candlemas lived yesterday the great day of the festivities of the Patron saint of the Canary Islands and it did so with less heat than on previous dates thanks to a sea breeze that came to salt the very image of the Virgin when this procession through the square, together with the nine guanche menceyesafter the Eucharist of Bishop Bernardo Álvarez, epicenter of the events scheduled for the 15th, the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin.
Although it is always difficult to quantify the number, the presence of pilgrims yesterday was lower than in other years. The coincidence of a long weekend -many made a bridge on the 14th or were on vacation- together with the heat wave that we have suffered, has determined that these visits to Candelaria have been more spaced, although there were not a few who came early yesterday on trips organized by parishes, mainly from the north of the island, including associations of returned Canarian-Venezuelan returnees or that group led by the parish priest from Escobonal who came walking from the summit of Güímar. There were even those who came barefoot at the feet of the Morenita to thank her for the promise she had kept.
Fewer pilgrims, but the same devotion to the Virgen de las Candelas, that carving that for more than 500 years has illuminated the path of the Canaries, whether they are believers or not, due to its indisputable link with the Guanches, those to whom it appeared on a rock on the beach of Chimisay, today El Socorro de Güímar.
The big day was concentrated in the solemn mass officiated by Bishop Bernardo Álvarez, who again, for more than an hour and a half, referred to the dedication of Candelaria, spoke of the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin and the role that Mary acts as an intercession before God. The bishop recalled that “Mary was elevated to heaven in body and soul” and, attending to this, he reflected: “We cannot live only with the soul without the body and with the body without the soul”, to conclude that “Candelaria is not a image, is a great woman who triumphs over evil”, defining Mary as the “suppliant omnipotence” because with her “our faith will grow”.
After the solemn mass, which was sung by the Villa de Candelaria Voices for Hope Choir and the Las Candelas Chamber Orchestra, the image procession took place around the square, while the saltpeter covered the statues of the nine menceys that guard the abode of his Virgin.
Chácaras and drums, the march of 700 athletes and the floral offering
Candelaria woke up yesterday with the music of the La Guanchería de Los Realejos Cultural Association, a group that never misses the appointment, except those editions that were interrupted by the pandemic, and that reached the feet of the Patron Saint to the rhythm of the chácaras, drums, snaps and whistles as usual for more than 20 years.
The music was mixed with hundreds of pilgrims who, during the night and early morning hours, came to the Basilica to see the Virgin and some to attend the masses that lasted until noon, with the main Eucharist by Bishop Bernardo. Alvarez.
Also during the morning, more than 700 athletes from the Athletic Floral Offering arrived at the feet of the Patron Saint who sang the cheers to the Virgin of Candelaria from the starting point in the La Granja park in Santa Cruz de Tenerife to the Plaza de the Patron Saint of the Canary Islands where the image of the Virgin awaited him at the side door of the Basilica. There the athletes participating in the thirty-second edition were depositing the bouquets of flowers, while the food offering collected by the organizers, Base-Sports Health, will be delivered in the coming weeks to those responsible for the Basilica to deliver to the families more needy.
At night, the Offering to the Patron Saint took place in the square with the participation of Danza Venerada Santísima Trinidad de Igueste, the Guanches Collective of Candelaria and fishermen from the municipality. In addition, it reunited the musical art of each island with performances by soloists and groups.
