Fasta Major's time: enjoy it, because it's only

Last night, writer Xavier Gimeno offered us a sensational Festa Major opening address, deeply moving us once again. Xavier’s words and his journey through the ins and outs of the Festa, added to the atmosphere of Sitgetanism and civic-mindedness experienced at Town Hall Square, all made it a magnificent welcome to Festa Major 2013.

For Sitgetans these are unique days. Our Festa Major, with a patrimonial wealth and a spirit of participation like none other anywhere else in our country, is possible. We live it, we feel it and we love it. That is why I invite you to live it to the fullest, intensely and responsibly, with joy and respect, pride and emotions.

Below is a reproduction of the Festa Major Proclamation:

“When the gralles head for Sant Francesc Street playing the Toc de Matinades or Morning Call song, following the entrance the musicians have always made every August 23^rd, there’s no stopping Festa Major, our main festival.

Whether it’s more or less muggy out, sunny or cloudy, there’s more or less joy, the midday vigil announces a new and, at the same time, old Saint Bartholomew’s Day. After that everything will be a frenetic race: the firing of mortars, ringing of the bells, traditional dances, verses, the civilian procession, the fireworks display, descending the parish church stairs, open-air dancing, the matinal early morning performances, solemn mass, the procession from mass, human towers, concerts, the religious procession, the final ball ... And we’ll do what we do every year: run from one place to another, to watch, to make things a reality, to feel, to enjoy everything that is so much a part of us, of all the men and women, boys and girls.

The history of the Festa Major is cyclic, just like our personal year is cyclic, from Saint Bartholomew’s Day to Saint Bartholomew’s Day. And that’s how we have to experience it. We will honor tradition, we will express our feeling of possession, and we will celebrate that we are Sitges yet another year.

My thanks to the Festa Major and Santa Tecla Commission for their zealous work. Thanks to all the collaborating institutions, companies and people. Thanks to the dancers, gralla players, bands, instrumental groups, orchestras, the flag bearer, the cordonistes (assistants) and the reader of the proclamation. A thousand thanks go out to all the Sitgetans for this, for being what they are and for feeling it. 

To celebrate it properly, with no detriment to the laws in force, the Sitges Town Council recommends all businesses and other establishments to remain closed throughout the entire day of August 24^th, and to not park any vehicles along the routes used by the traditional parades and processions. The Town Council is not responsible for any damage that might occur to vehicles, awnings and housings as a consequence of the progress of the festival events in public thoroughfares between August 20^th and the 25^th. The necessary prevention and safety measures should be taken.

Sitgetans, we are living out these special days with the family, friends and visitors. Let’s relive tradition and the legacy of our ancestors, a heritage that belongs to all of us, with our gaze placed on the difficult present, but also on a future that is looking better for Sitges and the country.

Let’s keep our five senses awake, as well as a sixth sense of hope, and allow ourselves to be transported by the charms of our Festa Major, because it is starting soon and in a just a blink of the eye it will have gone by.

Glorious Saint Bartholomew, patron saint of Sitges, long live Festa Major!”.

Social policies: immediate action

The Sitges-Garraf Third Sector Board is already a reality. In an act held at the Miramar building, we presented their lines of action and objectives in the short and medium term, and we had the pleasure and the necessary commitment to share with their promoters all the challenges that lie ahead. The Board is a great support tool in the daily work of public and private stakeholders, that try to help those most in need and suffering the crisis more than anyone.

The current situation is dramatic and difficult and affects the vast majority of our environment. Recession, unemployment, cuts and reorientation of many projects, plans and initiatives directly or indirectly affect the entire society. But no sector is more battered than the one comprised by the weakest from an economic and social perspective. Their social cushion is often so thin that it touches bone right away. So we must act without further delay.

For this reason, for the Municipal Government of Sitges supporting people is a top priority in its policy. We work shoulder to shoulder with the entities that make up the Third Sector to work on programs in the medium term, but also on immediate needs, such as the stoppage of an eviction process that we achieved a few days ago after tough negotiations with the bank involved.

And in this line, in recent months we launched projects that are already a reality and an invaluable support for a large numbers of residents in Sitges.The Blue Card and the Soup Kitchen are two good examples.

The Blue Card emerged in late 2012 as a project to award bonuses or reduced rates on public services to people with lower incomes or with a certain degree of mobility problems. The plan was expanded a short while after implementation, to include discounts granted by growing number of shops and companies to the same groups.

The Soup Kitchen, meanwhile, was a specific support for many residents with serious economic and social problems, allowing them to obtain specific answers to crucial needs such as daily food.

These two initiatives, together with the actions undertaken by Social Services, are a priority for the City Council. Daydreaming is not enough because there is too much at stake: there is poverty in Sitges, there are also people who suffer the crisis with extreme severity and our duty is to be at their side and at the same time, look for all the solutions at the reach of the City Council.