sergio Betancort
The festivities in honor of Our Lady of Regla, in the town of La Vegueta, began on Thursday night with the reading of the proclamation by the neighbor Antonia Rodríguez Berriel, who was surrounded by her family and friends. Many neighbors also wanted to attend the proclamation, as did the mayor of Tinajo, Jesús Machín, and some councilors from the government group.
Antonia Rodríguez reviewed her childhood games, what the parties were like at the time, which only lasted two days. The first day was celebrated with mass and procession, and the second day, the neighbors took a walk along the dusty roads of the town in search of a suitor.
The herald explained to the public the sacrificial life she has had. When she was very young, with two older daughters and pregnant with a third child, her husband left for Venezuela in search of fortune and never returned. Antonio Rodríguez had to act as both mother and father. In order to get ahead, she worked tirelessly as a seamstress, a trade she learned from her sister. She also worked in the hard tasks of the field, thus ensuring that her three children got ahead and were even able to study teaching, a profession they practice today.
The herald encouraged everyone to fight and said that although she did not have an easy life, nowadays, no matter how small the problem, people "put the rope around their necks." Therefore, she asked the public to reflect first and move forward "with what God has destined."
Thus, she offered a proclamation full of hope, in which she advocated for fighting and committing oneself. Antonia Rodríguez also collaborates with society, participating wherever they require her.
After the reading of the proclamation, her family presented her with some Canarian songs. In addition, they gave her a photograph, while the festival committee gave her a plaque and a bouquet of flowers. The proclamation was also given to those attending the event.
