The Canary Islands celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Pilgrimage of Saint Joseph.

As every year in September, the town of San José, in the municipality of San Juan de la Rambla, loudly celebrates Saint Joseph's Day. Hundreds of people come to participate in the festivities. Especially popular here is the traditional pilgrimage of Saint Joseph, which celebrated its 30th anniversary this Saturday – it was founded back in 1996.

Rambla, the main city of the municipality, comes alive during these days. Here you can admire the picturesque landscapes of agricultural land and feel the sincere hospitality of the locals. And to make the holiday a success, a team of enthusiasts works throughout the year to prepare an interesting program for everyone.

Juan Lorenzo Reyes, a local resident who headed the organizing committee for the celebrations in 1996, says that the idea to start the pilgrimage came a long time ago: "When we started organizing the holidays, I suggested holding a pilgrimage and a grand masquerade ball in honor of our patron saint, Saint Joseph."

He added that he has always supported folk crafts and folklore of the Canary Islands. "I thought, if other cities hold pilgrimages, why shouldn't we try? Saint Joseph was a carpenter, like many residents of our city, so we decided to organize a large pilgrimage in his honor."

Juan Lorenzo recalls that there were many obstacles on the way to realizing the dream: "Our local priest was strongly against such celebrations. But after long negotiations, even with the episcopate, we managed to get permission to hold the pilgrimage. Of course, this required significant financial costs, but thanks to the efforts of the 1996 committee, the sale of lottery tickets and other initiatives, we achieved our goal and gave the city a long-awaited holiday."

Juan Lorenzo emphasizes that he was outraged when the city council was presented in the press as the organizer of the pilgrimage, although in fact it was the committee that made all the efforts. "Of course, it is worth noting that further cooperation with the city council has made this holiday so popular. Without the support of the city council, it would be almost impossible to organize it."

Reyes noted that he does not like praise, but wants to emphasize that it was thanks to the wonderful team of the 1996 committee that this wonderful tradition was started, which is now the pride of the city.

He believes that every pilgrimage is special, but the pilgrimage of Saint Joseph is distinguished by the friendly atmosphere and sincere joy of all participants. Juan Lorenzo calls on the media to more actively cover the pilgrimage of Saint Joseph, which, despite being one of the youngest on the island, gathers a large number of people, including folklore groups. That is why this holiday is so unique and family-friendly.

The pilgrimage of Saint Joseph took place this Saturday, September 20. It started at 14:00 on La Paz Square, in the Los Canarios district, and ended on Domingo Reyes Afonso Square near the Church of Saint Joseph. After that, there was a grand masquerade ball, which was the culmination of the festivities.

On the eve of the holiday, the advisor on culture and holidays of the Rambla City Council reminded the participants about the mandatory traditional costume, which will best decorate the parade. The best decorated carts, balconies and facades of houses along the route were also awarded. Folklore groups and musical bands took part in the celebration.

Although the pilgrimage of Saint Joseph is still young, it has already become a favorite folk holiday.