The ancient figure of the proclamation proclamation of the Festivities of Christ Aloud and on horseback he returned yesterday to the streets of the town of The lagoon37 years after the last time this ancient tradition was put into practice, in 1984.
Thus, a delegation made up of the Amazon Sara Expósito Rodríguez, the couple of musicians from the Banda de Cornetas y Tambores de San Miguel, José Manuel Torres Afonso on the trumpet and Virginia Hernández Izquierdo on the box, and the breeder Arístides Expósito Padilla, left at 11:00 am from the Casa de los Capitanes and they toured the historic center of Lagunero to announce the beginning of the festivities, on a day in which good weather and many curious people accompanied this procession through the streets of the old town.
“Hey! Hey! Attention! On behalf of the Mayor, it is made known: that the festivities that since 1607 , four centuries and 14 years, are celebrated in honor of the venerated image of the Holy Christ, brought to the city by its founder, Don Alonso Fernández de Lugo ”, the Amazon Sara Expósito was proclaiming loudly, reading the statement delivered by the Mayor of La Laguna, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, for the start of these important festivities.
“Hey! Hey! Attention! Let everyone know that with this proclamation, neighbors and foreigners, the reading continued, men and women, soldiers and countrymen, boys and girls, are warned that the September festivities are going to begin: musical contests, puppets, theater, zarzuela, exhibitions, Verbenas with parranda, Canarian songs and dances of the land, entertainment of all kinds and ventorrillos. And on the fourteenth, the great day, solemn acts in honor of the Christ of the lagoon, with the burning of fireworks from the Risco de San Roque, and the traditional entrance ”.
From the City Council they recalled that it is not properly the official proclamation of the festivities as it is currently known (since this will be read next September 1 at the Leal Theater), but rather a short announcement in which the citizenship to join the celebrations of the big festival of La Laguna.
In addition, the program of events, as well as the poster, will be officially presented at the beginning of next week.
The Councilor for Festivities, Badel Albelo, said that he was “deeply moved to recover a tradition such as the proclamation of the largest festivals in the municipality, which are the festivities in honor of the Holy Christ of La Laguna, and happy for the welcome you have had ”.
Recover traditions
“And it shows the intention of this Government team and the Festival area to recover and preserve traditions. The last proclamation made in this way was 37 years ago, and they had been held since the 16th century, especially since the early 20th century. It is an honor to be able to praise the festivities with actions like the ones we live in this morning. [ayer]”Added the councilor.
Thus, this tradition goes back to the ancient town criers on horseback of the 16th century, to whom the Island Council used for all kinds of announcements.
There are already references to the Fiestas del Cristo in the press in the first third of the 20th century. In the 1930 chronicle of Gaceta de Tenerife, it is stated: “At nine o’clock in the evening the 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’ ”.
