TORREVIEJA.com - Interactive website of the city of Torrevieja, in Alicante, Spain.: Don’t Rain on my Parade

Don’t Rain on my Parade
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Redaction on 10 April, 2007 12:29:24
 
Cofradia
Nuestro Padre Jesus en la Oracion del Huerto de los Olivos
Our Lord Jesus at Prayer in the Garden of Olives
Viernes Santo
Solemne y Magna Procesion del Santo Entierro de Cristo
Solemn Procession, the Sacred Burial of Christ
But it did, boy did it rain on our parade.  So much so that there was no
parade.  Monday of Holy Week, Lunes Santo, the parade went so well.  The paso
was so beautifully balanced and carried so easily.  The procession took longer
than previously either because of the Ultima Cena paso preceding it or the
slightly different route, but it was a breeze, a walk in the park.  And at the
end that lovely moment when the costaleros of the Ultima Cena lined the final
few yards of the route back to the church and applauded us and we returned
their applause, was really, well almost emotional, not that crusty, aging,
northern europena costaleros are given to great flights of emotion.  It was
late. After a convivial glass or two most left satisfied at 1.30pm or 2.00pm or
so.
Then we all met up in a restaurant on the evening of Jueves Santo, a hundred
and forty odd of us.  The evening was good – lots of fellowship, very
relaxing, just the job.  The only down side was that Cynthia, on our table,
insisted – bless her heart – on opening the Southern Comfort she won in the
raffle.  My contribution to seeing it off helped to give me a slightly thicker
head than usual on Friday morning.
Friday morning there was short period of torrential rain. It cleared in the
afternoon but by the evening was back with a vengeance.  We met in the bar at
the back of the Iglesia and waited.  Rumours abounded –a delay, cancellation,
perhaps tomorrow afternoon?  Ours was not to reason why.  News came through
that, horror of horrors, Torre FC had lost, that evening, 0-4 at Burjassot. 
This proved a bad omen.  Soon after El Capitano appeared and gave us the sad
news of the cancellation of the procession.  But the evening still had one
final sting in its tail.  One of the tyres of the paso exploded when it was
being moved out of the marquee, quite startling one or two twitchy guardia.
Well, that was that. How sad.  What a damp squib ending.  But Domingo de
Resurreccion, Easter Sunday, will come.  Its message will not be dampened,
cannot be dampened.  Good Friday is a black, tragic day and in some ways this
was.  When Jesus died the sky and earth were rent asunder with lightning and
earthquake.  But there will be next Easter and we will all have cherished and
unforgettable memories of Semana Santa 2007.
The first line of that song from Funny Girl seemed so appropriate to this day
and this occasion and to the Easter message.  “Don’t tell me not to
live.”
Brian Heard, Sabado de Gloria, Easter Saturday 2007.