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Dressed
in gray coat and hat and then uniformed military aspect, the serene
figure appeared back in 1765 in Madrid as a lamplighter responsible for
maintaining street lighting at night. It is toward 1797 when he was charged with public safety and functions differ lamplighter and serene.Arming the pike (1), flashlight and key ring of the portals of the streets in their custody, the law enforcement officer disappeared veiled by the tranquility of the neighborhood at night, knew and was known by all the neighbors, that first helped not only in case of forgotten or misplaced keys, but as confident and alert in case of trouble (fire, theft or emergency).
The serene owes its name to the fact that he was singing the hour (o'clock, half and quarter) and the time was: "The 5 and raining" ... "6 and serene" ... This being the most frequent chant, (little desire to sing and move around those streets would be if the weather was inclement) came to become the name of their profession. (Learn more about the craft)
Well, the night watchman was called and he responded by slapping alerted of an emergency or a loud whistle blows as a referee on the field. But there was so much liked to whistle in the end failed to signify danger and were not heeded.
Hence, this ruling now means neglected, undervalued, ignored something or someone.
. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -.(1). - Pike: 1. m. Palo armed with an iron spike, used for defense and offense.-. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -.
Many samples of these characters in all those sketches, operettas or novels that recreate the old Madrid (Carlos Galdos or Arniches). Advising latest book: "In the evening on the back" of Manuel Ferrand. Planet Award 1968.
A guard and a serene, forced to stay awake at night, share experiences in those long hours.