Janet Anscombe

The most spectacular of the series of Virgen del Carmen celebrations, which take place throughout the island in July, will be in Puerto de la Cruz tomorrow, Tuesday 14 July., when the statue of the Virgin Mary will be carried to the sea to be placed on a boat amongst tens of thousands of onlookers. The fishing harbour will be dressed up to the nines to provide the most fitting environment for this religious enactment which is now a favourite tourist attraction as well. Around 30,000 are expected to be present from around 7am in preparation for a series of events that will last all day, until around 6pm when the Virgin will be carried down to the sea to be accompanied around the harbour by a flotilla of small boats.

For those familiar with the route taken by the procession, please note that there will be a change this year due to roadworks in C/. San Felipe. Instead, the parade will pass through C/. Mequinez, Plaza Benito Pérez Galdós, Calles La Peñita, El Lomo, and Pérez Zamora, Plaza del Charco, and Vías Blanco, Iriarte, San Juan and Quintana. For those who are new to it, just follow the crowds!  Canarias24Horas

Original post 1 July: Throughout Tenerife in July there is a series of Fiestas honouring the Virgen del Carmen (the Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel). The biggest celebration is always in Puerto de la Cruz, but most coastal towns and villages throughout the island honour the Virgin by carrying her statue to the sea and loading it into a boat so that she can sail around a harbour or bit of coastline  and bless local fishermen and their catches over the coming year. Inland, the Virgen del Carmen is honoured for protecting and preserving the fertilility of Tenerife’s volcanic soil and its agricultural productivity. Fiestas will usually last for a few days, often involving a long weekend of music, dancing, food, and the inevitable fireworks.   Canarias7 , webtenerife

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