Fiesta discussion

[Janet]

Have a read of THIS and tell me Canarians unreservedly welcome fiestas.

El presidente de la Asociación de Vecinos Siete Islas de El Sobradillo, Moisés Barreto, criticó la gestión que hace el Gobierno de Canarias y el Ayuntamiento de Santa Cruz de esta prestación. "Para hacer un Carnaval sí hay millones pero para dar de comer a la gente no", enfatizó.

I personally wouldn't call for a ban - there should be room for a Dionysiac letting off of steam, something that's been recognized since the earliest of human social times - but in plena crisis, when an area can attend only to twelve requests a day for social assistance to eat or pay their electricity, and when people in their desperation are queueing up from midnight to be sure of being one of the first dozen the following morning, something is askew when millions are poured into the main Carnaval ...

The SC Carnaval brings in revenue, it's good PR (usually, anyway, unless they set fire to their carnaval queens) ... but let's get our bloody priorities straight ...

[Myrtle Hogan-Lance]

The Canarian flags now up on the main road and being put up on our street can only mean one thing:  our fiesta begins on Thursday.  Time to stock up on sleep now.

[Nova]

They've disassembled the stage 

Today a client remarked how relieved she is the fiesta is over, because her workload increases horrendously whenever there is a fiesta on and this weekend the one in Las Galletas has had her run off her feet.  What is her field of work?  Medical emergencies.

[Myrtle Hogan-Lance]

Went up to the roof where OH was having a beer to tell him the bunting on the lampposts and balconies in the street had been put up and they had not included us this year.  The committee was putting it up on the street perpendicular to us.  OH (Mr Suave and Debonair) yelled down 'OI!!!', whereupon I had to smile and say to the guys why don't you bring it to our balcony?  They indicated no and I said to OH if he yelled again I was going inside.

In few minutes, they yelled up and said did we want some bunting?  Claro que sí.  So we went down to the balcony and they asked if we might have a little birrita.  Claro que sí, cuantas?  Grabbed 4 beers (Graffenwalder 500ml from LIDL) and took them to the front door whereupon the guys nearly fainted, however, they had to hold up the side.  They did agree that German beer was great. 

So we had a chat while they drank beer and Zebulon ran out and pissed all over the place and Elvis was her usual sweet self. The chairman is my next door neighbour's brother, whom we met last year at the neighbour's twins' birthday. 

We got some wonderful information.  One, the fiesta does not start on Thursday as usual, but on Friday.  Means we'll sleep Thursday night!  Two, fireworks 10.30-11.00 Saturday, so we can plan/pace the party.  Three, I asked if there was a programa de actos to which I got a strange look, as if to say where have you been, and one of the guys duly went to his car and produced one for us, which OH is scanning presently for Janet.

The guys said if we had any questions during the fiesta to just find them and ask. 

Jesus, I am starting to look forward to this fiesta.

In other news, yesterday I walked into the bathroom which faces the mountain behind the house and burst out laughing.  The committee has put Canarian and Spanish flags up on the mountain - fabulous.  I want to post a pic as soon as the mist lifts so we can get a decent picture.  I note that the final acto of the fiesta is the trek to the mountain to reclaim the flags. 

I love my town.  Til about 3 in the morning on Saturday probably. 

[Myrtle Hogan-Lance]

Deep joy.  Dogs have been traumatised since just after 6 this morning and are still unsettled from the random fireworks which have been let off in the interim.

Now we shall be treated to a baile con el cantante Maikel Jiménez.  Til 4 in the morning probably. 

Why oh why?

[Myrtle Hogan-Lance]

Forgot to report the other day that our new fiesta committee for 2014 is dedicated, large, and aggressively pursuing raising funds.  The bell rang in the late afternoon, a favourite time to strike, and I went out to the balcony and leaned over to talk as it is quicker than going downstairs.   There were six ladies down there, all in their fiesta committee t-shirts and armed with clipboards.  This. Means. Business.  We could not attend the event they had come to talk about as we've got a race that day, but they'll be back.  Heaven help me but I said to let us know about the next time.  They are formidable but I do so admire the work they do on behalf of the fiesta as well as their imagination in getting you to part with the efectivo.  I wonder what the hell I am going to end up buying this year.  How many posters of the Virgen de la Luz does one household need? 

[Perikles]

This is the downside of being in the middle of a small community. We at least have the advantage of living somewhere so obscure that most of the villagers don't even know anybody lives there. That, or they can't be arsed to climb the hill to see us. That, more likely. In the five years of living here, thrice we have managed to avoid the extortionate contribution to a complete fucking waste of money on fireworks going up in smoke in the middle of the night when they are all pissed anyway charming traditional bucolic annual celebration of the virgin of fuck-knows-what-variation but it doesn't matter as long as it's an excuse for a piss-up .

On the days when they are collecting the tax for the fiesta, peace is shattered by the random setting off of very loud fireworks during the day. The first ones are a shock, then you get tuned to the "whoooosh" followed two seconds later by an ear-splitting bang, signalling that it is time to hide in your cave until the marauding fiesta committee have given up.

It's great to be an integral part of a country tradition 

[Myrtle Hogan-Lance]

It's time....

Our local fiesta committee came around the other day and hit me up for 23€ for a lottery ticket.  Fine, it's for the cause, and the nice man was very hopeful that the virgin would help us to win.

That, btw, was lottery ticket number two as I already bought one (only a 3€ one) from the local postlady so she'd look good to her bosses at Correos.

The bell just rang and guess who it was:  @Janet and @Periklēs 's fiesta committee from Vera looking to sell me a lottery ticket.  I declined telling them I had two and wished them luck.

So lottery tickets seem to be the fiesta committee money raiser of choice this year.

[Nova]

Tell them you'll only buy one if the prize is cancellation of the fiesta 

[Janet]

Dear god. Already????

Sorry about the Vera committee, they're very ...um ... enthusiastic ...