Like so many other local festivals this event has many religious aspects and revolves around a massive pilgrimage or Romeria, as tens of thousands of locals don traditional costume and make their way to Mancha Blanca on foot from all points across the island, often pushing shopping trolleys laden with much needed ‘refreshments’!
Once assembled in Mancha Blanca the pilgrimage transforms into a massive party, with plenty of eating, drinking and dancing as well as a procession carrying the effigy of Los Dolores through the village.
Dolores is the patron saint of Lanzarote and the whole event is rooted in a ‘miracle’ that took place during the volcanic eruptions which rocked the island from 1730 to 1736. When a member of the clergy is said to have prayed and promised to build a church in return for an end to the devastation. Amazingly the lava flow descending on Mancha Blanca halted just outside the village and the point was marked with a cross, which eventually became the spot for the church which is the main focal point of the festivities today.
Over the years the event has expanded to include an Artisan Fair which gets underway in Mancha Blanca from September 12th and a folk music festival on September 14th, featuring groups from all of the Canary Islands from 21.00 onwards.