Pilgrim New Year's Eve with Paris de Noia and "A Xira do Camiño".

The article “París de Noia” tells how the famous Galician orchestra París de Noia brought its show “A Xira do Camiño” to the Camino de Santiago, enlivening New Year's Eve in the Plaza del Obradoiro with music and dance as a festive culmination after the pilgrimage. The piece celebrates this special festivity and the presence of the orchestra at events related to the Jacobean route.

To the celebrations of this Holy Year 2021, we must add another surprise, as one of the most important dance and performance orchestras in Galicia and Spain, the Paris de Noia orchestra, is gifting us this year with their tour "A Xira do Camiño" and a very special New Year's Eve along the Stages of the French Way.

In homage to Galicia and the Camino de Santiago, the orchestra led by Blas Piñón is very pilgrim this year, and with their Jacobean tour, a kind of musical Camino de Santiago, they will be giving us surprising gifts this Christmas. We had the opportunity to speak with him and learn about what "A Xira do Camiño" is all about.

Orchestras, festivities, and Covid-19

One of the sectors most affected by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has been, and continues to be, the sector of orchestras, musical groups, and festivities, an industry with significant weight in Galicia and also in Spain. The festivities and events, something that traditionally were organized by the festival committees of the towns raising money house by house each year, have practically disappeared due to the uncertainty generated by Covid-19, which has greatly discouraged all the towns from organizing their major festivities.

Furthermore, what is organized must respect the restrictions of fencing, capacity, distance, and mask usage, and initially, the audience had to be seated, as we could see in Melide, in the last 100 kilometers of the French Way of Santiago. It is a luxury to be walking the Camino de Santiago and to be surprised with a festivity upon reaching the end of the stage.

The Paris de Noia orchestra

Blas Piñón has been the manager and singer of the orchestra París de Noia for nothing more and nothing less than 40 years, his entire musical career. Speaking over the phone, he mentioned that his last performance before the pandemic was on March 8, 2020, and that only 12 orchestras, out of more than 250 in Galicia, resumed their usual activity in June 2021, when they were finally allowed to work.

"A Xira do Camiño"

The 2021 tour is called "A Xira do Camiño", an initiative in collaboration with the Xunta de Galicia to promote the Holy Year 2021. Adapting the show to the new reality after the pandemic, this tour has a very attractive name for the pilgrim community, and the Jacobean component is present in the show, with the branding of the Xacobeo logo on stage and its presence in the visuals of the LED screens that are part of the show.

La París, as people refer to this orchestra, has a current show that consists of 2 and a half hours of continuous performance, with music for all audiences and with a clear premise: to interact and make the audience part of the party.

"To Santiago I go slowly, walking…”

Thus says a classic of Galician music by the group Los Tamara, which pays tribute to us, pilgrims. The tribute to Galicia and its music is present in the repertoire, recalling songs like this one as well as others from Luar na Lubre and other folk music groups. Thus sounded their Galician repertoire this year in Villalba, in the last 100 kilometers of the Northern Way of Santiago.

And they will arrive in Santiago de Compostela, as on the next December 31st, the Paris de Noia orchestra will be in charge of hosting the New Year's Eve party in the very Plaza del Obradoiro. This will be the first time the orchestra performs in the Plaza del Obradoiro, and perhaps the first time an orchestra has performed here.

Pending confirmation of details, entry will be free and with limited capacity. The show will begin around 22:30, and at 23:45 there will be a break to eat the grapes during the chimes, which this year will surely be celebrated on the very stage of the orchestra and will be broadcasted by Televisión de Galicia. Following this, the group Tanxugueiras will perform, and around 1:00 AM, the Paris will return, perhaps with a little surprise.

"A Xira do Camiño", also in 2022

This is the idea: just as the Holy Year 2021 will continue into 2022, the Paris de Noia will continue to offer us their show "A Xira do Camiño" next year. As you can see, there is Paris "párato and páti", and we in the meantime will go to dance at this pilgrim New Year's Eve alongside them. There is no better conclusion to your Christmas pilgrimage than a party with the Paris de Noia in Santiago de Compostela.

We hope that one of these years they will join the Portuguese Way from Tui and take advantage of the joy of these dances in the Portuguese lands.