This 2023 the ALBORADA will be 99 years old; traditionalist Joaquín Sierra talks about preparations

Published September 4th, 2023

On September 29th and October 1st, we will live again in San Miguel de Allende one more year the ancient and traditional dawn of San Miguel Arcangel, which is part of the festivities of his feast day.

This year 2023 will be the 99th anniversary of this beautiful San Miguel tradition, in which pyrotechnics and stars such as: “Las 7 Cabrillas”, “El Sol”, “La Luna”, “El Cometa” and “Los Ojos de Santa Lucia”, among others, are the protagonists of the dawn of San Miguel and we will see them dancing one more year in the Main Garden.

In an interview with the traditionalist Joaquín Sierra Rangel, organizer of the “alborada”, he spoke to us about the preparations, he says that for now they are in the elaboration of the stars, which are about 50 that are being made by the settlers of La Aurora along with more people who are interested in the workshop where they make them, in Calzada de La Aurora Number 10.

Regarding the organization, he says that they are still looking at the issue of schedules of the day of the dawn, which will be the dawn of Saturday, October 1.

“The dawn is going to be next September 29 to dawn September 30. The burning of gunpowder is at 4:00 in the morning, the tour of the stars will leave at approximately 1:00 in the morning, I still do not know the schedule, that will be seen in coordination with the different agencies and with the committee of the Aurora Colony that is the one that takes this part of the organization, but more or less the meeting with the stars of the neighborhoods is done at 3:00 in the morning approximately, to make a couple of laps in the Garden and finish before the gunpowder begins, “he said.

He affirmed that in the first and second week of September the stars will begin to be distributed to the people who will be in charge of carrying them on the day of the dawn. “Those who could do us the favor of coming here personally from the Aurora neighborhood, we would appreciate it, but if there is no such possibility, we will bring them to you in the next few days”, said Joaquín.

The traditionalists of the dawn are already working on the organization, elaborating the stars that will be worn this year, they are still looking at the issue of schedules and resources that the municipal authorities have not yet provided them, they have had to put out of pocket due to the slowness of the agency that is responsible for giving them money for the materials, which is the direction of Culture and Traditions in charge of Acasio Martinez. Joaquín invited them to approach the organizers of the participating neighborhoods, Valle del Maíz, La Estación and La Aurora, and ask them what they need and they will provide them with the materials.

“We make this call to the authorities to participate, to get involved a little more and to speed up the support because there are people who already, well, in our case we have people who have to participate with the materials and with everything that is being spent and it is not easy to pay for it, Without the support of the authorities this would not be possible either, if they did not support us, we would have to find a way to hold a raffle or get support, but this is what it takes, it takes,” he emphasized.

He emphasized that this year is the 99th anniversary of the dawn.

“We are one foot away from crossing the line of 100 years of a tradition that has transcended so much in the municipality, the emblematic stars and well, we see the alborada in neighborhoods and communities throughout the year, but remember that since the origin of the alborada that was on December 8, 1924, but then, then, then followed in history we have that it began to be done in honor of San Miguel Arcangel in 1925, then in this sense the alborada has had a continuity of each year in honor of San Miguel Arcangel, therefore the albora is more of San Miguel than of the temple of the Nuns, of course, is its root, is its true origin, but the alborada has maintained its antiquity with San Miguel Arcángel and that is why the big alborada is done in honor of San Miguel Arcángel, and we hope that next year we can do something outstanding, something worthy, according to the 100 years and above all that the homage to San Miguel Arcángel continues and that the people continue participating”, concluded Joaquín Sierra Rangel.