France/Saint-Palais celebrates its twinning with Sangüesa during the Madeleine festival

The town of Saint-Palais welcomed the delegation from Sangüesa, its twin town in Navarre, to launch the Madeleine festivities in a fraternal and musical atmosphere.

The Madeleine festivities kicked off on the evening of Friday, July 18, with the Toro de Fuego between the Kennedy and Platane bars. The official opening took place at noon on Saturday, with a reception for a delegation of elected representatives from Sangüesa in Navarre (Spain), twinned with Saint-Palais since 1983 by the mayors of the time, Bernard Lassalle and Agustin Navallas.

The meeting took place in the gardens of the Hôtel de la Paix, with local mayor Charles Massondo, his municipal team and Navarre's first deputy mayor, Jésus Caluo, representing mayor Javier Zorozabal (absent on vacation). He was assisted by French translator Laura Bravo.

An emblematic twinning

A large number of twinning guests attended the event: mayors of the canton, municipal employees, the festivities committee, elected representatives (Anne-Marie Bruthé, Denise Saint-Pée, Arnaud Fontaine and Anddé Sainte-Marie from the Aquitaine region).

Laura Bravo read out a message from the mayor of Navarre, who wanted to strengthen and perpetuate this emblematic twinning on the theme of "Jacquaire". The message confided that Javier Zorozaba claimed to have a growing command of the French language, adding that he would demonstrate this during the municipal return match on the occasion of the Sangüesa festivities on Saturday, September 13. The local mayor, Charles Massondo, expressed his wish that this emblematic twinning between Bas Navarra and Navarra should continue: "Let's continue to be hermanos (brothers), sharing convivial moments that are much appreciated on both sides of the Pyrenees", he declared.

Music

Monika Legarto, in her customary Basque (as deputy mayor), translated the mayor's speech, even if the Sangüesinos don't understand or practice it, as is the rule in Navarre.

This was followed by the Amikuztarde musical touch provided by the duo Peio Miramon (guitar) and Audrey Etchegoin (vocals), aided by the beautiful voices of Frantxo and André Miramon, a quartet of musicians from the region. Miramon, a top-notch quartet who delighted the audience at the aperitif before the official meal of the twin towns.

Source: www.sudouest.fr/