Tegueste did not live this Sunday, April 24, 2022 a massive Pilgrimage of San Marcosbut the patron’s procession, the exhibition of cars and carts and the return of Dance of the Flowersfolklore, food, wine and street vendors allowed thousands of people to rediscover, two years later, the traditions of this municipality on the street and without too many masks. It was not a Sunday with large crowds, but some older people enjoyed a more familiar image that reminded them of those village parties they experienced as children. The boats once again ply the streets and visitors were also able to take a closer look the art and work that adorn the Teguester carts.
Despite the large number of cars parked on all the roads and car parks around the town center Teguestein the square you could sit comfortably to watch the Saint Markwith the two groups of the Danza de las Flores opening the procession, guiding the saint and keeping alive and with a future a tradition that dates back to the 16th century. Carmen Gonzalez Mendoza explained proudly before going out to dance that this five-century tradition He has been a part of his family’s life for a long time. over a hundred years: “I am from the drummer family and my great-great-grandfather was in charge of the Dance of the Flowers. Coming back today is like starting over and it will be a very nice thing for us.”
Many teguesteros took to the streets dressed in their traditional costumes to enjoy an unusual day, so different from so many pilgrimages. This is the case of Roberto, Eduardo, Amalia and Silvia. Between the four of them they completed a sentence that well sums up the feeling of the Teguesteros this Sunday: “It has nothing to do with the usual”, “but the important thing is to keep moving forward” because in the municipality “even if it is a procession without a pilgrimage”, ” there is desire to pilgrimage”. The stall, even if it was inside the houses, was not lacking either. “The brazier has to be lit yes or yes” and “with the wine, things will liven up little by little”, they acknowledged. Among the advantages of a strange day, “well, the truth is that it is rare that we are like this in the square at this time, in a normal pilgrimage it would be impossible to get here to see the saint come out,” explained Silvia.
Although there was looking forward to Pilgrimage of San Marcosthe teguesteros recognize that they lacked time to organize it and it would have been a risk to rush. Taking care of the tradition requires time and it would not have been possible to have too many carts, since in Tegueste they are authentic works of art, made by hand, that require months of work. They are not carts that are decorated with four palm leaves to get out of trouble.
To the rhythm of the drum and the bells, Saint Mark took to the streetsaccompanied by the Dance of the Flowers, the municipal corporation, hundreds of neighbors and the four boats pulled by teams from this landlocked municipality. Are the ships of Pedro Álvarez, San Luis, Tegueste and El Socorro, watchword of these festivities, which with their cart wheels and candles offer a unique image. The best preview of the pilgrimage that is to come in 2023.
Five centuries of the Dance of the Flowers
The adult and children’s groups of the Danza de las Flores de Tegueste were in charge of opening the procession of San Marcos, to the rhythm of the drum and the castanets. This tradition, with more than five centuries of history, is characterized by the fact that instead of ribbons, the dancers here carry rigid poles, profusely adorned with flowers and bows, attached to the central pole that one of the participants supports throughout the entire journey. The dance consists of fast movements and crossings of the dancers, always to the rhythm of tajaraste. The central pole, about three meters high and painted white, bears a large plume of flowers at the top as a crown. This Sunday, April 24, 2022, there were six dancers in each of the two groups, all dressed in white shirts and pants and hats with plumes of feathers and flowers, with long colored ribbons on the back and, on the back, two wide bands of silk of different colors, knotted and hanging down the sides.
The procession was found in the surroundings of the square with the exposure of five cars and nine cartsa moment in which it was possible to enjoy a kind of static pilgrimagein which the groups and families that are in charge of each car and cart shared food and wine with many of those present, attracted by the pleasure of closely contemplating the enormous work of the cart artisans. They look great from afar, but they are impressive up close.. On the sides, authentic works of art, paintings made grain by grain with natural seeds without dyeing. Months of work that each year look for new reasons.
The Chinijo cart It is a good example of that great craftsmanship, a tribute to the youngest members of the family, with images of great beauty of children playing with a guindadera, spinning tops or bowling alleys. All crowned by a huge slingshot about two meters long. Angel Palmero explains that this decoration is made with raw seeds, some toasted, but in the most natural way possible, “to preserve this authentic emblem of Tegueste.”
Next to La Placeta, the Tesegue cart, which was able to get out after a great last-minute effort, according to Juan and Miguel. In his case, he pays homage to the island of La Gomera with panels dedicated to the whistle and the gastronomy of the Colombian island. Crowned by a huge bottle of gomerón and jars of palm honey, almogrote and cookies. EITHER The Currillos carta spectacular tribute to the carillon and the bell tower of the Parish of San Marcos.
The old La Padilla car, restored in 2006, returned to the pilgrimage in 2007 and bears the name of its neighborhood for the holidays. What the cart Pedro Alvarez, which changes shape every year and in this 2022 is a huge hand basket, almost five meters high and 2.60 meters in diameter. An artisan work that began in February. Javier Padilla He is the coordinator of this cart and this Sunday he recognized that it was a bit difficult to celebrate the festival in honor of San Marcos without a pilgrimage: «It is not what we like or what we would like, but it is what it is and we have to enjoy it. It is what we have had to live and here we are ». Close, the cart El Gamonalon the 50th anniversary of Lo Divino, and with a choral tribute: to the elderly, to life, to La Palma, to the pilgrimages experienced at home and Dona Anita Bravo.
The Teófilo Pérez school also pulled out its cart dedicated to sustainability and recycling, next to the La Pedrera cart and the La Gorgolana cartarriving from the Las Canteras area, conceived this year as a tribute to the Canarian flora and crowned by a giant fern, which seemed to float in the air.
Pedro Santana’s family took out their The Cantillo car with the desire and need to “take care of ourselves and enjoy the festivities”, with our sights set on 2023 and the return, at last, of the usual pilgrimage. Very close the carts La Canocha and La Peñathe latter dedicated to The Palmwith a fufo horse Mugcut at the top and some sides full with hundreds of rapaduras. A job that he occupied for months with a group of ten people.
At the end of the tour, The mill carof the collective of ranchers of Villa de Tegueste (avocado), where Jesus Marrero shared glasses of wine and black pig meat on a different day, but happy to see even closer the return of the authentic Pilgrimage of San Marcos. A party capable of bringing together more than 50,000 people until 2019, but focused on maintaining its essence and authenticity with its four boats, its five old cars and, usually, between 22 and 23 carts decorated with panels made with natural seeds.
