La Vará del Pescao was born 20 years ago when a group of young people from the village of Agüimes decided to revive one of the old fashioned customs, nowadays it is a tradition which the village elders remember with great nostalgia.
This celebration was created with the idea of making the village remember the old fishing traditions. However in the last few years the real meaning of La vará has been lost, like when the fishermen used to walk the streets making calling sounds from the seashells to alert the neighbors to come and buy their fresh sea products.
La Vará is one of the most popular events of the Fiestas del Pino de Arinaga. This year the inhabitants of this fishing village celebrated the 20th anniversary with day and night celebrations.
Route of La Vará
What originally began as a festivity of around 400 participants, now attracts 40.000 people who arrive perfectly dressed in fisherman style clothing, accompanied by music bands and folklore groups.
La Vará starts at 4pm, This is the time that the “Barca de la Vará” which is a symbolic fishing boat, makes its way along the Avenida Maritima in Playa de Arinaga giving away 1000 kilos of sardines to the crowd. More than 20 boats built on wheels are converted in floats, These floats transport grills in which the sardines will be cooked on and the crowd can enjoy. The towns people and visitors do whatever is necessary to put a grill in a trolley so they are able to follow the Barca de la Vará along the avenue.
The route begins in El Risco Verde, where the crowd joins the Barca de la Vará making it’s way towards the sound of the seashells. Meanwhile in the background music bands can be heard as well as numerous folk groups.
A Night of Fireworks
There a several stops during the route and some people take advantage to being close to the shore to take a dip in the sea and refresh themselves during a hot August afternoon, other people carry on with the party. For those who are not very keen on sardines, or want to get out of the crowd and have a rest there are a lot of bars and places where they can have tapas and baguettes. All of the bars and restaurants are located in the nearby streets to the Avenida Maritima.
At dusk, with the arrival of the fishing procession to the beach at around 10.30pm, the celebration continues among the thousands of locals and visitors. Little by little they seek out the best spot in which to view the firework display which is carried out by pyrotechnic San Miguel de Valsequillo. After the spectacular firework display have finished it puts end to yet another great afternoon and evening of celebrations in the village of Arinaga.
Quick Overview
- Name: Vará del Pescao
- Month: August
- Location: Arinaga (Agüimes)
- Day: Last Friday in August
- Hour: Day and Night
- Dress: Maritime Clothing
- Página Oficial del Ayuntamiento de Agüimes
Autor: Juan Perdomo
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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.
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