History

Pride of a village

History

There they were, in the old discotheque of Esteiro, after a day of work, taverns and customers, friends at last, protagonists of an informal conversation who knows if favored by the spontaneity and ease caused by drinks between friends.

“Benito do Ruso”, “Javier do Areas”, “Fornís”, “Xaquín or Carocho”, “Fojete” and surely someone who forgets us (because those of us who wrote, some of which we were not yet born), were clear that something should be done ..

The feast of our patron saint Santa Mariña, would be celebrated in that 1988 on Monday July 18 and the idea was clear: We had to devise something for the weekend. We had to attract people to Esteiro. Without money and with wit. The challenge was to compete with the power of the money that had the party of Carmen of the neighbors. What could be done? It seems that there were several proposals of our characters: Estornela, a descent of bathtubs by the river, race of stilts, until they sentenced …. WE WILL MAKE A RACE OF CARRILANAS !!! Carrilanas? Who never played with a wooden car?

They decided that a simple toy of children, and not so children, a popular game transmitted from parents to children, would be the protagonist of the first GRAND PRIX CARRILANAS DE ESTEIRO ..

With that idea, our friends left the disco with the agreement that the next day, in the afternoon, they would meet in the social premises of the Esteirana to specify details … They had to be at a bad time, because the influx was low or almost null. A while later some of them met again in the Alameda, which Benito do Ruso.

Let’s see what? We talked a lot yesterday but … Do we make the story of the carrilanas or not?

We do not know what the exact answer was but Fidel (waiter in the Alameda), a fountain pen in hand and on the billiards of the bar, gave life to what would be the first poster of the First Grand Prix  Carrilanas de Esteiro.

Each bar would have its own carrilana, as would each carpentry, thus appearing the first teams that would compete for the O Maio road having fun with their childhood toys, with their carts, with their carrilanas.

Perhaps it was crazy to think that a carrilana, made with an ax, could sometimes compete with large fireworks and the best orchestras in Galicia. They didn’t think about that, they just wanted to have fun and spend a weekend partying in their town. The popular tradition, together with the fun, the party and the public, would make the first Grand Prix of Carrilanas de Esteiro, a UNIQUE and INIMITABLE event.

The impact of this date was such that today we can present you the GRAND PRIX  CARRILANAS DE ESTEIRO. During these years Esteiro visited thousands of people to see something that is only done in this town. Authentic and traditional wooden cheeks that identify us wherever we go.

Today, some still think that we are a little crazy, but we, we want to thank our protagonists and our carrilaneros friends who will accompany us in these years in an uninterrupted way, to all of you, THANK YOU FOR KEEPING OUR PARTY LIVE … !!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR MADNESS !!!

THE ESTEIRO CARPINTERS

When talking about Carilanas, we must talk about wood and more about Esteiro. These two names together take us to the esteiranos carpenters, true inspirers of this playful and spectacular event, hence to quote, briefly, Kinito, Cadornas do Capellán, Duarte, Farrajús, Loloi, Benito de Casiano, and the sagas of the Priegues with the master Leonardo at the head, the Jotas and the Monteiras, without logically forgetting the dean Ramón de Pitillo, already very close to the century but still wanting to reach the 21st century.

Surely we could give names if the researcher delved deeper into the matter, but first it is well born to be grateful to the elders and their teachings and that is why our tribute goes to the opening act like Bouzas, Pepe Souto – “That is a lie” – who also He made an excuse by measuring a lady’s butt, and Lelo de Farruca who, like most of them, was from land, sea and air, also to those in white like Roxo and Masarocas, with broken feet on the beach; and to the Barreiros as Chuco de Xandaca and Luís de los Carros, who came from recaredo, there on the mountain.

The tradition of the carpentry of Ribeira also deserves a nod to part as many of the above also worked on it. We remember Benito de Baxica; to the Mayor, builder of “Jaime Brea”, with Penedo – “hey, Jalisco, tell your mother that José Mayo Rama doesn’t want to work with you anymore” – To the Carabeiros, who did “O Caniso”, Secundino Canocas who had to throw the door of the shed to get a boat, Lelo de Maruxo, repairman of a German ship, and the great Mariñán, builder of galleons and boats with his brother Tarrata.

Others were in Argentina, among them the Romero brothers, and some who did activities as different as Eduardo de Peregrino, who built Gaitas; Pepe da Fosqueira, played football, Mascato was a limador and Serafín de Molete “o curman”, a magnificent poet

Mention apart, deserves “Francisco Brea” “Choule” for his extravagant figure, beard to the Valley-Inclan and inseparable shotgun, for his overflowing imagination and, of course, for his work with the wood that made him one of the most famous men of the round. The anecdotes about his person are so many that he deserved a book for himself, no doubt, someday someone will decide to do it. Possibly there remain names in the inkwell that deserved to be cited, like the previous ones, but if so, the writer apologizes, and points out that even after sixteen years he is still learning to be Esteiran.

Xosé Agrelo
(Boletín “O Artón”, 1981)