THE "ROCIO" MASS

(Pilgrimage to the sanctuary of Our Lady of Rocio in Spain)

Last Sunday I went to mass; not something I've been doing a lot just recently. The occasion was very special. A close friend invited me, just as she had done several years ago, to attend a "Rocio" mass in the near-by town of Badalona, a very short distance from Barcelona. This particular mass takes place on the last Sunday of every month. It's actually called "Misa Rociera" in Spanish and is named after Our Lady of Rocio.

It would seem that during the XIII century, King Alfonso X, known as "the Wise", had a chapel built in the territory known as "Las Rocinas", an area he had reconquered from the Moors and where he enjoyed hunting. This sanctuary contains a life-size wooden statue of Our lady, apparently found by a hunter. Further information of interest can be found at the following link.

http://www.elrocio.net/page2.html

The special feature that makes the Rocio mass so unique is its music. A group of "Rocieros", devout followers of Our Lady of Rocio, dressed in the typical Andalusian costumes of the region, sing the official songs of the mass, as well as others, in the traditional flamenco style of the South of Spain. The experience is so emotive that it really is difficult to hold back the tears; I certainly couldn't. The high point of the mass is usually the "Salve", though there are times when they don't sing it.

Here's a video with a selection of photographs (I couldn't find a decent film of the mass) and the "Salve" sung by "Ecos del Rocio" or "Gente del Gines" - I'm not quite sure - and offered by kakiera on youtube.com. Lyrics follow the video in original language (Spanish). Translation, and other pictures, on the left.Thank you kakiera and thank you youtube.com for your excellent iniciative. I really do hope you'll enjoy this and that you'll find the experience as. or at least almost as, spiritually enriching as I did.

For other versions of this beautiful song, try searching for "salve rociera" in youtube.com. In particular, I recommend this other version from Isabel Pantoja's concert at the Palau de la Musica in Barcelona. The standing ovation lasted four minutes! The song comes after the ovation-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YClSepfy_BM

There's also a beautiful version by Rocio Jurado-namesake of the virgin- who died a couple of years ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrxsfBkszdQ&feature=related

For a more popular version, try this one from the singers at the Virgin's Sanctuary of Almonte, the village where it all took place.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJ6Y-dP1lnc&feature=related

Dios te salve María, del Rocío Señora, luna, sol, norte y guía, y pastora celestial.

Dios te salve María, todo el pueblo te adora, y repite a porfía, como tu no hay otra igual.

Oléééééé, olé / olé, olé, olé / olé, olé, olé, olé, olé,olé, olé, olé,olé,olé,olé / olé, olé, olé,

al Rocío yo quiero volver, a cantarle a la Virgen con fé,

con un Oléééééé...............................................................................................................

Dios te salve María, manantial de dulzura, a tus pies noche y día, te venimos a rezar.

Dios te salve María, un rosal de hermosura, eres tú, madre mía, de pureza virgina

Oléééééé, olé / olé, olé, olé / olé, olé, olé, olé, olé,olé, olé, olé,olé,olé,olé / olé, olé, olé,

al Rocío yo quiero volver, a cantarle a la Virgen con fé,
con un Olé...............................................................................................................

MIQUEL VIVES ARTÈS - R.I.P.

Sadly, he passed away during the night of the 29th/30th of September. Curiously enough, it was his Saint's Day, Saint Michael. He was well over eighty.

Miquel Vives was my children's maternal grandfather, my father-in-law. I hadn't seen him in over 25 years, but I retain fond memories of us walking in the mountains of Vandellos, in Spain, or collecting olives on his land in those same mountains, and of our after-dinner conversations over a good glass of brandy and a strong "Faria", the Spanish cigar from Galicia. I remember, especially, that night during the winter of '70/'71 when, driving up the mountain in a heavy snowstorm, his car got stuck. My two baby kids were in that car with their mother! Jaume, her brother, had to walk in the freezing cold and thick snow to the next village for help.

Miquel was an educated man with a vast and varied experience in a dozen different fields, ranging fron the Spanish Civil War, in which he participated, to running businesses, driving taxis, building and modernising houses and working the land.

We quarelled back in '82 and never saw each other again, mainly because of his poor health, and also to avoid causing each other unnecessary stress. We did, however, respect each other. I am sure he will be sadly missed.

His favourite song was "j'attendrai" by Dino Oliveri and Louis Poterat/N.Rastelli. It's a French wartime song, based on an Italian song, that tells of waiting for one's loved one's return. Here it is, sung by Tino Rossi, courtesy of Youtube.com and maldoror26, thank you both.

The song is, of course, quite old and so is the arrangement. Perhaps a more modern, and possibly more popular, version was Dalida's (1975), but this one, Tino Rossi's, retains a certain melancholic flavour which, I think, is particularly suitable for the occasion.

J'attendrai,
le jour et la nuit, j'attendrai toujours
ton retour.
J'attendrai,
car l'oiseau qui s'enfuit vient chercher l'oubli
dans son nid.
Le temps passe et court
en battant tristement dans mon coeur si lourd.
Et pourtant, j'attendrai ton retour.
Les fleurs palissent, le feu s'éteint,
l'ombre se glisse dans le jardin.
L'horloge tisse des sons tres lent,
je crois entendre ton pas.
Le vent m'apporte des bruits lointains
que dans ma porte j'écoute en vain.
Hélas, plus rien,
plus rien ne vient.
J'attendrai...(etc.)