Coinciding with the third centenary of the appearance of the image of the patron saint of the municipality and the region, Our Lady of Abona, Arico celebrate this year the lustral festivities. The mayor, Sebastián Martín, and the Councilor for Culture and Festivals, Dácil Cano, yesterday made public the poster, designed by Damián Rodríguez Álvarez, and the program of events that will take place for 38 days, starting this week (starting Friday). until next September 18, the date on which the upload of the image will take place. This extraordinary character is one of the aspects valued by the local authorities.
The mayor of Arico, Sebastián Martín, stressed that, “after not being able to take place due to the restrictions of the pandemic last year, we are in luck today because this year we can celebrate our lustral festivities with total normality». This fact, in addition, has an added value since celebrating the lustrals in 2022 is to make them coincide with the commemoration of the 300th anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady of Abona. To this data, in addition, is added the fact that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the beginning of the celebration of La Antorcha, a solidarity act that involves all the towns that make up the municipality.
Under such circumstancesthe mayor of Arico invites «all the ariqueros and ariqueras to actively participate in the festivities, since it has a wide agenda of cultural and religious events». A call that also shows in line with the effort and involvement recorded so far: «We should feel proud of this extraordinary celebration of the holidays, because people from the different neighborhoods and municipal services have collaborated in its preparation. There has been a great effort by the City Council to make this edition of the lustral festivities possible”, concludes Sebastián Martín.
“We are proud of the collaboration between the neighborhoods and the Consistory”
the expected program
In tune with the alderman, Dácil Cano, Councilor for Culture and Festivals, highlights the popular character of the program that responds to the importance that Our Lady of Abona has for the ariqueros. “We have the program of events that these parties well deserve,” he adds. It is a program in which the mayor highlights the fourth edition of the pilgrimage -which accompanies the image of the Virgin of Our Lady of Abona in its five-yearly Descent-, the Descent itself and the Ascent, in addition to the cultural functions and religious.
Along the same lines as the mayor, Dácil Cano encourages “children, adults and the elderly in Arico, as well as visitors, to be part of and enjoy our lustral festivities.”
“We have the program of events that these holidays and our neighbors well deserve”
It all starts with the proclamation
Martín and Cano announced yesterday the beginning of the programming development. It will be at 8:30 p.m. on Friday, when the biologist and Doctor of Science María Oliva Pino Tejera proceeds to read the proclamation. An act that will take place in the church of San Juan Bautista, with the final performance of the flutist Paula Gómez.
At 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, the Torch will depart from Punta de Abona and will be received, at 8:00 p.m., in the Villa de Arico temple with a tribute to the ariquero sport.
The IV Pilgrimage begins at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, 18, from the San Juan Bautista church. On September 17, the Descent of the Virgin of Abona takes place to Punta de Abona and, finally, on September 18, the Ascent of the Virgin of Abona will take place.
