312th Fiesta de Santa Fe opens Friday
Sep 4, 2024 Updated 8 hrs ago
As Fiesta de Santa Fe returns for its 312th anniversary, a traditional Mass within the Rosario Chapel will mark the beginning of a weekend of merriment.
“We invite people to walk together hand in hand as we celebrate the spirit of Santa Fe,” said Krystle Lucero, president of the Fiesta Council.
Launching it all is Misa de Pregón, the 6 a.m. Friday religious ceremony held at the historic chapel that marks the beginning of a weekend of activities aimed at honoring local culture and heritage. Mayor Alan Webber issues the formal proclamation declaring the start of the annual celebration, which marks Spanish Gov. Don Diego de Vargas’ return to Santa Fe in 1692, 12 years after the Spanish were driven out by the Pueblo Revolt. The speech includes original text from Sept. 16, 1712, when the City Council of Santa Fe established Fiesta de Santa Fe.
Food, arts and entertainment will be at the Plaza this weekend as part of the festivities. Perennially, the Plaza Gazebo is transformed into something of a concert venue for Fiesta weekend, with music ongoing until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
In a relatively new addition to the festival lineup, there will be a dance for those ages 55 and older at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center, Baile de Oro, from 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday.
For many local families, fiesta has always marked a festive period with summer winding down and autumn arriving. Many in Santa Fe were raised on Fiesta — the dancing, the parades, eating downtown.
“The biggest thing about what makes us unique is our values of respect, love and peace. It’s central to Santa Fe’s identity,” Lucero said. “We are committed to celebrating Santa Fe’s rich heritage and honoring those who have came before us.”
A 1712 proclamation establishing the first Fiesta de Santa Fe was signed by Gov. Marquez de La Peñuela, according to the website for the Fiesta, specifying a Mass, vespers and a sermon, establishing the religious tone that still characterizes the modern celebration.
Also recognized during Fiesta is how de Vargas is said to have prayed to the Virgin Mary — in the form of a small statue known as La Conquistadora, given the additional name Our Lady of Peace in 1992 — for aid, and he promised the settlers would honor her each year.
“Fiesta’s goal is to come together and create a rich, vibrant tapestry of what our unique Santa Fe cultural blend is,” Lucero said.
Among the weekend’s popular and perennial events is the Desfile de los Niños, or Children’s Pet Parade, which will begin Saturday morning as costumed youth and adults take to the streets with their dogs, cats and other pets for what Lucero called the oldest pet parade in the United States.
Starting Friday, the weekend will also feature food booths open on the Plaza running side by side with a fine arts and crafts market. Religious observances continue during the weekend with a solemn procession to and pontifical Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi Sunday morning.
Desfile de la Gente, or the Historical/Hysterical Parade, will showcase floats Sunday at the Plaza from local schools and people running for elected office.
Fiesta has grown controversial in some quarters in recent years, with some saying it glorifies colonialism and the Spanish conquest of the region from its Native American inhabitants. The Fiesta Court’s visits to schools have been a particular flashpoint over the past couple of years, with the Santa Fe school board voting 3-2 last year to keep the tradition going.
“Santa Fe is a testament to the beauty of diversity,” Lucero wrote in a text message. “Here, the influences of Native American, Hispanic, Anglo, and other cultures come together to create something truly unique. This city is a living canvas, painted with the colors of its history, each brushstroke representing a different story, a different voice, a different tradition.”
Police will alert the public to road closures, said Deputy Chief Ben Valdez.
Some streets near the Plaza will be closed “for the duration of fiestas,” Valdez said, with others closing just for the parades.
From the Santa Fe New Mexican