In Honor of Genarín
Despite wide-spread agnosticism and antagonism towards the Church and its teachings, Spain has the Church interwoven into its culture, and Holy Week is an example of it. Every city and town has its processions. Some cities have a few every day, others have one only on Good Friday, but you can join a procession anywhere. All of them have a religious figure carried through the streets, usually one of Jesus with the cross, and another of his mother Mary. All of them are sanctioned by the Church except one. That one was even outlawed in 1957 because more people joined it than the official one. That procession takes place in the old town of León, and is known as the procession of Genarín.
Genarín was christened Genaro Blanco y Blanco sometime in the latter half of the nineteenth century. His surnames indicate that he was an abandoned baby. At that time, women who could not bring up a child for whatever reason would leave the unwanted child at the door to the cathedral where the image of the Virgen Blanca is situated. Those children would get the surnames Blanco in honor of the Virgin.
Genarín was a man who lived life as it came. He dealt in animal skins, generally rabbit, which he would buy and sell. He also had other jobs to help keep body and soul together, such as selling newspapers from street to street. His free time would be spent in León's bars and brothels, drinking orujo, the firewater distilled from the spent grapes after making wine, and keeping the acquaintance of women of improper reputation.
This came to an end on Holy Thursday night in 1929, as he was relieving himself against the old city wall, after one of his typical rounds of the bars. The very first motorized garbage truck León ever had developed a problem with its brakes while being driven by a neophyte nineteen year old employee, and unfortunately crushed Genaro against the wall as it careened along the street. Among the first at the scene was one of the prostitutes close to Genaro, la Moncha. When his body was freed and laid on the ground, she covered him with old newspapers. That was the end of Genarín's adventures on this earth.
But his legend after death was just beginning. A year later, four men, one of them a local, well-known poet, decided to get together and make a round of Genaro's haunts, drinking in his memory, and reciting poetry. Gradually, more people joined the procession each year on the night of Holy Thursday, until it became so numerous, that more people caroused the night in honor of Genaro than in honor of Christ, and Genarín's procession was banned in 1957.
After Franco's death, only the poet of the four original "evanglists" was still living, and he resuscitated the procession of Genarín. Every year, the brotherhood and thousands of followers get together to celebrate the "Last Supper" and drink orujo in Genarín's honor before taking to the streets in procession. The figure of Genarín holding a bottle is carried; along with the figure of la Moncha, holding a newspaper, much like Veronica holding the cloth with which she cleaned the sweat off Jesus' face; a garbage can with an offering of bread, cheese, oranges, a crown of laurel, and orujo; and four cabezudos, or large heads, in honor of the four "evangelists" who started the tradition. They follow their route, stopping by the cathedral, and ending at the spot where Genarín gave up the ghost by the old wall, reciting poetry in his honor along the way.
At the spot where he died and legend began, a young man climbs the wall and leaves the offering. The crowd chants,
Y antes de ser declamadas para gloria de este mundo,
Siguiéndote en tus costumbres, pues nunca ganasteis lujos,
Bebamos a tu memoria una copina de orujo,
Que fue lo que más chupaste antes de ser difunto.
And before being declaimed for the glory of this world,
Following your customs, for you never won luxuries,
Let us drink to your memory a little glass of orujo,
Which was what you most suckled before you died.
The procession has been gaining more followers every year, reaching around thirty thousand these past few years. San Genarín, saint for our times.
Genarín was christened Genaro Blanco y Blanco sometime in the latter half of the nineteenth century. His surnames indicate that he was an abandoned baby. At that time, women who could not bring up a child for whatever reason would leave the unwanted child at the door to the cathedral where the image of the Virgen Blanca is situated. Those children would get the surnames Blanco in honor of the Virgin.
Genarín was a man who lived life as it came. He dealt in animal skins, generally rabbit, which he would buy and sell. He also had other jobs to help keep body and soul together, such as selling newspapers from street to street. His free time would be spent in León's bars and brothels, drinking orujo, the firewater distilled from the spent grapes after making wine, and keeping the acquaintance of women of improper reputation.
This came to an end on Holy Thursday night in 1929, as he was relieving himself against the old city wall, after one of his typical rounds of the bars. The very first motorized garbage truck León ever had developed a problem with its brakes while being driven by a neophyte nineteen year old employee, and unfortunately crushed Genaro against the wall as it careened along the street. Among the first at the scene was one of the prostitutes close to Genaro, la Moncha. When his body was freed and laid on the ground, she covered him with old newspapers. That was the end of Genarín's adventures on this earth.
But his legend after death was just beginning. A year later, four men, one of them a local, well-known poet, decided to get together and make a round of Genaro's haunts, drinking in his memory, and reciting poetry. Gradually, more people joined the procession each year on the night of Holy Thursday, until it became so numerous, that more people caroused the night in honor of Genaro than in honor of Christ, and Genarín's procession was banned in 1957.
After Franco's death, only the poet of the four original "evanglists" was still living, and he resuscitated the procession of Genarín. Every year, the brotherhood and thousands of followers get together to celebrate the "Last Supper" and drink orujo in Genarín's honor before taking to the streets in procession. The figure of Genarín holding a bottle is carried; along with the figure of la Moncha, holding a newspaper, much like Veronica holding the cloth with which she cleaned the sweat off Jesus' face; a garbage can with an offering of bread, cheese, oranges, a crown of laurel, and orujo; and four cabezudos, or large heads, in honor of the four "evangelists" who started the tradition. They follow their route, stopping by the cathedral, and ending at the spot where Genarín gave up the ghost by the old wall, reciting poetry in his honor along the way.
At the spot where he died and legend began, a young man climbs the wall and leaves the offering. The crowd chants,
Y antes de ser declamadas para gloria de este mundo,
Siguiéndote en tus costumbres, pues nunca ganasteis lujos,
Bebamos a tu memoria una copina de orujo,
Que fue lo que más chupaste antes de ser difunto.
And before being declaimed for the glory of this world,
Following your customs, for you never won luxuries,
Let us drink to your memory a little glass of orujo,
Which was what you most suckled before you died.
The procession has been gaining more followers every year, reaching around thirty thousand these past few years. San Genarín, saint for our times.
 |
| From Facebook page Cofradía de Nuestro Padre Genarín. |
Comments
Post a Comment