The residents of the Eighth Island "La Graciosa" celebrated the big day of the festivities in honor of their Patron Saint, Our Lady of Carmen. At 12:00 noon, with the church packed with the faithful, some of whom had to stay in the vicinity of the temple, the Holy Mass began. The celebration was presided over by Nicanor Bermúdez, parish priest of Altavista and Valterra, assisted by Norberto Medina, parish priest of Haría and La Graciosa, and by Germán Cristiano, parish priest of Firgas (Gran Canaria). The Iris del Mar choir from Valterra enlivened the Eucharist with their songs, with the parishioners also joining in a festive celebration. At 5:00 p.m., after the celebration of the Word, the maritime procession began with the image of Carmen carried on the shoulders of the porters in charge of taking her to the dock where the boat "Jorge Luis", owned by the Romero family, was waiting for her. Many more boats joined, all decorated, which during the tour sounded their horns paying honors to their Patron Saint.
Back in port and after disembarking, the Image stopped next to the small chapel installed on the esplanade and inside which is an image of the Virgen del Carmen. At that moment, the parish priest Norberto Medina proceeded to bless her, continuing the processional route to the stage where they placed the Virgin to preside over the offering that the members of the El Lagar de Teseguite musical group made in her honor. The group performed Seguidillas, Folias, Isa de Sol and the Batea del Gofio, songs that received warm applause from the public.
The offering also included the participation of the Guanapay Folklore Group from Teguise, who offered the most traditional of our songs and dances such as Isa del Timplillo, Malagueña and Seguidillas. The public also rewarded them with their applause.
The second part of the offering to the Virgin was dedicated to poetry. It included the participation of the girl Micaela Saaverda Viña and her twin brothers, Carlos and Pepe, who left the public speechless due to their great capacity to recite their poems dedicated to the Virgin and the women of La Graciosa. The child David Páez also participated in the poetic section, who based his poetry on the figure of his grandmother.
Next, Ángeles and Chelo, daughters of Inocencia Páez, took to the stage to announce the jury's decision in the "Inocencia Páez" poetry contest. This year there was a tie between the participants, with Juan Aguiar winning with the poem "My love is in La Graciosa", and Fabio Carreiro with the poem "La Graciosa 2019".
Next, the image of Ntra. Sra. del Carmen returned to the church and before entering, the sisters Ángeles and Chelo read the winning poems, thus bringing the final point to a day where the entire island of La Graciosa honored its Patron Saint.
