Since the early hours of the day, the fishing dock of Puerto de la Cruz has been bustling with locals and curious onlookers eager to witness the traditional goat immersion in the sea, a custom that commemorates a ritual of the Guanche aborigines aimed at safeguarding livestock by purifying them in the sea and enhancing fertility.
On every 24th of June, shepherds lead their herds from the midlands and peaks of the La Orotava Valley to the Portuense enclave to partake in this age-old tradition. The event reconnects the agricultural sector with the urban populace, with the community eagerly anticipating this spectacle that, alongside the celebration of San Juan, heralds the arrival of summer. The tradition, which had faded between 1960 and 1982, was revived in 1986 through the ethnographic efforts of Professor Manuel Lorenzo. Perera.
A multitude of individuals and organisations rallied to organise and preserve the tradition, from the Valle Taoro Cultural Collective to Chucho Dorta and the Cultural Association of Friends of Goats in the Sea led by Amilcar Fariña. One of the most emblematic customs of the town and among the oldest in the Archipelago, this event, as is customary every year, serves as the crowning glory of the San Juan Festival near the fishing dock.
Attendees can also enjoy a display of traditional Canarian intelligence games by José Manuel Espinel Cejas and a stick game exhibition by the Auchón Guanil Association, rounding off a day brimming with age-old customs that unite both the young and old, all the while captivating the thousands of tourists enjoying the city.
