employers Celebrations of our city have their origin in the year 1571 , it was from then that is Patron Our Lady of Victory. While celebrations
not become a matter of fair, as we understand it today until 1903, when the Board of Excise decided that journalists, those who had brought unrest to the city to disclose the civil war broke out in the Moroccan border environment, managers were to organize the first great patron festivities, Feria de Melilla. Then our city had a population of about 10,000 inhabitants, of whom 5,800 were civilians and 3,500 made up its military garrison.
Earlier, in the years 1901 and 1902 celebrations were held to coincide with the feast of Corpus and coronation of Alfonso XIII. The first two fairs, in 1903 and 1904, were framed by the Paseo del General Macias, and streets of the Barrio del Mantelete more at the start of construction of the port and installed in that walk tracks, the authorities decided to move wisely Hernandez Park and Plaza of Spain.
In 1909 no employer could be held to begin the festivities on July 9 of that year the Campaign Rif. War brought about by the proliferation of civilian and military, as the first rose from 12,000 to 21,000, while the garrison came to exceed the figure of 40,000. Upward trend was maintained only among civilians, who between first year and the September 15, 1910 increased by 5163 people. This caused many wished some celebrations in 1910 over the previous, plus the lack of encouragement, municipal funds and lack of a permanent Commission on the Celebration prevented. However it wasted enthusiasm and ingenuity in all that was done.
Park Aerial view of Hernandez, the usual scenario of holding fairs Melilla since 1905
celebrations Program, 1910
few dates before his home town of Melilla met the planned activities to celebrate the patron saint festivities of the town for its publication in the pages of the Rif The Telegram.
As happened in the previous edition of 1908, the celebrations were projected to have place between 8 and 13 September inclusive. Thursday began with the traditional 8 Diana and Ride through the neighborhoods of the city, religious function in the parish church, opening of the charity raffle and evening and the lighting and music in both the Park Street Hernández as Chacel current Avenue . Constitute the use of a novelty Avenue certainly intended to receive part of the local population increased, easing the Park. However
popular dance held at the Avenue on the afternoon of the second day of the Fair was a failure by refusing to dance attendees to both groups.
Also in this opening day, at ten la noche se pudo contemplar la primera vista de fuegos artificiales. Teniendo lugar la segunda el domingo 11 sobre el Cerro de Santiago.
Hubo competiciones de regatas y cucaña en la rada, magno concierto con la actuación de todas las bandas de música de la guarnición, carreras de bicicletas y burros, y a modo de colofón en la última noche el desfile de una Gran Retreta Militar.
Actos que siempre estuvieron acompañados con los habituales puestos de buñuelos, barracones de espectáculos, casetas y atracciones diversas
En estos eventos lúdicos ejerció la presidencia de la Comisión de Festejos de la Junta de Arbitrios, el señor José M. Repiso, oficial auditor.
En los días previos at the beginning of the celebrations, General José Marina left command of the Plaza and just like in the present year 2010, Muslims began celebrating the holy month of Ramadan.
celebrations Program, 1910
few dates before his home town of Melilla met the planned activities to celebrate the patron saint festivities of the town for its publication in the pages of the Rif The Telegram.
As happened in the previous edition of 1908, the celebrations were projected to have place between 8 and 13 September inclusive. Thursday began with the traditional 8 Diana and Ride through the neighborhoods of the city, religious function in the parish church, opening of the charity raffle and evening and the lighting and music in both the Park Street Hernández as Chacel current Avenue . Constitute the use of a novelty Avenue certainly intended to receive part of the local population increased, easing the Park. However
popular dance held at the Avenue on the afternoon of the second day of the Fair was a failure by refusing to dance attendees to both groups.
Also in this opening day, at ten la noche se pudo contemplar la primera vista de fuegos artificiales. Teniendo lugar la segunda el domingo 11 sobre el Cerro de Santiago.
Hubo competiciones de regatas y cucaña en la rada, magno concierto con la actuación de todas las bandas de música de la guarnición, carreras de bicicletas y burros, y a modo de colofón en la última noche el desfile de una Gran Retreta Militar.
Actos que siempre estuvieron acompañados con los habituales puestos de buñuelos, barracones de espectáculos, casetas y atracciones diversas
En estos eventos lúdicos ejerció la presidencia de la Comisión de Festejos de la Junta de Arbitrios, el señor José M. Repiso, oficial auditor.
En los días previos at the beginning of the celebrations, General José Marina left command of the Plaza and just like in the present year 2010, Muslims began celebrating the holy month of Ramadan.
No bullfights
New to the festivities of the summer of 1910 was the absence of the traditional running of the bulls that were held in the bullring in the old quarter of Triana, now called the Industrial and was located approximately where today the companies have their facilities and CABLEMEL GASELEC.
A modest arena built in 1902 to celebrate the coming of age of King Alfonso XIII, built in masonry and wood by a team formed by people of Melilla and cost the sum of 35,000 pesetas. Plaza used to deliver bad performances by the absence of professional and authentic bullfighting bulls.
A scruffy and continue fishing as they ended the home crowd to a national holiday. So during the 1908 celebrations were held in it the last bull calves to be dismantled and then harvested wood for the North African mining company. Monsieur Blondin
Without any doubt one of the biggest attractions of these celebrations employer was represented by tightrope walking exercises conducted by Arsn M. Blondin.
His first performance was announced for Monday 12 plus due to weather or physical, it was delayed until the next day. And rather than take place in the Parque Hernández as originally stated, was developed circus show in the Piazza del Campo, Plaza of Spain today. Faced with such a huge crowd that half an hour before the show the authorities had to interrupt the movement of carriages.
tightrope performance began at half past five in the afternoon and despite the west wind, which made it even more dangerous exercise, Monsieur Blondin crossed the wire holding his swing with great ease. Thus receiving a standing ovation by the audience, who watched amazed as the artist exultant optimism across the wire again, but this time blindfolded and made also spins on the center of the plaza. Great show thank the neighborhood knew with thunderous applause. Exercises
This title tightrope our beloved Joseph Ferrin (Málaga, 1870 - Melilla, 1933), editor of The Telegram Rif delighted readers of his newspaper in Tuesday's edition of September 13, 1910, about great expectations created by the ineffable Mr. Blondin.
"To see Blondin
exercises, male acrobat,
gathered at our park,
shortly after four o'clock, all the choicest
of the plaza and neighborhoods, many nannies
amen and a legion of soldiers.
yet despite this excess
concurrency, birds were the only beings
that drifted through the air, then
Blondin was grounded and the sovereign public
had to go home without seeing the man
acrobat.
This afternoon, reports say
authorized
Blondin, dressed in short, to perform the operations
announced yesterday.
Martes y trece, alligator! God take the poor
Blondin
at least confessed. "
Mr. Blondin, who had arrived in Melilla on August 29, refused to leave the city without trying to offer a free feature in honor of the garrison.
remember that this man, who was also trainer of wild beasts, was very popular at the turn of the century Melilla and their son, a musician who served as instructor of the band's Roghi in Zeluán Bu Hamara. Girls of marriageable age
Another attraction of the Fair Melilla was the free show to see strolling the gardens to groups of girls looking for boyfriends. An attraction that also deserve attention of our well-known journalist and poet Joseph Ferrin lively in the pages of the Rif Telegram September 11, 1910:
"In the Park
large group of beautiful girls, followed by other philanderers
hand ... Oh, young
friendly, with safe passage, the park
dais thousand rounds without a hint of fatigue, followed by a mob
summer wedding!
not do much for them, because
are, after all, these suitors
that, hang out,
other girls followed in previous years. "
The tours of the girls in that Melilla 1910 in many cases were successful because, as Joseph himself Ferrin wrote about a month earlier, on 5 August: "All married. So say the ads
wedding that is spoken, and so
been happening in this square
African
fine war since the Moor
to take us.
For reasons I do not know,
Today all are married,
Brunettes and blondes,
The ugly and beautiful ... "
Fiesta Bicycle cycling competitions also reached Melilla role in the September Fair 1910.
originally scheduled for Saturday September 10th, second day of festivities. Was in celebration of a career in films about organized bicycle with a wealth of details, such as that runners would be eighteen, all in uniform jersey and shorts with class and color to choose from, plus socks and shoes. The tapes would take a number corresponding to a prize to give the participant to remove the spool ring provided with a stick.
All players march to the same speed and maintain the same distance between them. Customers also do not place your feet rot in the ground from ten meters before the place where the tapes were hung.
As was usual then, the tapes were made and embroidered by ladies of the town. Y among participants as flowery and wealthy society, highlighting among them John Brunet, owner of department stores "La Reconquista" Miguel Vila, then Boix Brothers partner in the business of stationery and years later owner establishment of stationery, photography and printing Posta Express, Cooperativa Gráfica current Melilla, Conrado Astigarraga, big fan of cycling and later worked as a car dealer, Rafael Fernandez, who was possibly Rafael Fernandez de Castro and Pedrera, a journalist and then Official Chronicler Melilla, and finally Agustín Silva, Army officer, photographer and man linked to the development of motorsport and the city from 1921, and driving after the civil war in the former Brotherhood of Holy Week that existed in the Barrio del Real. Such expectation is raised
cycling race between Melilla, on the day and time scheduled at five-thirty in the afternoon, there was such a motley agglomeration of age on the central promenade Hernandez Park, it was insufficient, because the enormous crowd exceeded safety limits and cyclists could barely maneuver. Forcing some of them to withdraw. Situation which forced organizers to postpone the conclusion of the event the next day.
The worst affected was the concessionaire of leasing the existing chairs in the central Paseo del Parque, because there were many who were useless.
In the new call was elected under the extended Hernandez Park, Broad Street Carlos Ramirez de Arellano. where an anxious public found better accommodation thanks to the diligence of Mr. German, chief of police in the city. Furthermore, the platform had been erected for the occasion moved to the new location, to be occupied by the beautiful ladies who had given the tapes.
was finally able to celebrate the expected biker festival that was enlivened with selected musical pieces performed by Banda Regiment Melilla. Mr. Anselmo
Boix, manager of the stationery industry was responsible for ordering the output. And so complete was successfully tested and put so much effort as participants vehemently that some rolled down the driveway, no damage of importance. If it does not happen with their machines, two bicycles were broken as a result of separate bulky falls.
Racing and cucañas
Held at bay, could be covered by a large audience from the piers and walls of Melilla la Vieja.
The first race had a prize of one hundred pesetas for the first four rowing boat in five minutes managed to move a thousand meters. Achieving called "Halley's Comet." While the second and final race, for boats equipped with six oars, had a prize of 140 pesetas, was more contested and won the victory led by Angel Moran after traveling a thousand meters in four minutes. Upon completion
sailing competitions, began de Cocagne, also accompanied by music of the regiment of San Fernando. Three prizes were given, 25, 20 and 15 pesetas among those brave young men that were higher while the audience enjoyed the many humorous situations that give rise tests.
extending the huge score of animation who enjoyed all the activities planned for the festivities, the organizing committee decided to expand by adding a number exotic, typical of the neighboring country: A run of gunpowder masterfully executed by thirty riders at five Rif the afternoon of September 14 in the old quarter of Triana.
The show was a great success and riders dressed in luxury on beautiful horses, members of the Indian police Atlaten, Nador and Souk El Had, were loudly applauded. Besides receiving money, free tickets to attend the evening performance of the Summer Theatre.
And top it off, on the night of 14 also held an extra evening in the Park, although there was uncertainty about the ability to run, lack of need for the lighting carbide, which arrived late.
Despite the recent completion of the Rif campaign in the festivities of 1910 will not be recalled to it. Surely, in an attempt to forget the troubles. Not so with the celebrations of 1912 and 1913, which were held respectively wastage of completion of the Campaign Kert and complete peace of English Morocco. Tourist Complaint
Finished the festivities and in view of its success. There were numerous Melilla who agreed that it was time to enhance the upcoming festivities, with a view to better enjoyment of a neighborhood and attract as many people of the peninsula and Algeria, where there was a large English population.
An aspiration to be maintained for many years, but then had the advantage that it had recently improved maritime communications. And immediate goal was to set up a Standing Committee of Celebration, something to reach after the Board of Excise Taxes (City) had reached just days before autonomy and stop relying on the captaincy General at the time of making the public celebration programs.
Tourism as a source of revenue for the economy Melilla, would remain as an aspiration of the leader of the city for many years. More was not until the complete pacification of Morocco in 1927, when the necessary conditions for their development.
Juan Díez Sánchez
(Studies Association Melilla)
Article published in the newspaper today Melilla, Melilla supplement Fair, Saturday 28 August 2010
