L’Any 2020 – changes, uncertainty. Everything is different – Party Program 2021
Evaristo Rafael Doménech Belda
At the beginning of the year 2020 no one would have thought what we started living since March and that we are still living.
Being at the head of the Board of the Confraternity of Sant Jordi we prepared the 25 i 26 in January the VI edition of the Nights of Humor. From the other band, the General Assembly of the Brotherhood of Sant Jordi was held on 7 March, with the election of Mª Elena Vilanova Calatayud as president of the Confraría del Patró, among high affairs. And the following week the rehearsals began. It seemed that everything was going quite normally; but the 12 in March the presidents of the filae met, the Mayor of Festivities and the President of the Festivities Committee and agreed unanimously and in accordance with the health recommendations to suspend the parties. The day 14 of March with the declaration of the state of alarm and the 30 of March with the confinement of the entire population of the country until 9 d'abril, everything got worse. To the uncertainty of the situation it was necessary to add the uncertainty of what would happen with the Sant Jordi festivities. The 18 of March a statement was issued postponing the festivities, agreed between the Festivals Committee, Mayor of Festes, captains, filaes, the Parish and the Brotherhood of Sant Jordi. On Glory Sunday, the traditional ringing of bells that always accompanies the Plantà de la Bandera took place, all at home. They were sending videos to each other on social networks, the music bands in the 13:00 h. they performed from the windows, terraces and balconies the Anthem a la Festa, inviting everyone to participate singing it. An appeal was also made to the neighbors to hang the balconies for parties, which still wave in many balconies and windows.
The day 17 of April the City Council sends the "SANT JORDI FESTIVAL PROGRAM 2020, TO LIVE FROM HOME", with a schedule of the religious events that were going to be broadcast by Ràdio Banyeres. Also from the Confraría de Sant Jordi, it was proposed to the neighborhood to make an individual or group video with the acclamation of "Vítol al Patró Sant Jordi" or something similar, which was launched by social networks after the Major Mass on Saint George's Day.
The day 18 In April, Coral Mariola sent a recording through social networks with a magnificent interpretation of "La invocação a Sant Jordi" recorded individually from home and edited with the help of computer media. The day 21 d'abril, Sant Jordi's Transfer Day, the Mass of the 20:00 h. from the hermitage of Sant Jordi. The day 22, them 7:00 h. in the morning, we took the Script of Sant Jordi to the Church and put a black crepe on it, we also put another one on the Banyeres flag. At 12:00 h. the Angelus was broadcast from the High Altar; and in the evening, them 18:00 h. we placed the mantle of the Altar of Sant Jordi for the Major Mass and all the Masses up to 3 May, Sant Jordi's return transfer day. Mass was also celebrated that day in the hermitage.
The day 23 Saint George's Day at 11:30 h. the High Mass was celebrated in front of the altar of Sant Jordi, celebrated by D. Ramón Mico. Minutes before the Mass, a flower center arrived from the captains of the Filà de Caliphs, who presided over all the celebrations of the festivities. The complete interpretation of the Sant Jordi Mass for the second time was made possible thanks to the Mariola Choir who prepared a compilation of all the pieces from the Mass and the Hymn to Sant Jordi. At the end of the Mass the new Board of the Confraria de Sant Jordi will be proclaimed, chaired by Mª Elena Vilanova Calatayud.
The party in the street could not be celebrated; and there were only four of us inside the Church: D. Ramón, Jordan (from Rádio Banyeres), the camera d’ Intercomarcal TV and a server. Towards the end of the celebration, Pedro Vilanova came to take some photos and record the moment we were living. D. Ramón had words for everyone; and moved by the circumstances, he encouraged us to experience the party from within each one, an inner party that is living Faith in Jesus Christ. In the evening at 19:30 h. what would have been the end of the Procession was recorded: Sant Jordi was taken down from the elevator and taken back up as when we finish the Procession, singing the hymn while rising and praying afterwards.
The day 25 d'abril, cemetery day, them 9:30 h. Mass was celebrated for the departed celebrants, the Filà de Moros Vells sent (with the service of the florist) the crown for the traditional offering of flowers for the dead. There were six of us in the cemetery grounds, of which three were from the media. certainly, people respected the confinement and followed the Mass on radio and television. For the celebration, we raised the mantle, the tablet, the candles and the purple chasuble of Sant Jordi (which have been given by the heirs of D. Gregorio Molina). D. Ramon prayed three times for the dead and with the incense he simulated the smoke of the salvos that we fire every year and it went up to the sky like the smoke of the arquebuses.
Having lived this experience has been a difficult fact to describe: on holidays, the religious acts of festivals without celebrants, captains, authorities, no people on the street. Internally there was a certain uncertainty with many questions about everything that was happening, but what is true is that reality was what it was, hospitals are overcrowded, healthcare workers fighting to save lives, many deaths every day... That's how things are, external parties could not be celebrated; but internally it has been a full party, praying for our Patron Saint George to help all those who are having a hard time and for this pandemic to end soon.
After the postponement of the festivities, in the Brotherhood we thought that we would soon be able to celebrate the holidays normally again and so do the revelers, presidents of the filaes, Committee of Parties and Captains. Besides, it should be added that these were the last parties that we prepared as the Board of the Brotherhood and we would have liked to change the Board as is traditionally done and to have ended in a different way.
Since the confinement began, not being able to hold any meeting of the Board in person, communications within the Confraternity Board group have been possible thanks to the WhatsApp group. In this way we were able to propose, debate, express ideas and opinions, resolve doubts, inform…
In that context, when the day's festivities were over 3 May, some members of the Board asked if "we had already finished as the Board of the Brotherhood". Com a president, I told them that if the festivities of the Relic could have been held, we would have organized them and we would have made the change of Board after the festivities of the Relic. But when all the festivals of the year are suspended 2020 i, after speaking with Mª Elena Vilanova (that had already been chosen President in the Assembly of the 7 March) and with D. Ramon Micó, I informed the Mayorals of the intention to change the Board, so that the new Confraternity Board could start working. Like this, we would offer to help them with everything they need now and when they have to organize the Parties. With the consequence, we started a series of meetings in order to explain the operation of the Brotherhood and in the meantime we were closing all the pending matters and we were also saying goodbye to all the institutions, filaes, captains, business, shops and people col·workers.
The day 26 June was the last meeting of the Board of the Brotherhood that I had the pride of presiding over. Before the meeting, the Director of the Musical Group "La Nova" was summoned, Antonio Lillo Pérez and President Bartolomé Francés Ferre, the president of the Banyeres de Mariola Musical Society, Ángel Gil Ribera and the president of the Party Committee, Beatriz Francés Tortosa, in order to thank the teacher Antonio Lillo, in a simple and intimate act, the donation to the Confraternity of the digitization work of the Hymn to Sant Jordi, delivering a binding copy, as well as a gift in memory of the Brotherhood. A copy and a gift were also given to the archives of the two bands and to the Party Committee. To finish, master Lillo explained the motivation for doing this digitization and we all thanked him in the speech turn ending with a strong applause from those present. After, we already started the dismissal meeting of the Board.
The 15 from July to 20:30 h. we stayed with the members of the new Confraternity Board to make the official delivery of the keys, thus concluding our mandate at the head of this much-loved Institution.
Take advantage of these lines to congratulate the Board of Mª Elena Vilanova Calatayud. I wish them that this pandemic will soon pass and they can celebrate full parties, with acts also in the street. in the meantime, there he·excitement and enthusiasm, together with faith and devotion to Sant Jordi, I think they will help us emerge stronger from this situation.
I also want to take advantage of these pages to thank the Confraternity Board 2017-2020 that I was honored to preside over, the effort and dedication they have had during these three years, preparing the acts that the Board of the Brotherhood organizes. Group cohesion, positivism, the good work and the good disposition of all the members has helped a lot to carry out everything that has been done. Thank you all very much.
And of course, a D. Ricardo Díaz de Rábago, thank you very much for the good you have done for our town, after a lifetime dedicated to our Parish. For sure Banyeres and the Confraternity of Sant Jordi would not be what they are without their good work.
Also in D. Mico Ramon Colomer, that in the face of this adversity he quickly adapted, doing the Masses with the col·Collaboration with Ràdio Banyeres de Mariola, thereby making the Confinement Masses available to all people. To thank him for the moral support and the teachings he transmits to us in all the homilies, especially during the holidays.
At the City Hall, Party Committee, Presidents of the rows, captains, Revelers, Col·workers, Confreres and to the whole town of Banyeres in general, thank everyone for the support and col·collaboration in everything we needed. Thank you all very much.
VÍTOL AL PATRON SANT JORDI!!
