my old bonfires

This brings me back to the way I lived the fire festivities, and I think of some words written by Fernando Sánchez Dragó: “The memories of my childhood in the land of Alicante… and gunpowder, gunpowder, gunpowder turned into sparks, turned into a fortress. of fire, in a cascade of light, the Gorgon’s. in his mane, in the midnight sun, in the wonder of Circe”.

It should be noted that his mother, Elena Dragó Carratalá, is from Alicante, the daughter of the French industrial engineer Roger Dragó Letorey, who owns a hydrocarbon factory in our capital, which he sold to CAMPSA.

Being born and living on the Rambla meant that I unwittingly participated in the festivities from a very young age, as a wide variety of parades passed in front of the house, officers and others such as the Red Cross band. was led by the poster of the bullfighting fair carried by the popular ‘Ramonet’ who would die on the exact same public road where he was hit by a vehicle.

Bonfires was a double joy for me because when they finished school, with a brief make up for the absence of Wednesday afternoons, I went right up to Saturdays as a kid.

When I started my degree at CEU, the persecution was directed at us, who had final exams on June 21, 22 and 23, after a few San Juans. This was aggravated for me because the constant parades and cavalry prevented me from concentrating on work.

The Rambla fire pit was very poor despite its location. One year, it had a double passage that allowed cars to pass under it; In another case, the builder’s genius led to the construction of a pond with water and cardboard swans, with no way to burn them later.

First prizes were received almost alternately by the main authors, Ramón Marco and Remigio Soler, as well as Benalúa and Ciudad de Asís.

Doña Violante’s Cabalgata del Foc and Coso Multicolor, the epilogue of the festivities in San Pedro, are forgotten. I remember the four balconies of my house filled with family and friends, I admire them for being the announcer on Radio Alicante, where Marita Gisbert dedicated records and stories to me.

At the top of all the palm trees of the Esplanade, where the palms sprouted, were colored bulbs that gave it a very seductive look. And between the trunks, from 25 to 29, a huge zigzag firework was launched, culminating in the Jaime Fuster buffet.

Over time, I became involved in the world of several counties, collaborating on ‘librets’, the first of the ‘Ploma i Ferro’ barracks promoted by journalist Alfredo Aracil in 1979 and to win the first prize. presentation and literary content. In the same year, my neighbor Terete Caturla Puebla, Bellea del Foc was chosen for the bass.

Over time came the auctions of paintings, which were generously donated to raise funds by local painters such as Gastón Castelló, Ruiz Morante, Petén, Lorenzo Caruana, Madrid Alfonso, Requena, Cerdán, Pinto…

And deeper collaborations on librets, the latest for Diputación Renfe this year on railroad history in the province of Alicante; and the Bellea del Foc selection jury, grand Nuria Terol; also the chairman and jury of private bonfires.

In short, I would like to end with another outward reflection and not to be missed recollections of the distinguished personality of the adored Tomás Valcárcel, this is from my friend the great singer-songwriter Alberto Cortez, who, at my request, will write: ‘, and it’s not strange that ‘mists’ whose tongues fly through the sky of fire try to catch the stars to imitate the stars they star in, at least once. Levantine night”.