The last Saturday morning, October-21, their Majesty the King Felipe VI and the Queen Letizia were in the small village of Poreñu (Celada, Villaviciosa, Asturias), to hand over to its neighbours the Prize to the "Exemplary Village of Asturias 2017".
A view of Poreñu
Poreñu
In this way, the work done is recognised, to keep alive some ancestral traditions, of the locality, and an associative movement, to improve the living conditions of its neighbours.
The prize, awarded with 25,000 Euros, is awarded to the village, small village, population centre, landscape area or human group of the Principality of Asturias, which has notably highlighted in "the defense and conservation of its natural environment, of their historical, cultural or artistic heritage, or in the realization of communal works or other outstanding manifestations of solidarity".
Poreñu is formed by a nucleus of houses, surrounded by hórreos and paneras (a hórreo is a construction destined to store and to keep the foods away from the humidity and of the animals, to keep them in an optimal state for their consumption. A panera is an old rural building on pillars to store the cereal. It is similar to the hórreo, but it usually has more than four pegollos or pillars), being the agriculture and the cattle ranch the traditional activities of its little more than a hundred inhabitants.
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A traditional raised granary (Panera)
A traditional hórreo and a house
The inhabitants of Poreñu have kept alive some of the ancestral traditions of the locality, like the realization of sextaferias, to develop different improvements. With one of them, in the 50's of last century, the residents of Poreñu opened, with peaks and hazards, the box of the current road and also carried the water, to the public fountain, where they went to get water, for the houses, or was taken to drink the animals. Since 1972, Poreñu, through the community work, has had running water, in the houses, and, periodically, the unpaved roads, the road and common spaces have been repaired, in addition they have had improvements in the football field, the chapel, the bowling alley, the closure of the schoolyard and to carry out a complete rehabilitation of the cemetery. In order to give a boost to the coordination of efforts, to meet the needs of the village, in 1999 the Neighborhood Association "La Capilla" of Poreñu was created, whose first achievement was the recovery of the old schools and their transformation into a social and meeting for neighbours. It also organises cultural and special days, such as the Day of the Partner, the Festival of Candelaria, markets and fashion shows solidarity, a magüestu --magüestu or magosto is a traditional festival in some areas of northern Spain, such as Galicia, Cantabria and Asturias, each autumn-- and have recovered the Antroxu (Carnival in Asturias) and the Bonfire of San Juan (June 24).
In 2010, the Association proposed to recover all kinds of old utensils and objects, stored in hórreos and attics, which have been a permanent ethnographic sample. In addition, there are organised exhibitions of old photos, paintings, basketmaker´s and handicrafts made by the neighbours. The work of this neighbourhood association is complemented by two other associations: one, the Community of Water Users of Poreñu, which in its day achieved the improvement of the fountains of the village, the water supply and the construction of the deposit and currently has, among other improvements, the installation of a new fiberglass tank and a greater capacity, the provision of a chlorination system and the installation of water intakes, for the loading of tanks, which supply water to the meadows; and another, the Festival Commission, which is in charge of the festivities in honor of the Virgen del Pilar.
The collaborative work of the residents of Poreñu was rewarded, in 2010, with the prize "Aldea mas guapa" (“Most beautiful small village”) of the Friends of Landscape Association of Villaviciosa, "Cubera" (Prize to the Exemplary People of Asturias 1991), and, in 2011, with the Prize for the Best Associative Work of the Federation of Neighbourhood Associations of Villaviciosa (FAVVI). In 2013, the neighbours won the first prize in the carriage Contest, in the Villaviciosa Apple Festival and the prize for the year's associative trajectory of the FAVVI.
The neighbours of Poreñu are waiting for the Kings of Spain.
One bagpiper and the group of dance Aires de Asturias
Some neighbours are proud of their two flags
The authorities start to arrive
The President of the Foundation Princess of Asturias (Matías Rodríguez Inciarte) and the Mayor of Villaviciosa (Alejandro Vega) are waiting for the Kings:
Matias Rodríguez Inciarte and Alejandro Vega
The Director of the Foundation (Elena Sanjurjo) is waiting for the Kings:
Elena Sanjurjo, on the right side
The President of the Autonomous Community of Asturias, Javier Fernández y Fernández, is arriving.
Javier Fernández with a light blue jacket on the right side
The Kings have just arrived to Poreñu:
His Majesty the King Felipe VI and the Queen Letizia
Their Majesty the Kings going down the village
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The Kings seeing a raised granary (Hórreo)
The Kings visiting a stand
Mrs. Letizia with a baby
Some bagpipers are going to a meeting with the Kings:
Bagpipers
The Kings with some children dancers:
The Kings are greeting to the group of adult dancers:
The Kings walking through the village
Some women preparing the monolith
The King has discovered the commemorative plaque of the Prize to the Exemplary Village:
The Kings beside the monolith
The King Felipe VI gave a small speech:
The King giving a speech
Many people listening to the King
This is a piece of the speech:
"The villages treasure very necessary values, for our society, that we must never lose: respect and knowledge of the environment and defense of the landscape; a concept of well-being, that put ahead the being of to have; a security, founded on the family and the neighbourhood; a way of understanding progress, as a syntony between tradition and sustainable development. Villages evoke an idea of what is authentic and sure, where doors are always open to hospitality, to welcome open, joyful and generous; they are places, where many people know and learn, for the first time, the values that guide a whole life; therefore, the villages affirm the soul and embellish the landscape of Asturias, highlighting the richness of its diversity; and this happens here, but also in many places in Spain. To celebrate this coexistence, these convictions and values, we have gathered in this beautiful place, in Poreñu, greeting the essential principles of neighbourhood, which you maintain, in an exemplary way, and with those who have built a model of solidarity and prosperity. In a few places, like in a small village, the foundation of life and coexistence in society can be perceived so clearly; the need to share, to unite, to realise a great common project. For this reason, Poreñu is, first of all and above all, community, a community that sinks its roots, at the earliest stage of History, and which makes the neighbourhood union as its main flag”.
Once more time, these neighbours have shown their good coexistence and the effort of them for the benefit of the village, in this case preparing the road, the streets and houses for the visit of the Kings.
Some neighbours are cleaning a road
Some neighbours are decorating a house
The Kings wanted to join the neighbours of Poreñu in their effort:
The Kings planting a tree
The Kings are visiting a stockbreeding
A small tank for cider
The Kings tasteing the cider
Some neighbours are celebrating the prize
Today I am still sad, because of all that has happened, in Catalonia, in the last weeks, because of the supporters of independence movement, because, with their radical minority, they wanted to dominate a legitimate and peaceful majority; with their hatred of Spain, they have lost the sense of coexistence, of the enormous value of common effort, to carry out the same land, as the neighbours of Poreñu have done, during so many years. And now this effort is rewarded with a very important Prize; and not only the Prize, but the pride of receiving it from His Majesty the King´s hands, the King of all Spaniards willing to live under the protection of the Law. Saturday 21 was a great day, a party, to celebrate that their effort, in community, has a reward, but living in freedom and fraternity --those are the true freedom and fraternity, not what the supporters of independence movement in Catalonia say--.It is a pity that people in Catalonia is divided. In Poreñu there are simple people, but great and united people, at the same time.
But, despite my sorrow, for the difficult times that we are living in Spain, I am comforted to know that we have a Head of State, so firm in his democratic convictions and a fraternal coexistence. We also have a moderate Central Government but, at the same time, firm in its decisions, regarding to the different Communities of Spain. And, of course, I am happy to know that we have a very clear separation of powers and that Justice is already acting, according to the circumstances. I am also happy to know that the European Union is on the side of common sense and the Law, which the Government of Spain is defending.
Long live united Spain!, Long live the King! and Long live united Europe!.
Until my next post, kind regards,
Luis.
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