This Saturday, thousands of Lanzarote residents from every corner of the island will dress in one of the typical costumes of Lanzarote and head, calmly and devoutly, towards Mancha Blanca, where at the foot of the Virgen de los Dolores they will prostrate themselves to venerate the Holy Patroness and offer her the best products of the land.
Although the start of the Romería de Los Dolores is set at 4:00 p.m. from the Plaza de San Roque in Tinajo, the truth is that from the early hours of the morning, and even from the night before, many are already taking to the roads to fully experience everything that this long-awaited celebration entails for all the locals.
Pilgrimage from the different municipalities
Almost all the municipalities of the island will launch a special operation this weekend to bring the Romería de Los Dolores closer to all its residents, so that no one can make excuses for not attending this event that will bring together thousands of pilgrims from all points of the local geography in the town of Mancha Blanca. Organized departures, distribution of food for pilgrims making the journey, and buses back to their towns of origin are some of the measures that the different councils are working on to bring the Romería de Los Dolores closer to all the locals.
Tías
The Tías Town Council plans to begin its pilgrimage to Mancha Blanca at the Varadero of Puerto del Carmen at 8:30 a.m. From there they will depart to the town of Tías, where all the pilgrims from this area will join, to continue the journey to the hermitage of Tegoyo, in Coníl, and there pick up another contingent of pilgrims from Mácher, La Asomada and Masdache. The human march will continue along the Tinguatón road until reaching Mancha Blanca, with arrival estimated around 4:00 p.m. Before, the pilgrims will make a stop in El Chinero where everyone can rest and regain strength with a lunch. Several local police and civil protection units will ensure at all times that the route is carried out within the safety margins. Finally, the Tías Town Council has arranged a bus service to take the pilgrims back to the municipality, departing from the Mancha Blanca car parks at 10 p.m., 11 p.m. and 12:00 a.m.
Arrecife
In Arrecife, the Department of Youth and Environment of the capital's Town Council plans to hold a walk to Mancha Blanca aimed at the youngest in order to promote coexistence and relationships between adolescents from the different neighborhoods of Arrecife and promote the customs and popular traditions of Lanzarote. The departure will take place at the Arrecife Youth Center at 11:00 a.m. and the route will cross the Argana Alta neighborhood, the Vertedero road, San Bartolomé, Mozaga, El Peñón and Vegueta before reaching Mancha Blanca. Likewise, a lunch with typical food is planned along the route for all participants. The only requirements to participate in this activity are to be dressed as a pilgrim and to be over 16 years old, otherwise, parental authorization will be required. According to data from the Youth Department of the Arrecife Town Council, approximately 80 young people are expected to register.
On the other hand, the capital's Consistory has also invited the different associations and groups of the municipality to participate in the offering to the Virgen de Los Dolores
Teguise
The pilgrimage from Teguise will begin at 10:00 a.m. in the vicinity of the Town Hall of La Villa from where it will depart in the direction of Mancha Blanca. At one in the afternoon, and after the first three hours of walking, a break will be made at the Tiagua Cultural Center so that the pilgrims can recover their strength with a lunch that the council will provide. This group of pilgrims from Teguise, which is expected to be around 500 people, is scheduled to arrive at the pilgrimage at 3:00 p.m. with enough time to enjoy the offering to the Virgin. The Town Council of La Villa has also chartered a good number of buses that will return the pilgrims to their homes at 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. Finally, the Department of Culture invites participants to follow the advice of correct clothing and civility that the Cabildo launches for this call
San Bartolomé
The Consistory of San Bartolomé has summoned the pilgrims of the municipality in the Town Hall square from 10:00 a.m., where they will provide them with water, fruit and sandwiches so that they can face the journey to Mancha Blanca. In this sense, sources from the Department of Culture predict that around 700 people may gather in the Ajey square to leave together on pilgrimage. The consistory has also contracted the services of several buses to take the pilgrims of the municipality back home from 10:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Likewise, all those who attend the fair with carts and donkeys, and who register in the Department of Festivities of the Casa Cerdeña, may have trucks that will transfer the carts and animals the next day.
Yaiza
From Yaiza, two expeditions will leave for Mancha Blanca with approximately 300 pilgrims. The first one will leave from the Plaza de Femés at 7:00 a.m. with the pilgrims from Femés and Playa Blanca and the second one, which will leave from Uga, will do so three quarters of an hour later. Both pilgrimages will meet at the morro de Uga and at 10:30 a.m. they will have a break in La Geria, in "Casa Jacinto" for breakfast. This group of pilgrims is scheduled to arrive at the hermitage of the Virgen de Los Dolores from 1:00 p.m. to fully enjoy all the festive events of that day. It must be said that the two expeditions will be guarded all the way by several police units. The return to Yaiza will take place at 11:00 p.m. in several buses.
Haría
Haría is the only municipality that will not launch any special measure on the occasion of the pilgrimage of Nuestra Señora de Los Dolores, since the distance to Mancha Blanca is considerable to organize a pilgrimage on foot. Despite this, it is expected that an approximate number of 300 people will come from this municipality to venerate the Patroness of the Island.
The CATs will provide supplies to the pilgrim
The Art, Culture and Tourism Centers of the Cabildo of Lanzarote will collaborate as has been tradition in recent years in the development of the Pilgrimage in honor of the patron saint of the Island, the Virgen de Los Dolores. Thus, on the pilgrimage route from the different points of Lanzarote to the arrival at the hermitage located in the town of Mancha Blanca, they have arranged different points of help and supplies for all pilgrims, where they can request the usual bags with water and other provisions that are so necessary to make the journey more bearable. The Tourist Center of the Monumento al Campesino and the town of Vegueta are a must and usual stop for all pilgrims, so the Department of Tourist Centers of the Cabildo will locate several of these supply posts there, as well as another one that will be located in the fairgrounds of Mancha Blanca, next to the Hospitalito.At these respite points, pilgrims who need it can make a stop to combat the effects of fatigue and heat with water, fruit and sandwiches contained in the supply bags. This year, the CACT's will distribute a total of 16,000 bottles of water, 6,000 backpacks, 6,000 sandwiches and 9,700 pieces of fruit (apples, pears and oranges). They will also collaborate by installing 15 chemical toilets, one of them enabled for disabled people or people with reduced mobility. They also developed the electricity, lighting and assembly work of the stage from which the proclamation of the festivities was offered, as well as various cleaning and maintenance work on the roads and places of passage where the three supply points are located. The Security Forces (Police and Civil Guard) that will ensure the tranquility and security of the pilgrimage, will be able to rest and have lunch in the facilities of the Monumento al Campesino. Similarly, the printing of the postcards with the image of Nuestra Señora de Los Dolores was provided by the Centers.
