[Gocamino] Botafumeiro update

[blaroli at aol.com]

Armando Raposo is the guy in his seventies that stops the botafumeiro, with a flourish, after its flight.  He has been in charge of the tiraboleiros (those who pull the rope) since 1964, but he himself was one of the eight tiraboleiros way back in the fifties. 

The Botafumeiro will not go aloft until Sr. Raposo is satisfied that it can do so safely. In an interview yesterday he said that the new rope is harder than the previous ones, and a little heavier, and that new ways are being tried out to tie the knots securely. The idea, Sr. Raposo says, is to carry out the maneuver in a way that the Botafumeiro will rule the rope and not the other way around.

While the Botafumeiro was brought out as many as seven times a day during the last Holy Year Sr.  Raposo does not think that this was the reason for the deterioration of the ropes; he believes that the materials used for the new ropes are not as durable, sturdy and pliable for the purpose as they were before. Extreme care must be taken with the properties of the rope since the Botafumeiro must be moved in a narrow corridor at a speed of 170 kilometers per hour, according to a Professor of physics at the USC.

Sr. Raposo stated that he has never had any accidents stopping the Botafumeiro, although he has always feared being made to look ridiculous if thrown by it. The secret, he says, is to hold two of the Botafumeiro’s chains at precisely the same time and at a certain angle.

Sr. Raposo also said that over the years the Archdiocese has attempted to stop demonstrations of enthusiasm because, after all, the flying of the Botafumeiro is somehow Mass-related and in church, but that the efforts have been to no avail. Those present will clap, will shout “Bravo”, will cry, will kneel, and the demonstrations are so spontaneous that there is no way of preventing them.

When asked about a spare group of tiraboleiros Sr. Raposo responded that it is difficult to form one because tiraboleiros must be on hand on Saturdays and Sundays,  and that young people nowadays are unwilling to make such commitment.

 

(While Sr. Raposo has not given his final O.K. the Archdiocese is still cautiously optimistic that the Botafumeiro will fly tomorrow.)

 

Hugs!


Rosina

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