After the Christmas hangover, Arona is preparing to celebrate the Patron Saint Festivities in Honor of San Antonio Abad, being one of the municipalities that inaugurate the time of pilgrimages in Tenerife, in particular, in the South Region. The Casco de Arona is already being decorated to receive a devotion that has more than 400 years of history.
It will be the hoisting of the flag of Arona, on Thursday 12 at 12 noon, in the historic Cruz de San Antonio, which officially announces the start of the festivities.
A day later, on Friday, January 13, at 9:00 p.m., the dance of the magicians will take place in honor of San Antonio Abad in the Plaza del Santísimo Cristo de la Salud, which will be animated by different municipal folkloric groups and guests, and in which will be essential to wear traditional costume and bring food to share.
On Saturday 14, starting at 8:00 p.m., the XVI Verodal Festival will take place, also in the Plaza del Cristo de la Salud, by the folk group Hai Que Roelo from Galicia, requested by Manuel Estupiñan, Lola Hernández and Besay Pérez, and Verodal Cultural Association. At the end, the Wamampy and Tropin orchestras will entertain the first great dance of these traditional festivities.
The high point of this festivity, as every year, will be the pilgrimage on Sunday, January 15, for which the Fiesta Area, directed by the councilor Raquel García, makes a free transport service available to residents and tourists. For this there will be two points of departure and arrival, located on Avenida Juan Carlos I in Los Cristianos, in front of the Infanta Leonor Auditorium, and in Playa de las Américas on Avenida Noelia Afonso García, in front of the Central Zenter hotel. The departures will take place at 10:00, 11:00 and 12:00, while the return will take place at 16:00, 17:00 and 18:00.
On January 15, it will begin at 10:00 a.m. with the opening of the craft exhibition. At 11:00 a.m., the Holy Mass sung by the Parranda Chasnera (11:00 a.m.) will be celebrated in the San Antonio Abad parish, to give way to the pilgrimage festival, with performances by different municipal and invited folkloric groups, which will tour the streets El Calvario, Domínguez Alfonso, La Luna and Duque de la Torre to end the traditional blessing of animals. And at 3:30 p.m., the second festival of this edition enlivened by the Wamampy and Los Ideales orchestras.
The smallest of the municipality will be the protagonists in the program of the festivities on Monday 16 in the Plaza del Santísimo Cristo de la Salud. At 4:00 p.m. there will be workshops and exhibitions of traditional games and sports, and from 6:00 p.m., Children’s performances will take place in honor of San Antonio Abad, with different groups and students of folklore from the municipality and guests, entertained by Güicho Estévez.
The Patron Saint Festivities in Honor of San Antonio Abad will end on Tuesday the 17th with the Solemn Mass and procession to the Cruz de San Antonio and subsequent return to the Temple, accompanied by the Arona Music Band. Later, there will be chocolate and the evening will end with fireworks.
The mayor of Arona, José Julián Mena, has encouraged “the residents of the rest of the municipality and the island, as well as tourists, to visit Arona during its patron saint festivities and discover the beauty and cultural and architectural value of a town that it is an Asset of Cultural Interest, and that allow us all to rediscover our roots and traditions. The devotion to San Antonio Abad is strongly rooted among the aroneros and it is a celebration that in our municipality sinks its roots four centuries ago.
For her part, the Councilor for Fiestas, Raquel García, stressed “this year, after two years without being able to celebrate these festivities normally, we have a complete program of events, both religious and popular. In addition, we have provided free transport for the day of the pilgrimage with the aim of facilitating the influx of residents of the coastal area of the municipality, and of tourists, so that they can get to know the Casco and our mediocrities”.
