Tiagua, a town with soul and living memory, began its patron saint festivities this Thursday in Honor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, in the municipality of Teguise, Lanzarote.
The clock marked 8:00 p.m. when the El Molino de Tiagua Socio-Cultural Center opened its doors to host a very special proclamation, one of those that are not easily forgotten. The protagonists of the evening were four endearing residents of the town, true pillars of local history.
Leocadia Hernández Armas, María Natividad Cabrera Cabrera, María Nieves Parrilla Cabrera and María de la Nieves Guillen Guillen, with ages ranging between 81 and 96 years.
In an emotional intergenerational dynamic, it was their own grandchildren who interviewed them, rescuing from memory the experiences of some festivities that, as they themselves stated, "have nothing to do with those of now".
In those years, the big day revolved around the Solemn Eucharist and the procession in honor of the Virgin, where the entire town dressed up: and everyone who could wear new shoes and a new dress was an unwritten rule, as was sharing a special meal with the family and some relatives, culminating the day in the afternoon and evening by attending the verbena and enjoying dancing.
Field workers
The heralds related how, from a very young age, they worked in the fields and at home, contributing their grain of sand to the family economy. They fondly remembered how the flags hung in different parts of the town announced the arrival of the festivities, generating an illusion that infected every corner of Tiagua.
But beyond the anecdotes, the grandmothers shared a legacy of values with their grandchildren and with all those present: respect for the elderly, the importance of behaving well, of enjoying responsibly and keeping traditions alive. Values that they inherited from their own parents and that, as they pointed out, are fading in the present.
With simple but wise words, they reminded us that they learned to read in the language of the sea, to wait for the tides and to trust the volcanic land, hard but generous. They have known how to resist as the jameos resist the ocean: firm against the passage of time. Each wrinkle on their skin is a furrow in the lava, a testimony of life and strength.
The emotion was shared by the many neighbors and relatives who filled the capacity of the social hall, wrapping the heralds with applause and smiles. Because this was not just any proclamation: it was a living tribute to memory, to resilience, to love for the homeland.
This is how the festivities in Tiagua begin, with the voices of those who have been, and continue to be, the root of this town.
