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Virgen de la Candelaria |
February 2nd is an island-wide public holiday in honour of the spiritual patron of the Canary Islands: the Virgen de la Candelaria. The Fiesta de La Candelaria is held every February 2nd, coinciding with the celebration of Candlemass - the Presentation of the Lord and the ritual purification of the Virgin Mary. In the town of Candelaria, where the figure of the Virgin resides, there is a program of religious events lasting several days.
Arafo, Arona, Arico, Candelaria, El Rosario, El Sauzal, Fasnia, Granadilla, Icod de los Vinos, La Matanza de Acentejo, La Laguna, San Miguel, Santa Cruz, Santa Ursula and Tacoronte will all be taking Carnival Tuesday (February 28th this year) off as a municipal public holiday. Yes, the main parts of Carnival are starting this month.
Photo: By Wesisnay (Own work) [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC BY-SA 2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia Commons