The Canaries, second largest Catholic community after the Murcia region
Although its constitution is secular, Spain is still strongly influenced by the Christian Catholic tradition, and in this respect the Canaries are no exception to these national beliefs. Quite the contrary, in fact. According to a 2015 survey, with 84.5% Catholics, the Canaries are the second most Catholic community in Spain, after Murcia. However, as in the rest of Spain, religion is also losing ground here, particularly among young people, as shown by a survey published in May 2019 that clarifies everyone's practices. To the question "How do you define yourself in relation to religious feeling?", 24.3% of those questioned said they were practicing Catholics, but 52.3% said they were non-practicing, like the average Spaniard. 11.6% said they were atheists and 6.1% agnostics, with 2.2% practicing another religion. Anecdotally, there is also a Guanche People's Church, founded in 2001 in La Laguna on the island of Tenerife, which practises a neo-paganism that honours Chaxiraxi, the universal mother goddess of the Guanches, but has only a few hundred followers. Since Spanish colonization in the 15th century, the ancient aboriginal religion has been replaced by the Catholic Christian religion, which has not only banned it, but also reclaimed some of its symbols, as illustrated by the veneration of the Virgen de la Candelaria on the island of Tenerife, or the Rama festival, celebrated every August in the small village of Agaete on Gran Canaria. This takes up an aboriginal belief that invoked the sky and the gods to bring rain, and puts on a rather surprising show during the verbena, when everyone walks two steps forward and one step back, arms raised. In the chiaroscuro of the night lights, the arms rising and falling in different rhythms are visually reminiscent of raindrops.
Special devotion to the Virgin
As in the rest of Spain, the Canaries are marked by a strong religious devotion, particularly to the Virgin Mary. Each island venerates a particular Virgin and patron saints, and beyond religious belief, this veneration is the occasion for festivities that mark the historical and cultural traditions of the islands and function more as an affirmation of identity. They are also the occasion for a festive agenda involving all generations. Here are the main celebrations on each island. Every year, Tenerife celebrates the Virgen de la Candelaria (Candlemas) on August 14 and 15 with a procession from the Basilica de la Candelaria to Teide Park. Legend has it that the Virgin appeared to two Guanche shepherds in 1392, a hundred years before the conquest, who venerated her in a cave until she was swept away by a tidal wave in 1826. Now housed in the basilica, the current statue dates back to the 19th century, but the cave that once sheltered the Virgin, baptized Achbinico by the Guanches and renamed San Blas by the Spaniards, can still be seen at the end of the paseo maritime. On September 8, Teror celebrates Gran Canaria's patron saint, the Virgen del Pino, who appeared in 1482 under a pine tree that became Pino Santo and was later replaced by a new one, enthroned next to the basilica, after being struck by lightning. Pilgrims and carts of offerings to the Virgin mark this festivity, during which you can enjoy the essential chorizo sandwich. Since 1680, Santa Cruz de La Palma has only celebrated its Virgen de las Nieves every 5 years between June and August (the 2020 edition was cancelled due to Covid), with highlights including the dwarf dance and the minué, an 18th-century dance based on the French minuet. La Gomera also celebrates the Virgen de Guadalupe every 5 years on October 8. She is taken down in a fisherman's boat from her sanctuary in Puntillana to San Sebastián de la Gomera. For the Betancuria festival, Fuerteventura accompanies its Virgen de la Peña on the road to Vega del Río de Palma. On September 15, Lanzarote pays tribute to the Virgen de los Dolores where she performed her miracle of stopping the Timanfaya lava flow. Finally, El Hierro honors the Virgen de los Reyes by accompanying her from the Dehesa de Sabinosa to Valverde.
