Thousands of pilgrims honored the Virgin Mary of Socorro in Güímar.

Thousands of people – believers and not so much (some say there were around 100,000, and perhaps that's true) – accompanied the Virgin Mary of Socorro from early morning during the traditional procession from the Church of Saint Peter in Güímar to the place named in her honor.

There were many politicians from various parties – before, during, and after the holiday. Carmen Luisa Castro became mayor again. Although this time the nationalists, socialists, and conservatives tried to keep their distance from each other, the tension typical of Güímar receded for the duration of the celebrations. They even tried not to be in the same frame in photographs.

At four in the morning, the start was announced, and the melody of the Virgin Mary, written by Miguel Castillo with lyrics by Pedro Guerra, the former mayor (from 1970), played. At seven in the morning, the Virgin Mary was carried to her chapel to the joyful shouts of the crowd in the square after the Mass for pilgrims, which was conducted by Daniel José Padilla Piñero, a local priest and representative of the Order of Belén.

As always, the Virgin Mary, in a beautiful red cloak created by Jaime Esteves in 2016, stopped at El Calvario, where she was greeted with fireworks. Then she continued her way at the foot of the mountain, through a crowd of people who smelled of basil, to the chapel that has borne her name since 1497. It was ordered to be built by Alonso Fernández de Lugo a year after the conquest of Tenerife.

(A joint publication of Diario de Avisos (@diariodeavisos))

The Virgin Mary, whom the Guanches called Chaxiraxi, was first called Socorro by the first Christians of this people. It is said that this was the first word that Mencey Acaymo shouted, asking for help, because the statue was too heavy to carry to the Chinguaro cave. There she remained for about 40 years, until Antón Guanche, one of the first Christians, decided that the best place for the Virgin Mary was the Achbinico cave (a quiet place), today San Blas, in Candelaria, so that she would not be near the goats. There she was until 1803 under the care of Dominican monks, who moved her to the monastery and then to the basilica, where she is now.

Since 1872, the apparition of the Virgin Mary to the Guanches has been shown. This is called the "ceremony of the Guanches," and it takes place in the afternoon, almost at sunset. Thousands of people again watched it on the plain of the Virgin Mary. It is worth mentioning that this year the Guanches from Güímar and Candelaria received gold medals from the Canary Islands and the Cabildo of Tenerife. These medals were on the Virgin Mary's cloak today.

Then there was the Candelas procession, which always evokes a lot of emotion. After that, there was modern music and fun. Thousands of people came to the festival, many living in tents and trailers. This year there were so many that there was almost no place to park cars, which the locals complained about. But they still opened their doors to pilgrims, always with a smile, a glass of wine, and a piece of meat. The heat was not as intense as usual. Some even say it will rain tomorrow. Many would be happy about that.

On Monday, the holiday, the first Mass will be held at nine in the morning. It will be conducted by the local priest from Arafo, Simón Herrera. At eleven o'clock there will be a Mass for the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (this day is celebrated in many cities). It will be conducted by Víctor Manuel Oliva, a representative of the bishopric and the local priest from La Laguna. After that, there will be a procession. Around five in the afternoon, the Ascent will begin, which will have fewer people, but more devoted ones. And so until next year, when the residents of Güímar and Tenerife will once again await September 7 to celebrate the oldest pilgrimage in the Canary Islands.

Octavio Rodríguez Delgado, the official historian of Güímar and Candelaria, says that if it were necessary to choose a date to celebrate the apparition of the Virgin Mary to the Guanches, it should be winter. Why? Because in winter, the shepherds came down from the mountains (for example, from Chinguaro) and spent the summer on the coast.

Therefore, the first celebrations of the Descent of the Virgin Mary began to be celebrated on December 18 from 1643, when farmers created the Brotherhood of Our Lady of Socorro, as the patron saint of "crops." At the beginning of the 18th century, the celebration was moved to December 26. But due to heavy rains on these days, Agustín Díaz Núñez asked the diocese in 1837 to move the Descent to September 7, and it has been so ever since.

In Candelaria, five women from Los Realejos died of hypothermia while walking the road of the Virgin Mary in 1724. This also led to the change of the pilgrimage from February 2 to August 15.

According to Octavio Rodríguez, there is no exact date for the apparition of the Virgin Mary. Fray Alonso de Espinosa says that the meeting with the Guanche shepherds took place in 1390, but the historian believes that it happened a little later, around 1450, because at that time the area was ruled by Mencey Acaymo, who, together with his son Añaterve, defended the statue found on the beaches called Chimisay.