PERO PALO OF VILLANUEVA - AN UNEXPECTED ABSENCE

Unfortunately bad news arrive for the donkey of the fiesta of the Pero Palo, that once was martyred and that now even less is able to save itself.

As you know, the party was “publicized” in Italy from Clara Genero, that financed the presence of Italian witnesses together with those English and German, up to the day when she unfortunately disappeared. Subsequently, together with the LAV of Bassano of the Grappa and to the LIVDA we have performed what was, so to say, the spiritual will of Clara Genero.

The approval in Extremadura of the regional law against the maltreatments of animals had convinced us that our presence would not be necessary, seemed to be enough that of the other animalists, as the Spanish. Unfortunately however this year nobody has gone there (neither English, neither German, neither Spanish and–as already mentioned - not even us).

The associations FAACE (English) and Menschen fuer Tierrechte (German) have wanted to launch a boycotting of the denominated local hot pepper “Pimentòn de la Vera.”

The lack of foreign observatories has surely been deleterious: here in fact the report of the fiesta appeared on the newspaper Hoy, written by Pilar Armerà the February 9 2005: The Pero Palo is burnt on the background of the plan of boycotting of the local hot pepper.

The animalists have asked through internet not to buy the local specialty: producers and mayors of the province have supported the party assisting it.

Also the English veterinarian has not been there this year, nor the flood of ecologists to Villanueva de la Vera to assure if the donkey is abused, that the Pero Palo brings to walk.

There are no ocular witnesses and so it is impossible to report about the party, the Mayor José Anthony Rodriguez Calzada has said, and he has invited all those that have doubts on the celebration for the next year to come into the beautiful northern place of the Extremadura.

Nevertheless there have been some inhabitants–perhaps obsessed by the visit of the animalists of the other editions–have mistook journalists, photographers or simply curious for integralists of the animalism.

The fact is that it seems that the opponents to the party have preferred to orchestrate their country against the party making use of the most modern methodology.

In this way internet has become the weapon for this battle: it is therefore on the net that they have launched their particular crusade, in which they ask that the hot pepper, produced in the region of de la Vera, until Villanueva is will not keep on using the donkey on the Tuesday of carnival.

There will be no denunciation

The citizens of Villanueva and the rest of the inhabitants of the region are sure that the country won't get the hoped success. “It is an illogical thing, that has not had rediscount and witnesses, for which there cannot be spoken of something what is not to be seen”, Teresa Bartolomé explained, chairwoman of the suggestion of control of the denomination of origin of the hot pepper de la Vera, that has assisted yesterday to the celebration as a sign of support.

On his behalf, the mayor of Villanueva assures that it has hardly come to some cancellation of orders in the local firms. “moreover, in these last days of party we have noted that in the shops of this village a lot of hot pepper has been bought, red gold of the Vera, to bring it as a gift in the various zones of Spain.”

The great distributors keep on making orders and solo some shop of natural products has cancelled the ordinations.

In every case the matter has provoked a reunion at midday in the town hall in which the participants, together with the mayors and the representatives of the producers had been established not to take any measure against this initiative of boycotting, because it would mean to play the game of the promoters. They limited themselves to prepare a poster and cockades with writing “the region of the Vera is with the Pero Palo and the hot pepper”.

The donkey is dismissed

In this climate of latent protest, the celebration of the Pero Palo has been carried out yesterday , the thief (or banished or soldier, according to other versions) executed by the inhabitants of Villanueva.

(…) the donkey has gone out for the village, with sat above a Pero Palo in meat and bones (instead of the puppet) drunk.

They have made him passing for the narrow streets between shoves and cries, and at the end the animal reached the towing healthy that has transported it up to the stall where it will pass the rest of the year. Up to the next carnival the donkey won't have to make anything else and for this by the citizens it is considered to be privileged (sic!).

End of the party!

From last year the carnivals are a little bit calmer. In the country they say: “the animalists have gotten tired to come; they were approached, they visited the donkey, that was well as always, and they have not returned to make the trip.”

On their place there were two veterinarians, one of the administration of the Extremadura and another of the Commune that have certified in the early hours of yesterday's afternoon that the donkey was in conditions to continue to repose up to next year.

Yes, some part of its hair has remained around for the streets, because of the shoves and of the bad intentions of some, to the lack of control that the little sleep involves sprinkled with the alcohol.

Certainly to the donkey the ears boomed, caused by the shots to him that have continued to explode without standstill during the party.

Additional inconveniences, in conclusion, to a popular party that is tradition for many and for some only fun.

These last lines in effects underline that the donkey has surely been abused in the party; an indirect confirmation comes from the article of “el Periodico” that signals as the walk of the donkey has lasted seventy-five minutes, in opposite to the forty-five of two years ago, when things seemed to improve. There has been made a social step backwards of five or six years.

It is surely necessary to return in Spain next year, to ask that the law is to be respected and to save the donkey from a barbarity that unfortunately is withstanding more than it has been expected.