Up to 270 people participated last Saturday, 18th December, in the Christmas gymkhana organised by the Youth Department of Mijas Town Hall. It was an afternoon of trials and challenges against the clock which attracted the interest of numerous children, young people and families. And the fact is that, after having been held 'online' last year, El Navidando 2021 returned to take place in person with more enthusiasm than ever. "We are happy because we have seen that tide of red beanies running through the streets, in this case, of Las Lagunas, one more time. It is an activity that grows a little more each edition. This year, we have approached 300 players, which shows the good reception of this event, already a classic in the Mijas Christmas calendar," said Mayor Josele González (PSOE), who was responsible for giving the starting signal to the groups in Fernán Caballero Park.
The dynamics of the game of 'El Navidando' seemed simple, although some thought otherwise. Always accompanied by their mobile phones, the participants had just two hours to solve questions and riddles in different locations in Las Lagunas. "We have actors and actresses at these locations who offer clues to the participants in exchange for tests, such as singing a carol, although the ideal is for the players to solve the riddles the first time, so as not to subtract points'', explained Manolo Albarracín, coordinator of the activity.
As well as playing and thinking, the participants did a lot of sport on Saturday afternoon, walking around in different neighbourhoods in Las Lagunas . "Among other tests, we went to Doña Ermita, then to the ball roundabout and then to the Las Lagunas Theatre, where we had to recite a poem," said little Alejandra Aguilera.
The Councillor for Youth, Tamara Vera (PSOE), also witnessed the development of the activity at all times. "It is very nice to see entire families playing in this gymkhana, we have even seen grandparents accompanying their grandchildren to spend an afternoon of entertainment," said the Councillor, who also thanked "the great work being done by the volunteers of Civil Protection Mijas, being aware of each test.
Little by little, the groups returned to the starting point, completing the first phase of the gymkhana and receiving a well-deserved reward, churros with chocolate. "At the beginning it was a bit difficult to get into the rhythm and understand the dynamics, but then it was more entertaining", said Pepi Díaz, while María Rodríguez, another participant in the same group, was very enthusiastic about "winning a motorbike, although I'll give it to my brother".
Prizes
Only the seven groups with the best scores went on to the final phase, for which different tests were prepared. From the traditional games of the chair and limbo, to a round of trick questions or the well-known yenga. Finally, a large tower of wooden pieces gave the victory to Javier Moreno, who was awarded the desired motorbike as a prize. "I'm very surprised because I didn't expect to win. Just this morning, I found out about the activity and decided to sign up to have a good time. The key was to think carefully about the answers without using the clues given to us by the characters," he said.
The second prize, a tablet, went to José Cuevas. There were also gifts for the three finalist teams. In third place, the group Hostia Patxi, won shopping vouchers at a video game shop. The members of the second finalist team, Zeus, received 'gamers' helmets and the members of the first team, Stars, will be able to enjoy a weekend in a rural house. For the rest of the participants, the Youth Department raffled different consolation prizes, the best of which was a video game console.
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