The Santa Lucia Fiestas are celebrated every year in the month of December in the municipality of Santa Lucia de Tirajana. The historic village of the municipality is situated in the mountains and celebrates this event with great traditional values to their patron saint – Santa Lucia.
Combining religion with the identity of the village people, this festival is without a doubt a meeting point between traditions, customs and arts and crafts by the canarian people. The festival of Santa Lucía has been declared as a tourist interest due to the rising numbers of tourists who pay a visit hoping to get the opportunity to see the Swedish Lucía.
The Swedish Lucía is a symbol of brotherhood between the Swedish people and the Canarian people. Each year, in honour of the festival the Swedish people choose their Lucía from thousands of girls dressed up in long white robes with hoods decorated with gold stars. The Canarian people also elect their own Canarian Lucía.
The two Lucias oversee both the religious and institutional celebrations within the municipality during the festival.
Highlights of Santa Lucía Fiestas
The highlight of this festival, which happens on the thirteenth day of December is the grand procession of the statue of Santa Lucía and the crowning of the “Canarian Lucía” along with the Swedish Lucia who has travelled from Sweden to Gran Canaria for this event.
The procession of the virgin of Santa Lucía is celebrated on this day to honour the patron saint and is the most important day of the festivities. It is a religious act on a huge scale in which the villagers honour the virgin, hundreds of parishioners take to the streets following the statue of their patron, alongside the two Lucías.
Throughout the day there are numerous events. Increasing in popularity is the livestock fair in which many farmers from all over the island bring their stock and also the folklore meeting Caldera de Taburiente. The day after the festivals main event, on the 14th of December, the Haragán is celebrated , when you are invited to relax and recuperate from the previous days events.
Undoubtedly this festivity is one of the most characteristic and traditional celebrations of the island. It is a symbolic day where the spirit and essence of neighbourly union flourishes, a day of coexistence and confidence, concentrating on the children, teenagers, adults and seniors of the village.
The Romería de Labrador Pilgrimage
As a finale to the festival, the following Sunday after the main celebration the Romería del Labrador pilgrimage takes place. This was first started in the seventies as a spontaneous gathering by a group of agricultural farmers and lover of a Tenderete – a traditional gathering of Canarian singers and musicians, which in the meantime became a great way to close the celebrations.
The walk starts with the statue of the virgin of Rosario being pulled by a pair of oxen, accompanied by wagons and singing and dancing villagers who are share their joy with everyone they pass by. This is one of the most authentic events and well represents the Canarian Labrador or Pilgrim farmers of the island, where the few typical products such as Santa Lucía rum, fire-baked bread and Tirajana olives, as well as the local fish, traditional biscuits, gofio and cheese must not be missed.
Author: Juan Perdomo
Translation: Amanda Belmonte
Quick Overview
Name of Event: Fiesta de Santa Lucia
Location: Santa Lucia de Tirajana
Hour: Day and Night
Date: 6 to 13 December
Highlight: Pilgrimage Walk
Dress Code: Traditional
Official page: Ayuntamiento de Santa Lucia
Facebook Page: Festival International de Santa Lucia
Tell us what you think
Tell us what you think! We would love to know. You can leave your comments below.
More from our Blog:
Our Latest Posts
Our Popular Pages:
ACTIVITIES – What to Do in Gran Canaria
My name is Amanda Belmonte and I am a web/graphic designer and photographer. I have lived in the Canary Islands for almost 15 years. Although I have lived in Lanzarote for most of that time, Gran Canaria has always been my dream Island to live on, yet it has taken me 13 years to get here.
The Gran Canaria Regional BLOG offers a platform for bloggers to write about Gran Canaria. This article represents the personal opinion and impression of the author. We like to offer a wide range of opinions and impressions to our readers. Do you have any suggestions for this article, did you notice an error? Do you have Canarian recipe you need to share? Would you also like to write about Gran Canaria? Please contact us here.