Are we professional musicians?
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| Each person in a traditional ronda carries behind a different professional life. |
This entry to the blog will give you a general overview of our professions, in an attempt to demonstrate that being musicians, in our case, is not a career in itself, but a mere result from dedication to two relevant aspects in our free time: (1) preserve cultural traditions (i.e., our intangible heritage), and (2) enjoy good moments with our family and friends. Yep, it is as simple as that!
So, as you will see, just amongst the 16 of us going to New Mexico, and out from the almost 40 persons informally gathering for the Ronda Los Carrozas every year for Christmas at Cifuentes, we have a really wide variety of professional backgrounds.
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| Our fine carpenter now applies his excellent skills to making zambombas. |
One of them you have already seen in our previous entry to the blog: even if currently retired, he worked most of his life in fine carpentry as a skilled cabinetmaker (ebanista), as well as several other jobs, such as gardener and even waiter or barman.
The ronda counts with a blacksmith, a nuclear engineer, a baker, a scientist, an assembler, a school teacher, a clerk, a student, and an electric technician who is also a beekeeper. The women in the group are also proud professionals in a variety of jobs: guard, usher, filmmaker and nursing assistant. And most combine their profession and the ronda with being excellent mothers!
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| Enrique (scientist) and Manuel (electric technician and beekeper) |
The name of the group is not a coincidence. "Los Carrozas" is a slang expression that actually means "the elder", and as you will probably have noticed, most (but not all!) of us are already retired and thus with more time available to dedicate to the ronda.
Thank you for keeping up the tradition, in this fast paced world, where more often than not the internet and 'cheap thrills' are the norm. Knowing what you are doing is very uplifting. Margaret from Australia!
ReplyDeleteThanks from the heart, Margaret! If only, we owe so much to the ones that came before us, our ancestors.
DeleteWe are excited to see your performance later today at Acoma "Sky City". Welcome to New Mexico and thank you for sharing your culture and traditions with us.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot! We will soon post several entries to the blog with the day-by-day development of the tour and many photos. It has been a truly unique and enjoyable experience!
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