The president of the Cabildo de La Palma, Mariano Hernández Zapata, inaugurates this Saturday with the reading of the proclamation the May Festivities of The Realejos. His election responds to being the highest authority of an island to which the municipality wants to pay a heartfelt tribute in the year of its recovery after the volcanic eruption, and to which the neighbors have given their help.
This was announced yesterday by the first deputy mayor. Adolfo González, who presented the festive programme, which this year brings back the mass events in the different squares and streets, such as the Pilgrimage, the Magicians’ Dance, the Livestock Fair, the Small Pilgrimage and the Festival of the Islands, for which There will be no controls or capacity limit. Nor for the Announcement Cavalcade, which will take place on Sunday, May 1 at 6:00 p.m. along the traditional route: El Sol, La Pila, El Medio streets, Viera y Clavijo square and Avenida de los Remedios.
González was accompanied by the councilor of Holidays, Jose David Cabreraand the parish priest of the main church of the Apostle Santiago, Ángelo Nardone, who opens this year at the head of the liturgical acts in the oldest Christian temple in Tenerife and in which the main devotional milestones of the Fiestas de May, such as the Cross, the image of San Isidro and Santa María de la Cabeza, and that of Our Lady of Remedies.
The program includes more than 70 cultural, sports and religious events that will last until Wednesday, June 1. Among them, the Festivity of the Holy Cross and the pyrotechnic display by El Sol and El Medio streets stand out on May 2 and 3, which hold the title of Festival of National Tourist Interest. Nearly 300 crosses will be decorated throughout the city, and more than 80 are concentrated in the center of La Cruz Santa, where the patios of many houses are visited by thousands of people.
On Saturday, May 7, the election gala for the Romera Mayor will be held, to which 14 candidates present themselves, and on May 8, the Canarian festival ‘Los realejeros cantan a su pueblo’. On May 21 there will be the dance of magicians and seven days later, on Sunday 29, the Pilgrimage of San Isidro Labrador.
Countdown for the May Festivities of Los Realejos
“In just a few days all eyes will be on Los Realejos. We are already in our symbolic countdown and once again we will do everything within our reach to reinforce the tourist promotion of the municipality, with gastronomic actions that bear the seal of the town and the presence of a delegation of journalists from different parts of the world. to continue working on the long-awaited qualitative leap of this particular celebration to a Festival of International Tourist Interest, whose real protagonists are the realejeros and realejeras”, González stressed.
For his part, José David Cabrera detailed some novelties this year such as one more stage -four in total- that will be located on Doctor González Street for the Magicians’ Ball. The request and registration of tables opens this Friday from 09:00 to 13:00.
Regarding the Pilgrimage, the councilor confirmed that this year there will be a limit of 100 floats -which usually ranges between 85 and 95- to participate in the Pilgrimage “to be clear about the parameters of coordination and security”.
The final touch of the celebrations will be the reissue of the multidisciplinary show to exalt the festivities ‘Sentimos Mayo’, which will take place on June 1.
A traditional Canarian patio as a presentation setting
The place chosen to present the festive events, which this year return to normality, was a cozy and traditional Canarian patio, a hallmark of the May Realejero, which is open to residents and visitors. In this case, it was the house of Begoña and Sebastián, located at number 20 Calle El Medio.
