On July 25 the “Kutxa” (a special chest) will turn and turn opposite to the Brotherhood of the Fishermen of Hondarribia, and as the tradition counts of it there will depend the catch of the next season fishing. The ceremony commemorates the capture of possession of the charges of San Pedro’s Confraternity of Sea founded on the 14th century. The first references written of this celebration date back of the year 1715, of the most former account book of San Pedro’s Confraternity of Sea that remains today. Certainly, there were books of previous accounts, but these got lost after the plunderibng carried out by the French army in the Parochial Church, when this one took the city in the year 1793. The accounts of the confraternity are precisely what gives sense to the traditional parade that is celebrated in the day of Santiago. After the renovation of charges the day of San Pedro, July 25 was the day to do the transfer of power between the salient leaders and the inlets.
The Kutxa is the box of wood in which the relics of the confraternity of arrantzales are kept: the chalice with which the High Mass was serviced in the day of San Pedro, “vinajeras”(vinegar containers) of silver, a cross of silver, the papal bulla granted to the confraternity by Clemente VIII in the year 1595 and the books of accounts and minutes of the arrantzales. The maximum agent chief executive, the Abbot Mayor, was saving in his house the box with the relics and the books of the confraternity.
In the celebration which begins on 6 p.m., there takes place a procession presided by a young woman dressed with an elegant garment and the traditional shawl of Manila and she carries on the head the Kutxa. At this time she will depart the procession from San Pedro’s Confraternity of Sea towards the parochial church of Our Lady of the Asuncion and of the Manzano. It will be headed by the Band of music, which will be the one that marks the pace of the parade to the sound of Okendo’s march. After there will place the protagonist, the carrier of the Kutxa, covered and surrounded with twelve young rowers and with the authorities. There will close the courtship the bosses of Hondarribia’s fleet. Already in the church one will give reading to the annual Balance. After this act, the documents will return to the Kutxa and, once again, the procession will be started. From the church they will return to the Confraternity.
It is the moment most waited by the locals when the young woman, placed in the center of an arch that the arrantzales (fishermen) form with their oars, to the pace of the music interpreted by the Band she star spinning around on herself with the kutxa in the head. She will have to give as many turns as she could, since, according to the tradition, on the number of times that she spins herself there will depend the success of the catch of this year. The people observes expectantly the young woman and encourages her with their applauses.
In spite of the fact that the charges of the confraternity already are not renewed every year, but every four, every day of San Pedro carries out the procession up to the church and every July 25, recalling the former transfer of power, there is renewed the tradition of the Delivery of the Kutxa.
