As every year, with few exceptions such as those forced by the recent pandemic, the Misteri d’Elx, the staging of the miracle of the Assumption of the Virgin, cataloged since 2001 as a masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by the UNESCO, is held on August 14 and 15.
This representation of medieval origin and entirely sung in Valencian, with some parts in Latin, takes place in the Basilica of Santa María de Elx. It begins on the 14th with the first part, the Vespra, and ends on the 15th, Tuesday in this 2023, with the Festa.
Considered a cultural treasure of the people of Elche and one of the most precious jewels of Valencian heritage, it is considered a privilege to receive the invitation from the Board of the Misteri d’Elx to attend the performance and even the general rehearsals of the previous days.
This year, the Board of Trustees has invited, among other personalities, Francisco García-Almenta, chief general of the Special Operations Command and military commander of Alicante; Esther Rojo, president of the Provincial Court of Valencia; Gemma Mª Contreras Zamorano, director of the Valencian Institute of Conservation, Restoration and Research, or to the Dukes of Maqueda, María del Pilar Paloma de Casanova-Cárdenas y Barón and Francisco José López-Becerra de Solé and Martín de Vargas, with long and aristocratic surnames .
But along with this representation of classic classes of high society that would not have been out of place in the Basilica in the 16th century: military, judicial, aristocracy…, in addition to the new Minister of Culture, Vicente Barrera, deputies and mayors of other municipalities, the City Council has decided to wink at youth, perhaps considering that it never hurts to attract future generations.
So, nationally recognized influencers have also been invited, but with local roots, such as the sisters Lola and Sofía Moreno, natives of Elx, Isaac Belk or Fatima Cantó; in addition to actors and film directors, such as José Manuel Cotelo or the dubbing actor Xavier Fernández López, and renowned musicians such as the pianists Salvador Sánchez and Mario Álvarez Blanco.
For those who don’t even know what the hell a tiktoker is, ‘LolaLolita’ will sound like heiress to a flamenco saga, “oh how I would marvel”, “if you love me, go away” and other old anecdotes; but, just as Rosalía is no longer an excellent Galician poet for the majority but a spiteful Catalan singer, this ‘LolaLolita’ does not sing, she influences, and at just 21 years old, she has no less than 11 million followers on the video channel of Chinese origin, to which must be added another 2.6 million on Instagram. That, the last time we looked at it.
And Sofía Moreno is her sister, with the stage name ‘Sofía Surferss’, who has also achieved her own success on TikTok, where she accumulates 4.3 million followers, while on Instagram it already exceeds 1.2 million. His secret from her? Very short dance sequences, alone or accompanied, playbacks of popular songs, wearing various outfits, sometimes in the company of her sister, sometimes informal, sometimes in party attire, often in a bikini… which is very understandable. well these days of extraordinary heat.
Another of the guests, Isaac Belk, known as Ibelky on the networks, is also a successful content creator and, according to biographies circulating on the Internet, a partner of ‘LolaLolita’. He graduated in Law, he is fond of boxing, the son of a Moroccan father and a French mother, although he has lived his childhood in Valencia. He adds more than 6 million followers.
And although her biography tells us that she was born in Murcia, Fátima Cantó is based in Elx, like her twin children, whom her followers have seen grow up, between beauty tips, brief fashion shows or fleeting sequences of her vacations. In short, winners of the modern world who effectively manage communication tools
For UNESCO, the value of the Misteri resides in the fact that “it has been represented without interruption since the mid-15th century in the Basilica of Santa María and in the streets of the old city” and therefore “constitutes a living testimony of medieval European religious theater and devotion to the Virgin”. If it has survived until today, there is nothing to suggest that it cannot also attract TikTok users.
