The festivities kick off with a sporting spirit in Cartagena | La Verdad

The annual journey into the past began with an eye to the future. Cartagena began its XXXV Year of historical festivities this Friday night, in which it celebrates the Carthaginian and Roman imprint in a city with more than 3,500 years of history. It did so by entering a time tunnel with the players, the coach and the president of Jimbee Futsal, contemporary gladiators who last season were champions of the Spanish League and Super Cup for the first time. Just as when they recently won their last and most precious title, they returned to the balcony of the City Hall to proclaim with immense pride Carthaginians and Romans.

With a 40-minute delay on the scheduled time, the square full of spectators and an extraordinarily hot night, the president of the club, Miguel Ángel Jiménez Bosque, the coach Duda and the players Waltinho, Chispi Guillamón and Pablo Ramírez made it clear: “Here it doesn’t matter if you are Carthaginian or Roman, if you support Hannibal or Scipio. Because what matters is the celebration, the reunion, the joy of being together, reliving this history that makes us unique,” said the latter player. In front of other members of the squad – the internationals concentrated for the World Cup were missing – the five offered a choral speech full of references to the ancient history of the city and the Carthaginian and Roman imprint. They paid homage to the Carthaginians of other times and, as expected, resorted to the parallelism between ancient wars and sport, because they imply preparation, strategy and absolute dedication in pursuit of victory. The “emperor”, according to his players, Jiménez Bosque finished the speech with a widely applauded commitment: “The titles we have won are always for Cartagena and from here I promise you that this season we will continue to conquer new territories with the enthusiasm, strength and determination of our ancestors. Let’s go for Europe!”

The camp’s decision

The opening ceremony was hosted by Oscar Martinez as the master of ceremonies. The banners and flags of all the troops and legions, as well as the main characters of the contending sides, passed across the long stage of the Town Hall Square. The mayor, Noelia Arroyo, also spoke at the event to praise the Jimbee athletes, “warriors of the 21st century”; to harangue Punic and Roman soldiers, as well as to invite the public to march towards a camp “that will continue to be yours as long as you want”, in reference to her offer to keep it in Benipila when the Plan Rambla park is built one day. The Federation of Troops and Legions will decide in October.

As a prelude to the proclamation, the long and travelling ceremony of the lighting of the sacred fire took place. The flame will illuminate some of the most emblematic places of the ancient Qart Hadast and Carthago Nova during the ten days of the festival. On this occasion, it arrived from Linares, via Águilas, and from Santomera. It was carried, among others, by the mayor of Linares, Auxi del Olmo, and the mayor of Santomera, Víctor Manuel Martínez. At the Arx Asdrubalis the fire was lit by two emblematic footballers of the Efesismo, the Cartagena native Gonzalo Verdú and the Santomera native José Verdú Toché, in a solemn ceremony with the participation of the directors of the festivals and the Troops of Baal Hamon, Hannibal and Lanceros Hoplitas. At that moment there was a launching of fireworks from the five hills of the city. Afterwards, the fire descended to be present in the temple of Isis, in the Forum complex of the Roman Quarter. The ceremony ended after ten o’clock at night in the impressive Roman Theatre, where there was a new lighting and the launching of fireworks.

At the opening ceremony of the XXXV Year, the Federation of Troops and Legions awarded the title of Festero Honoris Causa to another local club, Odilo FC Cartagena Baloncesto, in recognition of its recent promotion to the second category of national basketball. All the honorees, accompanied by the authorities and members of the troops and legions, went together to the camp to inaugurate it at midnight.

The festival-goers are worried that the bad weather forecast for the whole of the eastern peninsula will arrive this Saturday. On the day that the Carthaginian Council takes centre stage, because it commemorates and stages the Foundation of Qart Hadast, later Carthago Nova and now Cartagena, the authorities issued a yellow warning for Cartagena and the whole region due to the forecast of rain and storms. In principle, the warning begins at 6 in the morning and ends at 2 in the afternoon. But the rain may continue until the night, with decreasing probability. Rain of up to 15 litres per square metre is expected, which may produce storms of greater intensity at certain times. The probability of this risk is between 40 and 70%.

Pending what might happen if it rains, which always creates tension among those in charge of all the preparations, the morning session is scheduled to see the celebration of the Roman Bike through the streets of the camp, starting at eleven o’clock and subject to registration.

In the afternoon, before the performance of how the old Mastia becomes the Carthaginian Qart Hadast (8.30 pm), a children’s event will take place, also on the Muelle stage (7.45 pm). The Punic day will have as a moment full of symbolism the raising of the Carthaginian flag in the Town Hall Square.

The troops will then march from the city centre to the camp, where a wide programme of internal activities will take place. Various group dinners and parties until dawn have been announced for this first weekend of festivities, if the rain does not prevent it.