Escaldes-EngordanyEscaldes-Engordany incorporates a new holiday in its calendar. It will be May 8, Saint Michael’s Day in Engolasters. The decision was taken by the residents of the parish over the age of 16 who took part in the popular consultation organized by the Commune from Monday 18 November to yesterday Saturday 23 November. In total, there were 1,062 residents of all nationalities who wished to express their opinion by casting their vote in the ballot box provided by the Common’s procedures service. Of these, 1,007 participants have opted for yes, while 50 votes have been negative, 3 null and 2 blank. Although popular consultations are not binding, the communal team made it clear from the beginning that, whatever the outcome, the decision would go ahead. Therefore, given the result, Sant Miquel d’Engolasters will once again be declared a holiday in the parish. The decision taken marks a new step in the involvement of the community in parish affairs and consolidates the communal desire to promote citizen participation in the life of the province.
The initiative to turn Sant Miquel d’Engolasters into a parish holiday not only responds to an electoral commitment to promote citizen participation, but arises directly from a proposal presented to the last Children’s Council, in which the representatives of the schools of different educational systems came up with the idea as a way to celebrate the festival and strengthen links with the traditions and history of Escaldes-Engordany.
Traditionally, on the 8th of May the residents of Escaldes-Engordany celebrate a gathering in the chapel of Sant Miquel d’Engolasters, in which a mass is celebrated and coca and muscatel are distributed to the attendees. Despite the fact that the existing documentation does not allow marking the start date of this festivity, it is known that the chapel dates from the 12th century and that there are documents from the same century that speak of a town gathered around the church , which make us believe that Saint Michael was its patron saint. At the beginning of May, roughly coinciding with Saint Michael’s Day, the inhabitants of Escaldes-Engordany brought their cattle up to the corrals and the banks of Engolasters. During the day, they celebrated a mass in the chapel and it was customary to decorate a pine tree with oranges, as if nature wanted to join the party by starring in an unusual event. Popular wisdom said that the period that goes from Saint Michael in May to Saint Michael in September corresponds to the period of good weather, so around May 8, the rowers began to go up the mountain to spend this period of time