Yesterday, rain marred the celebration of the big day of the emblematic Festivals in honor of the Santísimo Cristo de La Laguna. And the occasional rain that threatened the morning events, but which were able to develop normally in the end, was predicted more insistently in the late afternoon, which made Esclavitude adopt the decision to move the Mass from planned campaign in the atrium of the Royal Sanctuary inside the temple, delaying it for an hour, and the cancellation of the subsequent procession of the holy image through the streets of the town of La Laguna.
A day that began at dawn with the usual ringing of the bells of the Cathedral and the rest of the city’s temples, continuing, at 10:00 a.m., with the civic-military procession and the transfer of the Royal Banner from the Town Hall to the Cathedral, which had a wide representation of civil, military and consular authorities, such as the president of the Government of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo; the president of the Parliament of the Canary Islands, Astrid Pérez; the president of the Cabildo, Rosa Dávila, and the mayor of La Laguna, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, who this year represented the Royal House, along with members of the City Council and other institutions.
Luis Yeray Gutiérrez stressed “the significance of this festive day in the hearts of all Laguneros and Laguneras, who, believers or not, find in the figure of Christ a symbol of the principles that define us as an open, hospitable and supportive city.” .
Also participating, as every year and among others, was an Honors Unit from the 93rd Field Artillery Regiment, heirs of the traditions of the Tenerife Mountain Battery.
Upon his arrival at the Cathedral Square, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez was received by the acting mayor, Badel Albelo, and Lieutenant General Julio Salom Herrera, head of the Canary Islands Command of the Army.
Likewise, the eldest slave of the Santísimo Cristo de La Laguna, Francisco Túbal, presented him with the silver staff of Slavery, and Gutiérrez was received by the bishop of the Nivariense Diocese, Bernardo Álvarez, giving way to the Eucharist.
According to the Bishopric, this year the preaching on this great day was given by the apostolic nuncio in Spain, Monsignor Bernardito Cleopas, who began his homily by conveying a loving greeting from His Holiness Pope Francis.
The nuncio highlighted that it was a joy to celebrate the love of the crucified Christ, manifested in the great devotion to the sacred image of La Laguna: “From the cross, the Christ of La Laguna illuminates the lives of men. It moves me to contemplate the arrival of so many people, both from La Laguna and from many other places, to prostrate themselves before the venerated crucifix. They come to Christ who, with his arms outstretched on the cross, welcomes them, makes them live in his embrace and gives them entry into his heart opened by the wound in his side.
On the other hand, Monsignor Cleopas expressed that this great love of Christ must be learned within the family. “The family is a domestic church where the desire for salvation is received and learned together with the need to love and be loved,” reported the Bishopric.
On this day when the Exaltation of the Cross is celebrated, the nuncio highlighted that “our desire for salvation and our need to love and be loved, passes through the cross. And this is difficult for us to understand. The holy apostles did not understand it either. They could not accept the idea that the Messiah had to suffer. “They didn’t understand the idea of a suffering Messiah.”
Finally, he congratulated those present on this endearing celebration and recalled that the Pope sent a very special blessing for the diocesan Church and, above all, for the troubled and sick.
During the mass, there were occasional showers that raised fears for the subsequent procession of the transfer of the image of Christ from the Cathedral to its Royal Sanctuary. However, the weather gave a respite and the procession was able to develop normally, although the possibility was considered that the image would have to enter the convent of Las Claras in case the rain made an appearance during the journey. as reported by the City Council.
Cancellation
However, the weather forecasts that were being considered for the afternoon were worse, especially at the last minute, so the Slavery Governing Board decided “to suspend the campaign mass for meteorological reasons,” which was going to take place at at 7:00 p.m. in the atrium-square of the Royal Sanctuary, and its transfer to the interior of the temple at 8:00 p.m.
“And it has also been agreed to suspend the subsequent procession” through the streets of the town, visiting the convents, “because the Cabildo meteorological service informs us, and from Los Rodeos, that from 8:00 p.m. there may be showers, and it is It is a risk to take the image out into the street and get it wet,” explained the eldest slave, Francisco Túbal.
The sanctuary remained open until 11:00 p.m., when the traditional fireworks display of the Fuegos del Risco would take place, which the City Council moved forward by half an hour. In the event that it did not rain at that time, the image of Christ would appear on the portals, which could not yet be confirmed at the time of this newspaper’s closing.
Thus the main religious acts of the Christ Festival conclude, beginning the solemn octave. The cultural and sports activities continue until next day the 24th.
Activities
Specifically, today the Night of Humor will take place (9:00 p.m.) with Abubukaka on the Plaza del Cristo stage, followed by the Effect Pasillo concert (11:00 p.m.).
Meanwhile, tomorrow the Miguel de Jaubert Youth Philharmonic Orchestra of Tenerife will perform (5:00 p.m.), and the Plaza del Cristo will host the concert by singer-songwriter Pedro Guerra (9:00 p.m.), also within the framework of the celebration of Heritage Night, which takes place simultaneously in the 15 towns that make up the Group of World Heritage Cities of Spain. The program includes the opening of monuments or museums, guided routes and free cultural activities for all audiences, throughout the afternoon and evening.
