Imagine some acts of the Patronal Festivities of La Orotava such as the Ascent of the Saint or the descent of the Pilgrimage without the presence of the Brotherhood of Farmers, which this year celebrates its 25th anniversary, would be impossible, given that much of the tradition in honor of San Isidro Labrador and Santa María de la Cabeza , are due to their work and commitment.
Despite the fact that it was formally established in 1998, many of its members have been guarding and watching over the patron saints for more than half a century. His work shines mostly during these dates but it takes place throughout the year and also includes a social part, which consists of planting some orchards that he left in use City hall on Camino La Cañada, near the Doña Chana cultural park, whose production goes to entities such as Cáritas.
On Saturday afternoon, after the traditional Livestock Exhibition, the figures of San Isidro Labrador and Santa María de la Cabeza, leave in procession from the Calvario Sanctuary to the Fairgrounds, on the shoulders of farmers dressed in typical costumes and carrying their sticks, meticulously decorated, accompanied by folk groups, and then return to the parish of La Concepción.
An act that in the past only included them and their families, the altar boys, and the priest, but that today has become an event almost as massive as others, although the intention is for it to be “more intimate”, confesses the president of the brotherhood, Goyo Jorge García.
Once they arrive at the parish, all the rods are left prepared in special supports for it. On Sunday, the members of the brotherhood enter the temple of La Concepción in procession dressed in typical clothing and after the Canarian mass, performed by the folkloric group Higa, from La Perdoma, they leave carrying the Saints along Calle Colegio in the direction of the Casa de los Balcones where they are arranged for the pilgrimage to begin. In the first place and by tradition, Santa María de la Cabeza does it and then, San Isidro.
Being part of the Brotherhood requires adherence to certain rules and commitments, such as conducting yourself appropriately and having a personal loyalty that translates into every ribbon, every wand, clothing, and a feeling for the holidays.
Carrying and dressing the rod correctly requires meticulous work and it is an art because the Saints carry them with them, without any other type of support, only with each person’s shoulder. Each rod also has the family ribbon, some with more than a hundred years, while there are rods that exceed 150. “It is a feeling of each farmer the care, cleanliness and decoration of the rod, that each family done in a different way”, explains Goyo.
It was in 2012, after the national meeting that took place in La Orotava, when the farmers understood that women had an invisible job but not for that reason without value, consisting of making clothes and decorating the poles, and at their request and After reviewing the statutes by the Bishopric, it was formed as a mixed brotherhood, currently made up of 50 women and 75 men.
It should be noted that many of them are from Santa Úrsula and specifically from the neighborhood of La Corujera, because they were the ones who initially formed it. The oldest member is Feliciano, who at 83 years old “continues to dress as a magician for Sunday mass and comes with his entire family from the neighboring municipality,” the president details.
The Brotherhood still has many to reveal. A fact that few know is that at the inauguration of the Basilica of Candelaria, in 1959, the transfer of the Patron Saint of the Canary Islands, “was guarded by the rods of the farmers of the Brotherhood due to a request made by the Candelaria City Council to the from La Orotava. They were taken from this last municipality by the Old Highway. There is only one person left who lived through that act and there is a very emotional photo in which he sees the farmers with their sticks”, Goyo emphasizes.
Commemoration of the anniversary
To commemorate this event, the Brotherhood will be accompanied by others from the Peninsula and previously, a book was presented in which its trajectory is collected, whose author is Pedro Hernández Murillo.
But its members do not hide that the best way to celebrate it would be with the Vatican’s canonical appointment of San Isidro Labrador and Santa María de la Cabeza as patron saints and protectors of La Orotava, although they already are in the opinion of all the villeros. An announcement that, they trust, will arrive today after the Solenme Eucharist of Corpus Christi.
How do you access the La Orotava Farmers Brotherhood?
There are two ways to enter the Brotherhood of La Orotava Farmers. One is from the age of 18, sponsored by two brothers who have been there for more than a decade and have been responsible for the person concerned for two years, who, if the third party behaved correctly, has the right to swear as a full-fledged brother. The other modality is by family tradition, that is, those children who are young and when they reach the age of majority, enter directly because they have always been part of
