Everything is ready to enjoy the festivities of Nuestra Señora de las Nieves in Lanzarote. The Cabildo of Lanzarote will co-organize this year's festivities in honor of Nuestra Señora de las Nieves together with the Teguise City Council. It should be remembered that Lanzarote has the Virgen de los Dolores as its patron saint, considered the Lady of the Volcanoes; but historically the Virgen de las Nieves was the first invocation that was named as patron saint of the island in 1725. Over the years, this invocation has gone from absolute adoration to almost oblivion.
Councilor Jesús Machín, who was visiting Las Nieves this Tuesday together with the Councilor for Youth and Commerce, Aroa Revelo, recalled that one of the primary objectives of his area is "to protect and transmit our intangible heritage", specifying the peculiarities of each location and extolling "the common values that unite the different municipalities." The people of Lanzarote prayed to the Virgen de las Nieves "so that the island would not suffer natural disasters again, such as drought and locust plagues, and would bring them rain... And today it still has thousands of parishioners in Lanzarote and La Graciosa."
For his part, the president of the Lanzarote Cabildo, Oswaldo Betancort, stressed that, "like those residents of Santa Catalina" who settled in Los Valles, near the Montaña de Las Nieves, "they took care in their day to keep the devotion to this Virgin alive," a faith that was later widely followed, "it is up to us, as public officials, to resume the traditions and promote them to create community and structure our people around a common history. Which we have and is very powerful."
A large tent and many performances
The redoubled involvement of the Cabildo of Lanzarote to give the brilliance that the patron saint festivities of the Virgen de las Nieves deserves, makes it possible for a tent of 300 square meters to be installed next to the hermitage these days, on whose stage numerous musical performances will take place. Up to three parrandas, Los Labradores, El Golpito and Los Valles, will liven up the festivities on the summit of Famara during Friday, August 2, the day on which the neighbor José Miguel Duque Hernández will be in charge of proclaiming the celebrations.
The Cabildo of Lanzarote also invites you to participate in the massive popular pilgrimage that will take place on Saturday, August 3. After the traditional walk, the Offering to Nuestra Señora de las Nieves will be followed with great fervor and will have the musical accompaniment of the parrandas Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, El Lagar de Teseguite, Altaja and El Pavón at the doors of the temple.
August 5, Feast of the Virgen de las Nieves
Saying that the existing manuscripts refer to the fact that it was on March 17, 1725 when the General Council of Lanzarote met in the Villa de Teguise and established the solemn vows choosing as "Patron Saint and mediating advocate between men and God to María Santísima and in her name, the Holy Image of Nuestra Señora de Las Nieves."
In this promise, the Council undertook to take the image of Ntra. Sra. de las Nieves to Teguise every year on the day of Expectation and celebrate a novena.
Since 1935, the Church has organized the function and procession of the Virgen de las Nieves on August 5. Every August 5, thousands of people from Lanzarote and La Graciosa attend the patron saint festival. This year 2024, the Eucharist will be officiated by Alejandro Jesús Carmona Arrocha, parish priest of Santa Ana in Casilla del Ángel (Fuerteventura).
