The Ministry of Culture and Sports initiated the registration procedure in the general catalog of the historical heritage of Andalusia (CGPHA), as well as of cultural interest (BIC), with the typology of the activity of ethnological interest, Cantos de Aurora de Priego de Córdoba, An oral and musical manifestation of popular nature with extraordinary literary, musical, historical identity values – what is it? Intangible expression of popular religiosity and a living heritage.
The dawn songs are a musical tradition maintained by the Aurora brothers – commonly known as «Auroros de Priego», belonging to the venerable brotherhood of the Virgin Mary of Aurora and San Nicasio, who every Saturday night travel through different streets of the city singing songs to the Virgin of Aurora. They also participate in the procession in honor of the Virgin of Aurora, held on the second Sunday of September.
This group, composed of approximately twenty Campanilleros brothers, are celebrities in songs of collective devotion in a paraliturgical setting dedicated to the Virgin performed by Rondalla Instruments under the sound of the bells. Therefore, the band of bands is called Campanilleros. In Priego, there is a registry of over 300 documents, of great literary quality and composed by different authors, many of them anonymous between the 17th and 20th centuries.
Most of these songs praise and pray to the Virgin at dawn, but the themes can also refer to theological, moral, or liturgical concepts (Christmas, passion, Eucharist), human issues (such as family, illness, or death), Saints, devotions, hell and demons, atmospheric phenomena, and strictly local popular episodes.
From a musical standpoint, the song «Auroros» of Priego has exceptional value as a testimony of the melodic variations of the old rosary pairs, rooted in the 17th century. The sung song is composed of four vocal melodic phrases.
These songs, protected under the Good cultural interest figure – the highest heritage protection figure – are one of the main elements of collective identification in Priego, regardless of the symbolic identifications that the population combines, especially devotions.
The Aurora brothers of Priego are one of the most important bell groups in the province of Córdoba, a testimony of the tradition of the old public rosary pairs that appeared in the 17th century, spread throughout the Andalusian geography. This demonstration of popular religiosity is deeply rooted in the southern part of the province of Córdoba, where groups of bell ringers still survive singing the rosary pairs or the dawn rosary.
As movable property related to this activity, those directly related to the practices of the Aurora brothers will be protected in their ritual contexts, especially the Saturday round and the festivities of the Virgin. Therefore, the objects will be protected for their symbolic and practical value such as Size of the Virgin of Aurora work by José de Mora, from 1706, Collection of brotherhood lanterns and Collection of tools.