As the evening fell on 14 August, Villa Mariana halts its usual bustle to embark on a journey into the past. The image of the Virgin of Candelaria emerges from the shadows of the Basilica and heads towards the area in front of the Candelaria Town Hall – in place of the traditional Plaza de la Patrona, which is under construction this year – to become a witness and protagonist of a ritual that has endured through the centuries: the Ceremony of the Guanches.
Around her, many of the pilgrims who have been arriving gather at the door of the Basilica to see her up close before the procession begins. Some carry flowers, others half-empty bottles of water, and almost all drag the fatigue in their legs. After a brief stop, many of them accompany the Morenita in procession to the area where the Ceremony will begin, represented by the collective Los Guanches de Candelaria.
Among the crowd is Teresa García, buying an ice cream to combat the heat. She is from La Laguna and has made the pilgrimage about six times (she thinks) to Candelaria. This year, however, the heat has forced her to shorten the journey.
A few metres ahead, David Gutiérrez and Daniela Lorenzo make their way through the people looking for a place to sit. They set out from La Laguna around 5:00 PM and assert that the Camino Viejo has felt “heavy” due to the high temperatures.
At the Llano del Moro, they met up with the rest of their friends, who wanted to set off “from further ahead to avoid walking so many kilometres”. “We’ve had a great time, but right now we’re just thinking about having dinner and resting,” they comment with laughter.
The Ceremony of the Guanches constitutes the identity core of the patronal festivities and is one of the oldest religious-festive representations in Canary Islands. It is a festival that has been celebrated for over 200 years, although not all historians agree on the place and date of the appearance of the image of the Virgin of Candelaria.
La Villa Mariana viaja a su pasado guanche
However, most agree with the first chronicler of the Virgin recorded by the Dominican friar Alonso de Espinosa in 1594, who detailed the discovery of the image on the beach of Chimisay – today El Socorro, in Güímar – before the Castilian conquest of Tenerife.
At 19:51, the image of the Virgin arrived with her golden mantle at the Town Hall area, where the guanches awaited her dressed in hides and with conch shells. The representation, divided into three acts, unfolded in a solemn atmosphere, interrupted only by the voices of the narrators – this year Luisa Machado and José Luis de Madariaga – who brought the historical text to life.
Tradition
The intense heat sweeping across the Isle did not deter the pilgrims. Gradually, Candelaria filled with groups of friends, families, and solitary walkers. “I need to sit down and have some water,” was the most common phrase heard around the Town Hall, where the crowd began gathering early to witness the Guanche Ceremony.
At 20:02, the murmuring of the crowd ceased, and only the sound of the waves was heard. At that moment, the voices of the narrators began to weave the story: “It appeared in a deserted and very dry place, by the sea […] Two locals were there on the coast, tending to their cattle when one of the shepherds saw the Holy image situated on a rock”.
Closing the act, amidst the deep echo of the conch shells and the sharp whistles, a guanche raised a baby towards the Morenita, in a gesture of offering to seek her protection and blessing. Moments later, the voices of the Guanches de Candelaria collective broke the silence with a resounding “Long live the Virgin of Candelaria!” A privilege to carry her every 14 August.
At the end of the representation, some spectators left impressed; others, however, looked slightly disappointed. “It’s not the same seeing it here as in the square, which is more spectacular,” commented a woman as she moved away through the crowd.
The Guanches de Candelaria, awarded the Gold Medal of the Canary Islands this year for their preservation of Canarian traditions, is largely made up of local residents. They are responsible for keeping this tradition alive, passing it down from parents to children. The costumes, originating from the 18th century and made of wool or handcrafted leather, are carefully stored for the rest of the year.
The ceremony gathers around a hundred people, and the main roles – the mencey or the guanches of the knife and the stone – are inherited. In each new edition, young people are incorporated who join out of devotion, promise, or family inheritance, ensuring that the ancestral memory continues to beat in the heart of Candelaria.
Safety
On the eve of the main day of the festival, the security device recorded 15 incidents, including one related to gender violence and two attempted house fires that were extinguished before the forces arrived.
The field hospital attended to eight incidents, one of which required transfer to the University Hospital of the Canary Islands. The others were due to heat strokes, alcohol intoxication, and respiratory failures.
The security device that will attend to more than 100,000 people who will come to Candelaria to participate in the festival includes more than 600 personnel.
The Cabildo contributes 400 assigned to the Ministry of Natural Resources, Sustainability, Safety, and Emergencies, which coordinates the operation and includes Civil Protection, the Insular Operational Coordination Centre (Cecopin), the Brifor, Environmental agents, the Consortium of Firefighters, and Mobility and Roads. In addition to these 400 personnel, 200 from other administrations and entities will also be involved.
Another preventive and safety measure implemented by Endesa up to today includes a Contingency Plan to minimise the risk of power outages on the Island during the festivities. Among the measures, a 700 kilovolt-ampere generator has been set up for use in case of emergency.
Additionally, simulations have been conducted on the medium-voltage network to check its viability under the anticipated demand scenario, and technical teams with specialised personnel will be on standby to resolve any incidents that arise, as well as standby shifts that can be activated if necessary.
