Madrid, living the Almudena festival

Although she does not wear on her mantle, like many others, the famous quote from the Song of Songs, attributed to the mythical King Solomon and his mystical marriage with the mysterious Queen of Sheba - 'I am black, daughters of Jerusalem, but beautiful'- the Virgin de la Almudena, undisputed Patron of Madrid, also contains all the legendary mystery that surrounds those dark-skinned sacred maidens, who have aroused so much devotion in the town over countless generations.

It is not surprising, therefore, that on the day of her festivity, November 9, the people of Madrid take to the streets and flock to the cathedral that bears her name and the surroundings of the Palacio de Oriente, to honor her, celebrate and accompany her ceremoniously on her shoulders through the surrounding streets.

This also entails - and it is always a gratifying note for the thousands of visitors, both national and foreign who join the party every year - the vision of that charismatic, picturesque and extraordinarily authentic Madrid, which illuminates the most central streets of the city. capital, with the best of manners and tradition.

In this sense, groups - generally made up of older people - are seen again in the streets of the so-called Madrid de los Austrias, that is, the most central and oldest streets, since among the youth, unfortunately, that attachment is being lost. to tradition- dressed in period costumes -in the case of Madrid, they usually dress in the so-called chulos and chulapas costumes- the traditional waffle makers, comparsas (popular group of music) and even the melancholic melodies of the old street organs are heard again, whose old chords They contribute wonderfully to the atmosphere of streets that are already very busy, since there are many visitors, both national and foreign, who join this celebrated festival.

This year, the party was much more special and emotional, under the slogan of 'Santa María de la Almudena, Esperanza de Madrid' (Saint Mary of the Almudena, Hope of Madrid), given that in previous festivities it had to be suspended for reasons related to the quarantine measures imposed as a result of the pandemic caused by Covid-19 and in some way, how benign the fall is and the coincidence of the holiday falling on the bridge, has made the atmosphere much more intense and spectacular.

It is true, on the other hand, that the image of the Almudena that lately parades through the streets of Madrid is relatively modern, since the original image, Romanesque and miraculously found when the city was reconquered in the 12th century, was lost in a fire, if well, her remains were included in the current image, so it could be said that the Patroness of Madrid continues to maintain her old essence.

Perhaps for this reason and because the people of Madrid have always been a people very attached to our customs and above all, very given to the joy and waste that every self-respecting holiday entails, the restaurants were full of people, eager to enjoy a feast that could at least be said to be the consolation of forgetting the bitter experiences of the past.

Party, as is customary, in which everyone lives together in peace, harmony and joy, applying with carefree dignity, those stanzas of the song by singer-songwriter Joan Manuel Serrat, which said, more or less, that of: today the hero and the villain toast and shake hands, regardless of the appearance.

Festivity of the Virgen de la Almudena: a great day for Madrid.

NIGRA SUM SED FORMOSA

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