Numerous pilgrims from all over Tenerife, along with tourists visiting the island, have gathered to take part in a momentous Bajada del Socorro. From 7:30 in the morning, a bustling Plaza de San Pedro awaited the commencement of the journey accompanying the Virgin.
The municipality of Güímar has adorned itself as it does each year to host a large gathering of admirers of the image in the oldest pilgrimage within the Canary Islands. Falling on a Saturday has notably increased the anticipated turnout. The local council predicts that around 100,000 individuals will converge by Sunday afternoon, when the ascent begins.
At 6:00 a.m., mass was conducted in San Pedro, marking the start of the descent from the chapel of El Calvario, which encountered a delay in departure owing to the considerable crowds in the Plaza de San Pedro.
Although the Virgin’s arrival at El Socorro was slated for 11:30 a.m., the image reached its sanctuary an hour later than planned following a large-scale descent that led into the welcoming mass.
This afternoon, a procession is set to occur at the Cruz de Tea del Llano de la Virgen, alongside the ceremony commemorating the apparition to the Guanches. Following this, a procession will retrace the route back to the Socorro sanctuary. Later in the evening, after a mass honouring the faithful departed, the traditional Las Candelas procession will take place.
Three hundred personnel from various security forces have been assigned to ensure that proceedings go smoothly.
A Pilgrimage with Over 500 Years of History
Each year on September 7th, the Tenerife municipality of Güímar celebrates the Descent of the Virgen del Socorro, a festivity deeply entrenched in the history of the Canary Islands. On this date, the procession occurs from the Church of San Pedro, located in the town centre, to the hermitage of the Virgin on Playa del Socorro.
In the afternoon, the apparition of Our Lady of Socorro to the Guanches on Chimisay Beach is commemorated. The following day, the Virgin’s image is returned to the town, ensuring its return to the Church of San Pedro.
The devotion to the Virgin of Socorro in Güímar has ties to a shared narrative with the veneration of the image of Candelaria, the patron saint of the Canary Islands. According to legend, between 1430 and 1450, prior to the conquest, a group of Guanche shepherds stumbled upon a wooden carving of the Virgin on Socorro beach, also referred to as Chimisay, in Güímar. Taken aback by this discovery, they transported the image to the cave of mencey Acaymo, who cradled it in his arms. However, due to its weight, he was compelled to seek assistance, thereby giving rise to the tradition that continues to be celebrated today.
In the early 16th century, Adelantado Alonso Fernández de Lugo commissioned the construction of the Socorro chapel near the beach, in memory of the site where the Guanches uncovered the image of the Virgin of Candelaria.
Octavio Rodríguez, the official chronicler of Güímar, traces the origins of the Virgin’s path back to around 1643, nearly 200 years after the image of Chaxiraxi was revealed to certain Guanche shepherds on Chimisay beaches. Nevertheless, the pilgrimage from Güímar to El Socorro, which commenced in December, has been taking place uninterrupted for the past 177 years.
