After 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 9, the souk of the Sanctuary of Nuestra Señora de Los Dolores, an architectural jewel from the late 18th century, dressed up to host one of the most anticipated events of the festive calendar: the reading of the proclamation of the festivities in honor of the Patron Saint of Lanzarote. An act full of emotion, tradition and memory, which this year had a very special accent, as the honor of the proclamation fell on Club Deportivo Tinajo, on the occasion of its 50th Anniversary.
From all corners of the island, neighbors, devotees and sports lovers came to support a club that, for five decades, has been able to weave history, identity and community. The event was attended by a broad representation of civil and military authorities, witnesses of the affection and respect that both the Club and the Virgen de Los Dolores arouse.
The night began with an emotional interpretation of the Anthem of Club Deportivo Tinajo, by the young singer Iballa González, whose voice managed to move those present. Then, the parish priest of San Roque and Rector of the Sanctuary. Francisco José García, welcomed the attendees, recalling the true meaning of these festivities: to live them with faith, participation and joy, with Nuestra Señora de Los Dolores as the center and spiritual guide.
The Councilor for Festivities of the Tinajo City Council, Yonathan Pérez Olivero, took the floor to thank Club Deportivo Tinajo for its contribution to the Tinajera and Lanzarote society. Making personal mention of his beginnings in sports within the entity, he encouraged everyone to participate in the extensive program of events prepared with care by the council.
Excited, the president of the Club, Miguel Ángel Tejera, thanked the recognition and the opportunity to be part of such a transcendental moment. His speech gave way to the historian and resident of Tinajo. Inmaculada Rodríguez Fernández, who with rigor and feeling transported the public to the years of the volcanic eruptions (1730 - 1736), when the volcanoes devastated a good part of the island. She recalled the appearances of the Virgin to the girl Juana Rafaela Acosta, as well as the promise, initially unfulfilled, to build the temple that today guards the image of Nuestra Señora de Los Dolores. Part of her story was based on the manuscripts of the famous priest of Yaiza, D. Andrés Lorenzo Curbelo.
The component and member of the commission of the "50th Anniversary of the Club". Carlos Tejera was in charge of relating a careful and extensive biography of the entity. From its humble beginnings in 1975 to the present, where for the first time in its history, Club Deportivo Tinajo will have three teams that will compete outside of Lanzarote in the current 2025 - 2026 season. With pride, he pronounced some words that resonated strongly among the public.
"50 years of passion, effort and glories, where passion has no age. 50 years of emotions and unforgettable moments"
With an emotional Viva Nuestra Señora de Los Dolores and Viva el Club Deportivo Tinajo!, he concluded his speech, giving way to the mayor of Tinajo, Jesús Machín, who presented the president of the Club with an artisan sculpture as a symbol of recognition and gratitude for his social and sporting work.
The event continued with the intervention of the President of the Cabildo of Lanzarote Oswaldo Betancort, who highlighted the fundamental role that the Club has had in the formation of young people for decades, and the turn of interventions was closed by the mayor of Tinajo Jesús Machín himself, congratulating directors, players, family members and fans of Club Deportivo Tinajo, encouraging all those present to actively participate in the religious and popular events of these festivities that unite faith, tradition and people.
The evening concluded with a musical climax of the highest quality: the trio formed by Ciro Corujo (solo voice), Alexis Lemes (timple) and Adrián Niz (guitar) offering a repertoire of songs with Canarian roots, highly applauded by the public that packed the souk of the sanctuary.
A magical night, where popular fervor, Marian devotion and sporting pride were intertwined in a single heartbeat: that of a people that does not forget its roots and that continues walking under the protection of its Virgen de Los Dolores.
