This Saturday, hundreds of cueriepeños (inhabitants of Curiepe), as well as visitors from other parts of the country, gathered outside the church Nuestra Señora de Altagracia de Curiepe, in Miranda state, to kick off the month of celebration of San Juan Bautista, known as “The saint who can do everything and gives everything”.
“We are very happy to accompany the people and the cultists in this first drumming that begins the celebration of San Juan Bautista. This is a very traditional party in Miranda, mainly in Curiepe, in which the Afro-descendant theme is addressed. It is important to note that on June 8 we will be in the first ringing of Higuerote and we will do so in each axis of Miranda state,” said Mariam Martinez, Secretary of Culture of the Government of Miranda.
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In that sense, Martinez said that recently the agency met with San Juan representatives throughout the locale, to finalize various activities framed in that celebration, which seek to recover the value and ancestral spirit of the holiday.
For her part, Luisa Madriz, coordinator of the houses of culture and museums in the Barlovento region for the Regional Executive, offered a talk addressed to children, in which she addressed topics on the history of the celebration of the feast of St. John the baptist. “There I told them where we came from, why this festival was born, what the cultural and religious contributions were that have been given to this parish since its foundation in 1721, as well as the clothing used for this great event. They also knew the gastronomy, the spirituality and the meaning of the drumming “.
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Carmen Pacheco, president of the Society of San Juan Bautista de Curiepe, said that this celebration should be enduring and be passed down from generation to generation, by representing the highlights of Barlovento ancestors.
For Lourdes Aponte, a woman from San Juan de Curiepe, she is proud to be part of the celebration. “My skin always bristles and I feel a great positive energy when I hear the drums, these days of San Juan Bautista.”
Translated by JRE/EF
