La Graciosa’s Maritime Virgen del Carmen Festivities: a Celebration of Identity
The festivities of the Virgen del Carmen on the Eighth Island are more than just a tradition; they provide a window to the essence of this unique place and its people. We invite you to immerse yourself in its festive spirit with Teresa Páez, whose recommendations and memories convey the spirit and soul of this celebration, replete with devotion, history, and community life.
Authenticity
At this time of year, it is normal to experience joy when participating in the Virgen del Carmen festivities, exactly as if you were just one more La Graciosa resident, another islander. The entire town comes together to decorate the houses, prepare the church, and celebrate their year-round peaceful life. If you decide to become a resident of this barefoot paradise, you need to understand the maritime essence of the festival. Teresa Páez, a resident of the Eighth Island, recalls that the fishermen of yesteryear “greatly respected the Día del Carmen, when the boats came home to port and moored so they could all enjoy the celebrations.”
In the past, religion was the driving force behind the celebrations. Teresa remembers a particular parish priest, Don Germán, whose enthusiasm “kept the town united” in the work of organizing everything: “The houses were painted to make sure they were bright white and beautiful, the Virgin’s throne was dressed, the town and the fishing boats were decorated with bunting…” The women were responsible for making the flags for the festivities by hand, a task that required such careful craftsmanship that the bunting remained in impeccable condition for years.
Processions on land and by sea
On the big day, 16th July, the maritime and land processions are still the event par excellence, even though customs have evolved. In the past, the emotional poems recited by Inocencia Páez to the Virgin at the church door were one of the “most beautiful and important” moments for the people, says Teresa. During the festivities, three processions were held: the maritime procession on the patron saint’s day; the land procession, which took place the following day through the village; and the procession accompanied by fireworks around the church in the evening, “which was very special.”
Today, the fervour is still evident in the maritime procession, with decorated boats and barges accompanying the statue of Carmen over the waves. Witnessing this unique ceremony from Caleta de Sebo or somewhere else along the coast of La Graciosa will become a precious memory to take away with you after your visit.
Flavours that tell stories
We know that a cultural immersion like the one we’re offering will appeal to all the senses. Let’s start with taste. If you’re looking for additional reasons to experience El Carmen on La Graciosa, we have an irresistible suggestion: the festive dishes, traditional stew and pork meat, with ingredients and flavours that span generations. “Everyone ate pork meat. A man would come – he was the butcher from the village of Haría – and he would slaughter the pig to sell the meat and make stew. We would line up to buy it at what’s the El Saladero café today,” explains Teresa.
This ritual may have disappeared, but not the gastronomic privilege afforded by visiting La Graciosa. Think of the unique product provided by the Atlantic Ocean that surrounds the Chinijo Archipelago, whose waters have been declared a marine reserve of fishing interest since 1995.
The Chinijo Marine Reserve is the largest in Europe and is inhabited by colonies of seabirds and frequented by a dozen species of cetaceans that swim its waters every year. Its white sandy seafloor is home to a significantly diverse variety of fish and more than 300 species of algae.
A community festival
If there is one thing that remains unchanged, it is the family atmosphere of these El Carmen celebrations, which sees the participation of the whole town in one way or another. Teresa, who has experienced a few in her time, remembers that in her youth donations were made to the church for its decoration, not only with the marine elements that characterize it, but also with bouquets of flowers, a real luxury on an island with such an arid climate.
“There were shows and playback theatre, and the townspeople had a lot of fun with traditional games, such as sack races, egg-and-spoon races, or races involving balancing pots of water on the head to see who could fill a container first,” says our neighbour and hostess. However, the most unique race was, and still is, the wheelbarrow race. It is common to see the local population pushing a wheelbarrow through the sandy streets, barefoot and wearing a typical graciosera hat: an iconic image of our little paradise.
Now that you’ve become one with the island’s slow lifestyle, you might want to sign up for one of these races or, better yet, attend a luchada during the festivities, that is, a Canarian wrestling match, the native sport of pre-Hispanic origin, in which two wrestlers try to make their opponent touch the ground with any part of their body except the soles of their feet, using a strategy of grabbing and throwing down.
Encounter with Lanzarote
But if there is one thing that continues to define the celebration of the Día del Carmen on the Eighth Island, it is the fraternal encounter between the communities of Lanzarote and La Graciosa. It’s worth remembering that the relations between the two populations are very close, with administrative and commercial ties, but above all emotional ties, that have lasted throughout history.
An example is the memory of the odyssey of the women of La Graciosa crossing the Risco de Famara to sell or barter fish for other items, such as, according to Teresa Páez, a new dress for the festivities or to wear at “a wedding celebrated during the Carmen festivities or first communions at the mass.”
The two communities also shared the night-time celebration, which was combined with performances by the residents themselves, in an area fenced off with palm leaves. Today, the youth of Lanzarote continue to attend the Carmen festivities, as they have done for decades, camping in the areas set aside for this purpose.
This cultural gathering, which takes the form of shared joy, leisure, tradition and spirituality, is one of the greatest attractions of what is everything a community festival should be: a celebration of identity.
Long live the Virgen del Carmen!