INFANTILE GAIATA OF THE CITY IN FITUR 2022

Mid-January is usually the date of the convening of FITUR. This tourism fair brings together all national tourism sectors in the IFEMA Madrid facilities to announce the excellencies of Tourism in Spain, especially this 2022, from January 19 to 23.

Following the guidelines of the IV Magdalena Congress -which establishes the highest projection to our differentiating festive element: La Gaiata-, from the Patronato Municipal de Festes (Municipal Festivities Board) -maybe it was missed more support and involvement from other municipal departments in the promotion and dissemination of the Gaiata- it was thought that the main element of Castellón Stand was the Infantile Gaiata of the City which is currently the Sequiol Infantile Gaiata, Magdalena 2019 winner -the last one we lived normal, before Covid when the Festivities Board still existed.

It is a work devised by Sequiolo Javier Rodríguez, which motto is “Ramell Il·luminat” (Lighted Bunch), becoming, for this reason, a unique Gaiata. As a reminder, she was selected Magdalena 2020 Infantile Gaiata of the City, the year we celebrated the 75th anniversary of our festivities’ new structure. Unfortunately, we could not celebrate because it had to be canceled due to the pandemic. Nevertheless, this Gaiata Infantil was already present at Fitur 2020 -one of the last events before the final cancelation of the festivities-. So, she is a veteran Gaiata and because of that special. We should remember that Gaiatas are ephemeral art, created for a specific moment with an expiration date since they are dismantled after the edition. In this case, she will be three years. She still looks majestic, spectacular, and accomplishing with flying colors her mission of promoting to the world that our Festivities of La Magdalena are unique.

Thereby, on Monday, January 17, early in the morning, “Ramell Il·luminat” got on the transportation to move for more than 400 kilometers from the municipal carriages warehouse to the Pavillion 7A at IFEMA Madrid. She was not alone. A team of Sequiolos accompanied her to ensure that everything was perfect and arrived, safe and sound, to the destination. About ten hours after leaving, they have to mount and dismount the crook to fit the Gaiata into the box truck, some failure in the wheels, and some bulb that “passed away” during the loading and unloading tasks. And after a little bit of “make-up”, she looked superb, majestic, lightning up the Castellón exhibition stand -a curious picture of our Gaiata next to the Mediterranean Sea and the Peñíscola Castle, in the background-.

 

On Wednesday 19, the Fair was inaugurated, and the following Thursday was the Valencian Community Day. The Reinas de las Fiestas (Queens of the Festivities), Carmen Molina, and Gal·la Calvo -dressed in their best castelloneras clothes- accompanied by the Major of Castellón. There were countless institutional visits, among which we highlight the President of the Provincial Council or the Molt Honorable President of the Valencian Government, the morellano Ximo Puig. They did not miss the opportunity to pose with our “Ramell Il·luminat” and the Reinas de Castellón.

 

After a week away from home, la viajera (the traveler) returned to her warehouse. She is impatient, after several years of waiting, that on the night of the Pregó, l@s Sequiol@s take her back to the street again to announce with her light that “…ja el dia és arribat, de la nostra Magdalena…” (the day has come, of our Magdalena). This time she will make it in the shade of the Fadrí, in the Plaza Mayor, as Infantile Gaiata of the City 2022.

 

 

Fotos cortesía SEQUIOL

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