It's a woman's Cursillo within my diocese this weekend. So join me by taking your favorite rooster for a stroll.
If you aren't aware of what a Cursillo is click on to their national site at:
My wife is on the team and I am helping with clean-up.
Please pray that all involved are open to the Holy Spirit.
Our lives become authentic, authorized and unique when we realize that we are not the author.
3 comments:
De Colores, my monkish friend!
I hope Las Mananitas was a delight this a.m. and Closing this afternoon a beautiful time of sharing.
Athos
Feliz Corsillo!
(I think . . .)
I'm kind of mystified here. I followed the links, and think I got some of it, by I'm at a loss to account for the giant rooster.
Dear Porthos,
Not to let the rooster out of the bag, for a Cursillo weekend needs to be experienced and not so much explained, I will cut & paste what I find to be a pretty good note on the background of the rooster, many colors, which sprang from the term, De Colores.
Where did De Colores originate?
Well De Colores came about when a bus load of people in Spain broke down, and these people had to walk something like 20 miles. De Colores was a Spanish folk song long before the beginning of the Cursillo movement. When the bus broke down, everyone sang to pass the time and this was one of the songs that they sang over and over. Thus it bacame associated with the movement by accident.
Why do we use the term DeColores (I know this means "of color" or something similar in Spanish) with all the colors of the rainbow? Someone said they thought it was because the colors represent the many facets of God's love. Is that correct? What does the rooster signify?
Traditionally (all the way back to the 13th century), the rooster symbolizes Christ's resurrection by rising early in the morning. De Colores is from the Spanish song of the same name that speaks (in about 90+ verses) of the "many colors of God's love". When I was an English major in college, we read several Middle English songs/poems that used both the rainbow (some with reference to Noah) and the rooster as images.
There are roosters carved into the stonework of several medieval cathedrals in Europe.
First of all, De Colores is a Mexican folk song. To use De Colores as a greeting is a little like coming up to a person and saying 'Jimmy Crack Corn!' In the United States, (and only in the U.S., I believe), De Colores has become a recognition sign. It is certainly not used in Majorca where Cursillo originated.
[Incidentally, De Colores has been recorded by both Joan Baez and Pete Seeger -- it is the theme song of the United Farm Workers, which caused great problems in some movements in California where many of those who showed up at Clausuras, etc. were farm workers, singing De Colores, and the new Cursillistas were owners, who were not at all pleased at hearing that song on their Weekend.]
While De Colores is a folk song, there is only one verse (usually NOT sung in my experience, interestingly enough) that specifically deals with Christian vocation. The rest of the verses really celebrate diversity, and for that it is good. (I realize in the foregoing that I'm referring to the Spanish words. In some movements, an English version is used, and they may have more verses dealing with Christian living).
A more appropriate greeting among Cursillistas (and I include ALL of the movements) is 'ultreya'. Ultreya is a medieval Spanish word (with no modern equivalent) that is roughly translated 'onward', or 'keep going'. It is a word of encouragement for all of us in our Christian vocation and ministry.
The other symbols, such as the crowing rooster, celebrate life, specifically Christian life. Many large bookstores, especially Roman Catholic stores have Cursillo items for sale.
Athos, you have anything here to add from your years of participating in Cursillo/Walk to Emmaus weekends?
and by the way, Cursillo #845 turned out to be the best Cursillo ever! :-)
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