With the fall of the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, normalcy recovers the pulse in the capital, although not completely, since the capacity limitations that until recently were in force have prevented one of the processional steps that arouses the most fervor in Santa Cruz do not go out on the street this Holy Week. It is about the Macarena and the image of Jesús Cautivo, which is paraded every Holy Thursday in the capital. As explained yesterday by the episcopal vicar of Santa Cruz, Juan Manuel Yanes, “since these are images that are carried by bearers, they have not been able to prepare properly to take the Macarena out in procession, that is why they have chosen not to leave this year”. Still, he added, “the images are already on their throne in the church of La Concepción where they can be visited.”
Along with this setback in the year that the processions in Santa Cruz are recovered, it is added that the Magna procession of the capital, which has been taking place since 1994, will not be able to be celebrated as such this year either, that is, with the participation of all the steps that represent the passion of Christ. On this occasion, only the Dolorosa and the Santo Entierro will procession in a shorter route.
Despite these two setbacks, Santa Cruz recovers its Holy Week and does so starting tomorrow, when the city’s chronicler, José Manuel Ledesma, reads the proclamation in the church of La Concepción, at 8:30 p.m. This same Friday they will have the first of the processions, that of the Dolorosa from the Conception.
Yesterday the poster and the program were presented, a poster starring the image of Calvary by Pedro Artacho, who created it in 1602 for the church of La Concepción in La Laguna. A curiosity of this ordeal is that, unlike the rest, as pointed out by the archpriest of Ofra, Antonio Gómez, it does not have the Virgen de los Dolores, and it does have the figures of the two thieves, “the good and the bad”. It is currently in the sacristy of La Concepción.
The mayor, José Manuel Bermúdez, stated that “last year, with mandatory security measures, Chicharrera Holy Week could be celebrated inside the temples. It was, so to speak, a more intimate celebration, more of recollection” and added “the venerated images return to the streets, to once again exhibit the rich movable heritage, legacy of centuries of devotion and faith in the city, and also heritage of a commercial and cosmopolitan past”.
Likewise, he took advantage of the occasion to invite “the people of Tenerife to discover a different Holy Week, such as that of Santa Cruz, and to thank the Vicar General, the Diocese and all those who make it possible for the capital to finally recover this celebration so rooted in the popular chicharrero feeling”.
