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...............................................................................................................

SPECIAL REQUEST .... & USED TO

This one's for you, Marta. I know it's one of your favourite songs, and it does bring back cherished memories of those days, long gone by, when we all thought we could change the world. Thursday night's End-of-Course concert was, in a sense, a tribute to all those young, and not so young, students, workers, thinkers and idealists, who joined forces in 1968 in what has probably been the largest ever world-wide demonstration in favour of peace, equal rights, social dignity and an end to war, exploitation and the rest of this world's injustices. We're so much older now, but.....are we really any wiser! I really think we could do with a repetition.

As far as "USED TO" is concerned, and for the benefit of my Students of English, I thought the song was a good way of illustrating that "used to" , followed by an infinitive is equivalent to "usually" in the past. Let's look at a couple of examples:
Present - I usually start work at 8 am. (A habit in the present)
Past- I used to start school at 9.15 am when I was young. (A habit in the past)
In the song, Mary Hopkin sings about the place "where we used to raise a glass or two".

What a lot of students don't know, however, is that we can use "Would" with the same result:

Present - My grandparents usually visit us every Saturday evening. (A habit in the present)
Past - My grandparents would visit us every Saturday evening. (A habit in the past)
In the song, Mary Hopkin sings "We'd sing and dance....We'd live the life.... We'd fight and never lose..."

Here's the full video from youtube. (I wonder how many of you knew it's based on an original Russian folk song!). Lyrics on the left and in the video itself. Enjoy.