13 English

Religious life.  Yesterday was the feast of Corpus Christi in Vilanova. As every year, they celebrated it in a big way.

Although it wasn't yet daybreak, the first rockets were fired.  This year, since the men from Toxal are the organizers of the feast, and they have a rivalry with the men from Hermida, the organizers for last year's feast, with the reason to be shown up, they burned a lot of  gun powder.

With the blasts, the town's children woke up and they quickly dressed up to see who would be first to collect the spent rockets.  Lelo got five.
After breakfast, Lelo as well as Pedriño, Rosiña and the other children of his age, had an appointment in the church with the priest. They had to go through a short review of the catechism before the mass, since today, if I haven't yet told you, was the day of their first communion.

"Let's see, Pedriño, recite the Our Father for me."

"Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be they name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.  Amen."

"Make the sign of the Cross, Lelo."

"In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit".

"Let's see, Rosiña, the Holy Mary.

"Holy Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.  Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of grace, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen."

After ten thirty, they confessed. They confessed with the priest from Rebordela, since they were ashamed to tell their sins to the one from Vilanova.  As they were finishing, they left like lightning bolts for their houses to put on their new clothes.

At twelve thirty, people began to arrive at the church yard, since then it was time for mass. The men stayed outside talking and the women entered to pray a station of the Cross, to go to confession or to see how well the Sacristan's wife had decorated everything.
On  ringing the bell for the last time, the men came in. Some stayed below, in the back, and other went up to the loft.

The mass had some very moving moments, especially when the children went to communion and when the priest gave the sermon.  There were women whose eyes filled with tears.

At  the conclusion, there was a procession around the church. Uncle Colás from Toxal (the head organizer) and his sons carried the saints'  statues. Among the other parish boys, in groups of four, they carried Saint Anthony, The Snow Virgin and Saint Isidore.   As the fireworks went off, Uncle Colás said to himself:

"From this, Pepe of Hermida will learn how to have a good feast".

Upon leaving  mass, they put up for auction two pigs' tongues, a ham, two roosters and at least one dozen of chickens to divide among the Souls and Saint  Anthony.  The children, in the meantime, gave out remembrances of their first communion.  Look at what Lelo's says:

"Lelo Souto Seoane, received the Angel's Bread for the first time from the hand of the Reverend Raúl Méndez Figueras. Vilanova. June 13th".