“San Isidro Labrador keeps the rain away and brings out the sun”. La Orotava experienced the 87th edition of its traditional pilgrimage in honour of San Isidro Labrador and Santa María de la Cabeza on Sunday, with a large presence of wagons, exactly 75, and the attendance of over 25,000 people according to the initial estimates from the town council.
Even though the sun didn’t fully come out, the pilgrims appreciated the clouds that had gifted several showers since early morning, but as the images left the Church of La Concepción, the rain held off for the celebration.
The Cultural Society Liceo de Taoro has been organizing this pilgrimage for 89 years, as the first one organized by this association took place in 1936. However, this year marks the 87th edition because it couldn’t be held in 2020 or 2021 due to the global pandemic, as detailed by the Town Hall.
At 11:30 a.m., the mass that kicks off the festivities took place. Gradually, the three aisles of the temple located in the centre of La Orotava filled with the colourful scarves and red vests of the traditional attire.
If there is something that particularly characterizes La Orotava, it is the respect they maintain for their traditions. For this reason, most of the pilgrims arrived dressed impeccably, from the hats to the footwear, even down to the smallest accessories like the beautiful Canarian rings.
The farmers from the village carried their ornate staffs, decorated with colourful ribbons, into the church, one for each special occasion for each family or for each of the pilgrimages they have participated in. “It’s a symbolic gesture, like the staffs that were carried to the fields in ancient times,” explained one of the participants. “At the top, they are adorned with wheat and red and white carnations,” he added.
During the ceremony, the villagers renewed their promises to the patron saints, images of whom they are custodians according to tradition. Additionally, they offered products from the field in tribute, from large loaves of bread to a huge bunch of bananas almost ready to eat.
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After the ceremony, the staffs and their colourful ribbons were raised once again to escort the revered statues to the traditional resting place in front of the Casa de los Balcones, from where they witnessed the start of the pilgrimage route.
