The bishop of TenerifeBernardo Alvarez, warned this Thursday in candlemas about what “The devil is constantly tempting us.” This was manifested in the homily of the central Eucharistic celebration of the Feast of the Virgin of Candelaria. “You and I are constantly tempted by the spirit of evil and it drags us to do not the will of God, but our whims, desires, tastes…”lamented the nivariense prelate.
Álvarez made an intervention in which he indicated that the “key word” of the celebration was “salvation”. He later asked: “What do we need to be saved from?” And he paid attention to what he called “diseases of the soul.” Specifically, he referred to the “confrontations, conflicts, family divisions, abuse of people, ill-treatment, crimes…”. And he linked all this with the devil, and later defended the option of going through life “doing good.”
It was expressed in those terms in a Basilica of Candelaria packed and before a large representation of public institutions. And it is that this February 2 marked the reunion of Villa Mariana with the celebration of this festivity in all its splendor once the limitations derived from the pandemic were removed.
Pilgrims who came walking, running or cycling; people who sold various things in the vicinity of the temple (tiles of the Virgin, lottery, almanacs…); nougat stalls, artisan pastries from Moya and even Fuerteventura cheeses, or a notable queue at a betting establishment located next to the square. All were indicators of the festive day that Candelaria lived, which became, as usual in these cases, a social melting pot.
dozens of authorities
At 11:30 a.m., the civic procession departed from the town hall to the Basilicas next to the Villa Mariana banner. Dozens of local, island and regional authorities joined the parade. They were among them, and among others, the president of the Council of TenerifePedro Martín, and that of Parliament of the Canary Islands, Gustavo Matos; the sub-delegate of the Government, Jesús Javier Plata, and the general in charge of the Command of Canary IslandsJulio Solomon.
The Las Candelas Music Band, as well as representatives of the local police of Santa Cruz and Candelaria in gala dress, were in a procession that gave way to the Eucharist presided over by the bishop and in which the musical note was put by the Orfeon La Paz from La Laguna, who turned 105 this Thursday. In addition to his warnings about the devil, Álvarez also asked that God’s word be fulfilled. “We can do many acts of worship, but if we do not obey God’s will, religion is empty,” he maintained.
The religious explained at another point in the homily that the candle that the Virgin of Candelaria carries in her hand is due to the fact that the baby Jesus that she holds in the other is “the light of the world.” And he continued in the same line: “Christ is the light that comes to illuminate our lives.”
An hour and a half after the beginning of the mass it was time for the procession. As is traditional, the Morenita went out into the street on her throne and he toured the square to cheers and applause, before returning to his basilica again. “The truth is that these festivities continue to be great days for Candelaria and we live it with great enthusiasm,” celebrated the mayor of Candelaria, María Concepción Brito. “We started after the restrictions last August and this is the first party, after these difficult years, and it could not have been better,” said the local councilor when taking stock of the festivities.
Mary Britto, As the highest municipal official is known, she expressed that in Villa Mariana they are “very grateful for all the people who have moved here to Candelaria to experience these two great days.” And she added: “And we will also experience it for sure tomorrow and the weekend, because there are already thousands of people who visit Candelaria every weekend.”
One of those visitors was Louise of the Rose, 67 years old and a resident of the North of the Island, and who this Thursday decided to experience a different day in Candelaria. “I told my son to bring me because he wanted to come and because, if not, one spends all day at home watching TV and does nothing, and the truth is that it is much better here,” he said. «The truth is that I did not expect so many people. Always in summer, in August, is when more people come walking, but today it is full, “she said.
From Garachico to Taco
You could say that The entire island was present this Thursday in Candelaria. It was enough to ask some visitors to find sources of all kinds. There were those who came from closer, from southern municipalities such as Arafo or Fasnia; others from the South more far, like Arona, and it wasn’t hard to find someone from Garachico or La Orotava either. It goes without saying the high presence of residents of the Metropolitan Area and, in a particular way, from areas such as Ofra or Taco. This is the case of Toño Díaz, 42, who came walking from the area of Calzados El Número. «We came to the blow, well, calm down, neither too fast nor too slow, “he explained about the tour he took with several friends. As he recalled, on other occasions and especially at summer festivals, he has dared to join a group that walks from the municipality of Puerto de la Cruz and through the Dorsal Mountain Range. “We had a great time, although there are many kilometers,” he said.
Another testimony was that of Carmen, from the lagoon neighborhood of El Coromoto. “I always came before everything about the pandemic happened and, after the situation normalized, I came last summer and I also decided to come today,” he said. “The truth is that I do not do it for any particular promise, but by tradition, because one has always come and also has faith,” said this resident of La Laguna.