Is it possible that we have spent almost three years without celebrating our most important popular festival? Yes, since 2019 we have not felt that pleasure, that roar of enthusiasm that the community is used to.
During these days of June it is already getting hotter as the month progresses until the 23rd, the date on which the “proclamation” is read to start and “kick-off” with Camagüey’s San Juan, that celebration that no matter how much we are calm and collected we wait and, at least we hear anecdotes, and even, perhaps, we are encouraged to buy some other box containing tamale and if we get lucky jerky, which almost all of the locals give our palate a pleasant feeling.
The congas are already going out to different parts of the city announcing that they are preparing and rehearsing hard for the also expected “parade”, which perhaps, you like more about this celebration, because when you go out you see both children and adults excited to see the floats, parades, and everything that this event brings, and that’s when, praise or not, about its quality, the girls’ costumes, the designs, the colors, in short…, we become expert connoisseurs of these issues, even believing that we are truly specialists.
And it is that, in this matter of opinions, we all have our points of view, I remember my grandmother used to say: “…everyone looks at the fair from where they come from…”, and of course, it is true, but the greatest truth is that the people are eager for their festivals, to remember their traditions and finally forget a bit, the vicissitudes we went through, and we need to resume and relive cultural experiences that make our hearts vibrate again to know that they exist.
This year, the celebrations can no longer coincide with San Juan and San Pedro; but as good people from Camagüey, we must continue to maintain the commitment to our traditions so that when the date is set, we are ready to give our best.
That is why I predict a beautiful celebration, as we all deserve, for having lived through years of intense tensions, which, although crowned by the great success that the health sector achieved in particular, we need to relax and return to normal so that through or culture we can also save the soul.
Translated by: Aileen Álvarez García
