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Corpus Christi Carpets

Día de las Alfombras 2007: Guinness World Record for the Largest Sand Painting

Every year on the "octava" (eighth day) of Corpus Christi - i.e. the Thursday after the date of the religious feast - the town of La Orotava celebrates its Día de las Alfombras (Carpet Day), when, since 1846, carpets of sand and flowers have been made as a traditional part of the celebrations. La Orotava families start making the flower carpets in the streets from the early hours of "carpet day."

A central sand carpet - created using sand and soil from Teide National Park - in the square in front of the town hall (pictured above) made the Guinness World Record for Largest Sand Painting; the 859.42 square meter "alfombra" or carpet of sand created in La Orotava in Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain) in June 2007.

In the early evening the procession walks all over these ephemeral carpets and destroys them, so the "window of opportunity" to see them is very short. 

As works of art, they are breath-taking and for once I wish we had "smellyvision", because, if the sight of them is magnificent, then the aroma of tons of toasted plant material and the plethora of petals is close to hypnotic in itself.

This is the tapestry that commemorated the 100th anniversary of the carpet in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento in La Orotava, in 2019

YearCorpus Christi Día de las Alfombras
2010 3 June 10 June
2011 23 June 30 June
2012 7 June 14 June
2013 30 May 6 June
2014 19 June 26 June
2015 4 June 11 June
2016 26 May 2 June
2017 15 June 22 June
2018 31 May 7 June
2019 20 June 27 June
2020 11 June 18 June CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19
2021 3 June 10 June CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19
2022 16 June 23 June
2023 8 June 15 June
2024 30 May 7 June
2025 19 June 26 June
2026 4 June 11 June
2027 27 May 3 June
2028 15 June 22 June
2029 31 May 8 June
2030 20 June 27 June
2031 12 June 19 June
2032 27 May 3 June
2033 16 June 23 June
2034 8 June 15 June
2035 24 May 31 May
2036 12 June 19 June
2037 4 June 11 June
2038 24 June 1 July
2039 9 June 16 June
2040 31 May 8 June
2041 20 June 27 June
2042 5 June 12 June
2043 28 May 4 June
2044 16 June 23 June
2045 8 June 15 June
2046 24 May 31 May
2047 13 June 20 June
2048 4 June 11 June
2049 17 June 24 June
2050 9 June 16 June
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