Rouna Crew was founded alongside the renewed San Roque Festivities in 1959. During that first year it already had its own headquarters, although it had no brass band (only a drum). That is why, although the other founding and sister crew (Euqor) likes to claim an extra year over us, we have already celebrated 55 San Roque festivals and are looking forward to the next one.
Rouna has a woman's name, not—as later legend would have it—because it was the name of the dog that licked the wounds of Saint Roch (although legends deserve to be kept alive), but because of love. And that would not be such a bad legend either, were it not actually true.
Our animal instinct, the slogan of our 55th anniversary, explains why the dog of Saint Roch (let us continue to call her Rouna for the sake of tradition) has appeared on our emblem from the very beginning, while a cow wearing a polka-dot bikini has danced across our banner ever since 1959.
The men's uniform has changed very little: the white beret has disappeared, but the black shirt with white stitching and the white trousers remain (although these have followed the fashions of each era, from drainpipe trousers to flares, leggings and overalls). The women's uniform has evolved more for reasons of comfort: the same shirt replaced the short-sleeved blouse trimmed in white, while the pleated skirt gave way to white trousers, although it is still common to see some female crew members wearing the vintage uniform. In both cases, a white neckerchief completes the outfit.
Two festive traditions distinguish Rouna Crew: live rock music, which has always been the soundtrack of our headquarters, and our brass band. For many years it was undoubtedly the best; when it was not, it was the largest. On the two occasions when it was neither, it was certainly the most original. And, more often than not, it managed to be all of those things at once.
Like all the San Roque crews, Rouna has experienced ups and downs in membership. From the small group of friends who founded it in 1959, through the more than two thousand members of the 1980s, to the well over five hundred of recent years, each new generation has successfully taken over from the previous one. Today, Rouna includes retired founding members who travel from as far away as Peru, alongside granddaughters only a few days old (because, just like supporting a football club, being part of Rouna comes from the heart). Nowadays, however, the majority are young people who prefer something different from electronic dance music and the same old groups of friends.
Rouna has published an annual newspaper (Rouna Express), several DVDs of photographs and videos and, above all, historical documentation about the festivities, including two books on the San Roque Festivities of Calatayud. It has also been a theatre group, a cultural association, and even has its own anthem composed by Maestro Estarelles.
And we will continue writing the chronicles of San Roque in Black and White for many years to come.
Group photographs through the years
