Applause throughout the day, a “let’s go guys” and displays of encouragement of all kinds were what they received yesterday, and on Tuesday, the carpet makers who made the great tapestry from the Town Hall Square of La Orotava. A show of unconditional and spontaneous affection from the public to help them overcome the damage caused by the rain on both sides on Monday, a 45-day job that has been impossible to recover.
The support became more intense yesterday, when there were a few hours left for the sun to disappear and the time to put an end to the great work of ephemeral art was approaching, which today will be enjoyed by the thousands of people who come to the Villa to celebrate the Infraoctave of Corpus Christi, one of the most anticipated days of the Major Festivals.
Wrapped up at all times, some could not help crying, but they never stopped working and strove so that the large 950-square-meter carpet made from natural sand from the Teide National Park shines today in all its splendor before the passage ceremony of the Procession of the Blessed Sacrament.
Under the direction of Domingo González Expósito, the members of the Artearena collective focused on the central tapestry, formed by a large triangle with the image of the tabernacle of the church of La Concepción, neoclassical in style and built in marble, which is celebrating its 200th anniversary . It could be done as planned, with a flower design on the edges and in the center the words “La Orotava”, “Noble and loyal Villa” and “Corpus Christi 2023”, while on the sides they opted for light colors and they recovered some figures, detailed the Councilor for Fiestas, Alexis Pacheco.
On the outside they decided to remove borders, a space that was covered with heather. A large part of this work was carried out by 15 members of the School of Carpet Makers, connoisseurs of this art, who came to lend a hand and there were more people who wanted to join but there was not enough space to be able to do it comfortably and without the risk of affecting the environment. drawing. Finally, between heather, earth and other elements, the exteriors of the Plaza del Ayuntamiento were covered and the damage has been minimized.
This year’s design had a religious character and, therefore, one of the side tapestries (the one on the right) included the image of Mary Help of Christians after her recent canonical coronation, with a background of the sky made with the colors of the arch. iris remembering diversity and inclusion. In the one on the left, the image of San Isidro was projected for which it was hoped to obtain recognition from the Vatican of his official appointment as patron saint of La Orotava. A wish that could not be fulfilled despite the fact that many villeros already consider it that way.
The municipality lives today the big day of its festivities in honor of Corpus Christi, San Isidro Labrador and Santa María de la Cabeza. The main streets of the historic center are filled with visitors who come from all over the island to admire the 35 tapestries and flower walks that different groups, associations and families make from early in the morning.
A tradition to brag about
A tradition that dates back to 1847 and of which La Orotava can boast since they differentiate the municipality from any other in Tenerife and the Canary Islands.
It goes back to the year 1847, when the first sketch was known, although the first documentary sources mention the years 1846 and even 1844 as the beginning. The initiative came from Leonor del Castillo y Betancourt, a native of Gran Canaria and daughter of the Counts of Vega Grande. That year, when the celebration of this festivity had declined, she had the initiative of reproducing a carpet of flowers in front of her house on Colegio street to give greater prominence to the Corpus orotavense procession.
The Major Festivals of 2023 will be impossible to forget for the inhabitants of the Villa and especially for the carpet makers of the Artearena collective, who between tears and applause and despite the rain, managed, for another year, to make the best tapestry for Corpus Christi .
