They look great, the quality surprised me. It looks much better in person than in the photo. There are already some available in my store, I will gradually add more. I’m also trying to fix the web speed issue.
On December 6, 2025, the 96th edition of the Miss France pageant took place, a show that stands out above all other fashion competitions in the world for its brilliant staging, truly worthy of admiration and something many directors of other pageants should learn from. What makes it so exceptional is its themed dance performances, which I wrote about a few years ago when they staged an impressive flamenco show featuring a Spanish dancer. At Miss France, the contestants are constantly dancing.
In this latest edition, the inclusion of the National Guard band (le Garde républicaine) during the regional costume segment (in which each contestant represents a French region, including overseas territories) wearing designs that reflect the country’s cultural diversity, genuinely moved me, as the world of bands has a very personal significance for me. Anyone familiar with my reports will understand why this moment meant so much.
Three melodies were performed, the last of which was the official Miss France anthem, giving the whole sequence a truly epic atmosphere. It reminded me of what happened at the Miss Universe pageant just a few weeks earlier, where a live band also performed the official Miss Universe anthem during the evening gown segment.
Here is the full show at the link below. The band’s performance begins at 57:04:
425th anniversary of the first rules of the brotherhood of the Sweet Name of Jesus of Marchena
On October 26, 2024, an extraordinary departure was held celebrating the 425th anniversary of the first preserved book of rules, dated 1599, of the Dulce Nombre de Jesús brotherhood of Marchena. An outing that was spoiled by the rain, but that did not prevent us from enjoying the sweet child through the streets of Marchena.
The day before, a Ministriles concert was held in the parish, recreating what processional music was like at the time when the brotherhood was founded.
There was also a parade organised by the Dulce Nombre de Jesús Musical Band, which was also celebrating its anniversary. This impressive parade brought together more than 200 musicians from the Dulce Nombre band – including former members of the band – as well as other bands from the town such as the Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, and from other towns in the province such as Arahal, Morón de la Frontera, la Lantejuela, Áznalcollar…
I don’t have any photos or video of the extraordinary departure of the Dulce Nombre (because of the rain), but RTV Marchena together with Libetel TV made a fantastic live report:
The Dulce Nombre is a much loved figure in its village and well known in the rest of Spain for being very unique and characteristic. It represents a child Jesus already carrying the cross, as an allegory that since childhood he was predestined to die on the cross. It also represents the dreams that Jesus had as a child in which he dreamed of everything that would happen to him. The brotherhood, in fact, was founded by some children, who went out in procession with a cross, in the 16th century.
