The City Council of La Laguna recovers this Friday the old tradition of the proclamation proclamation of the Fiestas del Cristo loudly and on horseback through the central streets of the city. The last time this figure was used was in the 1984 edition, thus closing a 37-year hiatus.
Starting at 11:00 a.m., a delegation formed by the Amazon Sara Expósito Rodríguez, the couple of musicians from the Band of Cornets and Drums of San Miguel, José Manuel Torres Afonso, on the trumpet, and Virginia Hernández Izquierdo, on the Caja, and the breeder Arístides Expósito Padilla, will depart from the Casa de los Capitanes and will tour the historic center of Lagunero to announce the beginning of the festivities.
It is not properly the official proclamation of the festivities as it is currently known (since this will be read on September 1 at the Leal Theater), but a short announcement in which citizens are invited to join the celebrations of the big festival of La Laguna. The program of events, as well as the poster, will be officially presented at the beginning of next week.
The Department of Festivities, under the direction of Badel Albelo, thus recovers a tradition that goes back to the ancient town criers on horseback of the 16th century, to whom the Island Council used for all kinds of announcements. In the Fiestas del Cristo there are already references in the press in the first third of the 20th century. In the 1930 chronicle of Tenerife Gazette, it is collected: “At nine o’clock at night the very original proclamation of the festivities took place, which was witnessed by a large audience […] Other heralds on horseback followed, including the one in charge of making the proclamation, who said: ‘Citizens, hear! In the voice and name of the Very Noble and Very Loyal city of San Cristóbal de La Laguna and its Hon. Council. In the voice and name of the Pontifical, Royal and Venerable Slavery of the Holy Christ of La Laguna. Citizens: health and happiness! I come to announce the beginning of our parties ”.
The route of the delegation will be as follows: Casa de los Capitanes, Tabares de Cala street, Cathedral square, Núñez de la Peña square and Torre Concepción square, Doctor Olivera square, Herradores street until the intersection with Heraclio Sánchez to end at the Cathedral street.
