Religious festivals Canary Islands

It is the celebration par excellence marking the identity of Gran Canaria. The feast of the Virgin of Pino, the island's patron saint, takes place in and around Teror. The night before, hundreds of pilgrims come on foot from their villages to the Basilica of Teror, some out of devotion, others for fun or curiosity. Local produce, fruit and vegetables, fish and handicrafts are laid out in front of the Virgin, who is on the street in front of the basilica for the occasion. Then transported in a circuit in the heart of the city centre.

Classified as a festival of international tourist interest, it has been held every five years since 1680. On the last Sunday of June, a romería, a pilgrimage, takes the Virgen de Las Nieves from her sanctuary to the church of El Salvador in Santa Cruz de la Palma. This marks the beginning of the semana chica, a small week, during which the Pantorga, a night parade, takes place. Then comes the semana grande marked by the parades of giants and especially the "dance of the dwarfs", which sees the dancers transform into dwarfs and dance to the rhythm of the polka.