El Cencerro, one of the historic groups of the Colla del Caracol of Lleida, was born in 1981 and adopted its current name in 1986 after the merger of several groups promoted within the festive collective. The group currently brings together about 150 members and maintains a family structure in which three generations coexist.
The group's trajectory reflects a paradox that is unusual in popular organizations. The merger that gave it more continuity also led to the disappearance of previous names, including Santa Marta Hostalera, the initial name of the group, which was absorbed in that reorganization process.
The 1986 mergers strengthened the group and erased its initial name
The group was founded in 1981 and was renamed El Cencerro five years later, when several groups joined following the recommendations of Fecoll. Paco Castillo, promoter of the group, places the moment when the organization consolidated its continuity within the Lleida festival there.
"These mergers gave us more strength and allowed us to keep the tradition alive, although they led to the disappearance of other groups like Santa Marta Hostalera, which was the initial name of ours" - Paco Castillo, promoter of the group
The origin of the group dates back to the gastronomic competitions of the late 70s in Plaza Magdalena in Lleida. In that space, paella and typical Ponent dishes competitions were held with municipal support, in an atmosphere that served as the basis for the later organization of the colles.
In the 1980s, coinciding with the initiative of La Orden del Caracol to promote gatherings around snails, the first colla was formed in El Xoperal, next to the river. From that context also came the consolidation of groups like El Cencerro within a tradition that was taking stable shape.
The sound of the fields gave its name to a colla with 150 members
The name of the group comes from the sound of the cowbells that were heard when collecting snails in the fields of Lleida. That reference to the rural environment became fixed as the group's identity when it adopted its definitive name.
Currently, the colla brings together about 150 people. Paco Castillo, 79, explains that the group's continuity has been supported by a family structure that has passed from parents to children and grandchildren.
"I started, then my wife and my children joined, and now it's my son Daniel and my granddaughters Arán and Eris. They are the third generation, and like us, many other families" - Paco Castillo, promoter of the club
The current president, Núria Estruga, frames that continuity in the generational handover within the same entity. Her message emphasizes the domestic transmission of a tradition that the club has maintained for more than four decades in Lleida.
Núria Estruga, current president of El Cencerro, summarizes that continuity in a phrase that places the family handover at the center of the club: "We continue to pass on the passion for snails from parents to children and grandchildren."