The Canary Islands' "Flower Girls" decorated the square with 25,000 paper flowers to celebrate the temple's centenary.
In the Canary Islands, a group of elderly women, the "Flower Girls," have been decorating the town square with thousands of handmade tissue paper flowers for the September festivities for 30 years.
In the town of Icod de los Vinos, in the Canary Islands, there is a special group of women. They are called the "Flower Girls." Although they are between 70 and 80 years old, they have been creating incredible beauty for almost 30 years.
These 25 craftswomen from the El Calvario district create flowers from thin cigarette paper. Then they gather them into garlands to decorate the square in honor of Christ.
The flowers are made in advance, over several months. They decorate the square for the September holidays. The main event is the Sunday when the city's flag is carried to the Temple of Christ the Redeemer. This year's celebration is special, as it marks 100 years since the shrine appeared in the city.
Tomorrow, Friday, the "Flower Girls" have to place everything in the square. The flowers will be there for two weeks, from September 29 to October 6.
This tradition has been going on for a long time, although the first mention of it dates back to 1998. Since then, many generations of women have joined this cause. They started decorating the square on Monday, setting up the wire mesh themselves. They work almost without interruption, from Monday to Thursday, immediately after the carnivals. This year they made 25,000 colorful flowers. They are stored in a private room, but they hope that the city council will provide them with another place.
The paper for the flowers is provided by the municipality. This year, about 15,000 - 16,000 sheets of red, yellow and green were used. One sheet makes about two flowers. Each craftswoman spends a different amount of time making a flower. They don't have a special technique, the main thing is "to want to help the city, communicate and laugh." Sometimes they bring coffee, cookies and, while making petals, talk. "It's like therapy," they say.
They not only make flowers, but also remove them after the holidays and recycle materials: threads, wire and even paper that has faded in the sun or got wet in the rain. "It has already become a tradition that when the flowers are arranged, it rains," the women joke.
The "Flower Girls" have created their own organization. They have a president, secretary and treasurer. They participate in workshops in schools, celebrations of Canary Islands Day and other city events.
In 2022, their work was recognized by the Icod de los Vinos Center for Tourist Initiatives. But the greatest reward for them is the gratitude of their neighbors, which they feel every year.