The “safest” parade shines brightly in Cartagena

To the rhythm of the Christmas carol 'The Three Wise Men are coming', the Venezuelan bonus 'Mi burrito sabanero' and the popular song 'Amigos para siempre' performed by the brass band, and accompanied by the massive audience, Melchor, Gaspar disembarked at noon this Friday and Baltasar at the Alfonso XII Dock.

Their Majesties received a warm welcome from children and adults, who conveyed their wishes for the magical night. Toys and video games, telephones and sports equipment won to meet New Year's resolutions, but there were also many requests for intangible goods. “May good intentions be maintained for twelve months, so that we are a little more empathetic and society can be more fair and equal,” said Carmen Valverde, who accompanied her granddaughter Claudia Martínez, three years old, to remind Baltasar that he wants “a crying doll.” The expectant look of grandmother and granddaughter shortened the sixty-seven years of difference. There were also no differences between Jeremy Velázquez, seventeen, and his cousin Alba Rocío Marín, eight: “We have asked for board games to share as a family so that our grandmother can get out of the hospital.” The cousins ​​were delighted with their first visit to the landing since arriving from Peru eight months ago. In addition to wishes, there were those who focused their efforts on shaking hands with the Three Wise Men and touching their cape because “it gives luck,” said seven-year-old Marta García.

Traditional reception

The Magi of the East also shared their wishes for the municipality this year. Gaspar asked that Cartagena “continue to grow as beautiful and increasingly united.” After disembarking, the Three Wise Men offered their traditional reception at the Town Hall, but not before singing Christmas carols from the balcony to encourage the audience.

In the afternoon, the Special Operational Group for Citizen Security (Goesc), formed in February of last year, opened the parade around 6:30 p.m. The itinerary started in Alameda de San Antón, at the height of Francisco de Borja street, and passed through Plaza de España, del Carmen street, Santa Florentina, Plaza Juan XXIII, Juan Fernández street and Paseo Alfonso XIII to end at height of Esparta street.

The group of friends from the Mediterráneo Maruja Alfonso, Encarna Asensio, Angelita Serrano and María Rodríguez followed the parade from Carmen Street because “we must not lose the ability to be surprised and to be children again for one night, even if we are over sixty ». But the true protagonists of the parade were the children, who occupied the first rows of seats and the shoulders of their parents, from where they did not miss a detail of the procession of ten floats that accompanied the Magi from the East. The mayor of the municipality, Noelia Arroyo, pointed out that this reduction, almost by half in the number of floats, was to make the parade “more dynamic and fluid”, in a year in which renewable energies became the driving force of the cavalcade, as they claim to be of the Cartagena economy. The choreographic and animation groups stood out, with fantastic and popular characters who invited attendees to participate in this party.

The reinforcement of security with the fencing of the entire route to avoid incidents was one of the great novelties of this year. In addition, the Cartagena City Council reserved areas so that people with disabilities could enjoy Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar.

Attendees were able to collect jelly beans and stuffed animals with a cone-shaped candy catcher that the City Council distributed since Thursday to facilitate the capture. The Kings, represented by the councilors Nacho Jáudenes and José Martínez, and Gospel Okolie, from the San Ginés Football Club, distributed from their floats with the help of the pages, and some councilors of the Corporation, more than 5,000 kilos of candy, 68,700 bags of jelly beans and 38,000 stuffed animals.

As it does not always rain to everyone's liking, not even during a holiday, there was no shortage of neighborhood complaints about the traffic inconveniences caused by the placement of the fences on the Alameda at noon. Nothing that the warm presence of the Three Wise Men couldn't solve on a unique night to remember.