Under the scorching sun of a glorious May Sunday, Ugo emerges from the men's bathroom at Villa Pacis school, hurrying along and cradling with his muscular arms a stick loaded with 15 goldfish. We can't get too close—the smell might damage the microphone and all the equipment—but we can tell you with certainty that those fish will soon be bringing joy to quite a few people.
Inside the bathroom, we find Nanni bent over a bucket, carefully placing a beautiful, plump goldfish into a small bag filled with water, then handing it to Eleonor, who will soon follow Ugo's lead.
Outside, about a dozen people are tacking up signs with directions and advertisements, ready to welcome the 300 visitors who will gradually stream into this enormous garden. It's been cleverly divided into two sections: the first, at the entrance, features six wonderful games that make a small amusement park, and the second, separated by a gate, contains flea market stalls—a modest sale of ordinary and unusual items, some used and some made just for the occasion, like the numerous bracelets and necklaces a few people had crafted.
The amusement park is splendid, with six games, each more fun than the last, all beautifully set up and decorated with magnificent signs urging people to join in.
Standing out are two "Formula One" booths—three caricatures of prominent figures set up as targets to hit with darts; the sponge game; and the fish you can win... All of this under dark clouds that threatened rain from above.
Meanwhile, we see more people busy arranging coats, robes, dresses, suits, and jackets, along with bracelets, necklaces, and pins.
The highlight of this Spring Festival (that's what they're calling it) comes at one o'clock, when everyone gathers in the upper part of the park for lunch. A lovely picnic accompanied by guitar songs and considerable thirst—quickly satisfied by a group offering glasses of orange juice.
The afternoon closes with a deeply felt Mass, during which Maurizio and Giorgina made their first communion. As this beautiful celebration ended, people left carrying perhaps something more in their hearts—and in their car trunks!
Throughout the day we conducted several interviews. Some saw the festival's success in financial terms; others stressed the fun and entertainment; still others spoke of it as a wonderful gathering infused with love and unity.
The festival brought together not only people who regularly attend Faith and Light meetings, but also young people and adults experiencing this community for the first time—and most left satisfied.
In the end, the interviews show that this year's Spring Festival surpassed last year's in both organization (thanks especially to the new games) and attendance. It may have slightly disappointed some with the prices at the market stalls, though it's worth noting that prices couldn't stay the same as last year for obvious reasons.
Oh, almost forgot! Two stands were especially popular and a huge hit: the first sold delicious crêpes, run by the Little Sisters, which sold out fast (and that was 12 kilos of batter!). The second was Pierre's hot dog stand—those disappeared just as quickly!
Antonio and Nanni, 1978