The parties of Saint Benedict Abbot 2022 they are already underway. The program of acts of one of the great events of the lagoon festive calendar has been presented this Monday in an appearance that took place in the loyal theatersince the rain prevented its celebration in the Plaza de San Benito, as initially planned.
The mayor of La Laguna, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, the Councilor for Fiestas, Badel Albelo, the person in charge of designing and editing the program-book, Julio Torres, and the secretary of the Tenerife Breeders’ Association, Santiago Cacho, were in charge of publicize the thirty popular events that will last until July 17 and have been collected in a publication with abundant documentary material of notable interest. Numerous councilors from the Corporation took part in the act.
“La Laguna is celebrating, La Laguna is celebrating,” said the mayor at the presentation of the program, whose design he described as “a jewel.” Luis Yeray Gutiérrez recalled that La Laguna recovers its patron saint festivities after a long wait of two years. And he underlined the commitment of the municipal government to ensure that the festivities “have a greater presence in their place of origin, and are in the surroundings of the hermitage of San Benito” as much as possible. The mayor valued the work carried out by the Fiestas area, before inviting the public to actively participate in these events.
Badel Albelo highlighted the fact that in this edition “we recover the streets, our spaces of coexistence, which is where we have to celebrate our festivals” and valued the content of the program as an opportunity to learn “the history of this Pilgrimage” and its transmission “generation after generation” until it became the only Regional Pilgrimage of the Canary Islands.
The councilman also valued the recovery of the surroundings of the hermitage of San Benito as the scene of the festivities. “It was a task that we had set for ourselves and I think we have achieved it,” he assured.
Julio Torres was proud to be able to put together a program of these characteristics, with 30 unpublished photographs thanks to the collaboration of Carlos García. He explained that the book-program includes the proclamations of 2020, by Carlos García himself, and 2021, by Javier de la Rosa, since in those two years cultural and religious events could be held despite the pandemic. It also includes “a very important historical contribution by Carlos Rodríguez Morales, who speaks of the propitiatory prayers for rain with Saint Benedict during the 17th century,” he stressed.
Festivities of San Benito Abad with pilgrimage and livestock fair
Julio Torres himself reviews in an article the 75-year history of the Pilgrimage of San Benito, “from the one that the neighbors took out and paid for and that was very humble, reached the Concepción, passed from the Tower and went up to the church, up to the present.” He explained that in 1947 the Pilgrimage was a novelty for the city because “there was an imaginary line from Concepción upwards”, so that “the Pilgrimage is as if the countryside entered the city”, he said quoting Andrés de Lorenzo Cáceres . And he assured that the fact that in its day the Pilgrimage reached the center of the city was “a historic achievement of the neighborhood.”
Santiago Cacho recalled the novelty of having for the first time, linked to the San Benito festivities, with “a true cattle fair”, since until now what was being carried out was a “cattle exhibition”. On this occasion, an extensive program of activities for all ages will be developed between July 15 and 17.
The program officially starts on Thursday 30, with the reading of the proclamation of the festivities by the soprano Candelaria González, a renowned figure of island folklore. During the act, which will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Leal Theater, a party and outstanding voices will perform the winning songs of the ‘La Copla por San Benito’ contest, organized by Los Sabandeños.
From that day on, religious acts and activities of a cultural, recreational, folkloric, gastronomic and livestock nature will take place, without forgetting sports events and events designed especially for children. Outstanding numbers include the election gala for the Romera Mayor de las Fiestas (July 2), the fourth Pedro Molina Memorial (on the 5th, with a recognition of traditional trades and a tribute to Pepe Rojas), or the Ocho festival Islands (on the 9th, with artists representing all the islands of the Archipelago).
The traditional Ball of Magi will be held on the evening of Friday, July 8. Both Luis Yeray Gutiérrez and Badel Albelo highlighted “the great acceptance” of this event, which in a few hours sold out the reservations for the 450 tables set up. In this sense, the councilman pointed out that the possibility of setting up 50 more tables, which would be located on Marqués de Celada street in the direction of San Benito, is being studied with the drafters of the security plan.
On the big day of the festivities, Sunday the 10th, the Regional Pilgrimage changes its route, due to the works on San Agustín street. The delegation will leave at noon from the hermitage of San Benito, through Marqués de Celada streets, Doctor Olivera square, and Herradores, Viana, Obispo Rey Redondo and Adelantado streets, returning through Marqués de Celada to the starting point.
As a novelty, on Sunday the 17th, the eighth of the Pilgrimage, the image of San Benito will come out in an extraordinary procession, visiting the San Diego neighborhood and the Livestock Fair, where the cattle will be blessed. The entourage will be accompanied by ceremonial dances, the drumbeat of the tajaraste, and a boat.
One more year, the Contest of balconies and windows, organized by the Association of Neighbors of the Town, will have the collaboration of the Department of Festivities, which will provide decorative elements and decoration material for people who want to participate.
