Thousands of faithful make more than five blocks in line on the sidewalks of the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Liniers to enter the Sanctuary of San Cayetano, patron saint of workers.
With folding chairs, ponchos, conservatories and baby strollers, the crowd was organized in a line on Bynnon Street arranged in small family groups, co-workers or even faithful who are known to have participated in previous editions of this religious celebration.
A group of boy scouts distributed mate cocido and fried cake among the parishioners, while on the stage set up in front of the sanctuary different musical groups animated the night with religious and folkloric repertoires.
Next to the stage, the organized corridors begin with fences that separate the rows of the promisers, the so-called “slow row” of those who stop in front of the image of the saint, and the row of the faithful who greet the image without stopping, or “quick queue”
At the beginning of the “slow line” is Daniela, a resident of the Buenos Aires town of Ciudadela who arrived on Friday afternoon, but who is part of a group of faithful who since April have rotated to stand in line at the 106 terminal entrance.
Daniela affirmed in dialogue with Télam: “I have been coming to thank San Cayetano for many years and in line we got to know people who also came every year from different places, that’s how we organized ourselves and around April we started to line up at the 106 terminal where we take turns”.
“The faithful who do this know each other from seeing each other every year and in addition to sharing the faith we also celebrate each meeting”he added.
Raúl, an industrial worker from Corrientes, told Télam: “I have been coming to thank the saint for more than thirty years; I have lived in Caballito for a long time, but at first I came from Corrientes.”
His wife, María del Carmen, told Télam: “I’ve always been here for 32 years to thank you, but this one is very special because the retirement paperwork came out for me and I feel that this time it’s to thank you for my entire working life.”
Susana, who walked the line offering ears of wheat with the San Cayetano stamp for 200 pesos, told this agency that “it is good to see so many people again after the pandemic, we are still not selling much because it is early and most of The people who are in the first part of the rows are promisers who come from their houses with the spikes and the stamps”.
The commercial santerías located in front of the sanctuary remained open offering images of San Cayetano made of plaster with prices starting at 1,200 pesos or candles of different sizes.
In addition, the sanitary operation arranged chemical toilets in different corners and an AySA truck offered drinking water to the faithful.
