Valle Gran Rey Christmas programme 2019

Above the programme for the Christmas season in Valle Gran Rey. First there's the annual 'Noche en Blanco' with live music and late shopping in Vueltas this Saturday. A similar event takes place a week later in La Playa. The New Year's Eve fiesta happens in La Playa this year and then we'll have the main Los Reyes Christmas fiesta from the 5th to the 7th of January 2020 in El Guro.

British walker rescued after fall on treacherous path

Mountain rescue (Archive image)

A 70-year-old British woman had to be rescued by helicopter on Saturday afternoon after falling while walking in the Las Lecheras, El Guro, area of Valle Gran Rey. Emergency services say that they were called out at around 4pm after reports that the woman had lower leg injuries, and she was airlifted to San Sebastián and then taken by ambulance to the island’s Hospital Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe where her condition is said not to be serious.

The Las Lecheras path is one of the most treacherous in La Gomera and is officially closed as erosion and rockfalls have made it almost impassable and hard to find in places. There are some misleading goat paths in the area which add to the danger. This path and the dangerous path up (or down) the Argaga ravine are the two paths which are definitely best avoided and and often the cause for complicated rescue operations.

The great fiesta is over

After a final few rounds anticlockwise around the idyllically-situated chapel in El Guro (below) in Valle Gran Rey, the statue of Nuestra Señora de Los Reyes (above) is now back home inside her sanctuary, ending a month of processions, festivities and fiestas. The images were taken on Saturday Dec. 6th 2018 which is the most important day of this Bajada, which is celebrated every five years. The prayers were heard and a few light showers ensued, but the ragged-looking bunting shows how windy it was over the past weekend.

Colourful pageant tonight plus concert and dancing

Tonight a spectacular pageant will be staged at 8 pm in the harbour of Vueltas in Valle Gran Rey re-enacting of the arrival of the medieval painting above many years ago.

According to local lore a foreign merchant brig or a pirate sailing ship (depending on the narrator) anchored in the the natural harbour of Valle Gran Rey and the sailors rowed ashore urgently looking for provisions and water, sometime in the middle of the last millennium. The area was very sparsely populated in those days, and the the locals were very poor but they made the sailors welcome and brought goats cheese, honey, water and more to provision the ship. They were promised the religious painting  above in return for the goods and a feast to celebrate the deal was held on the beach.

When the locals were asleep the sailors re-took the painting and tried to steal away, but the previously calm weather suddenly changed to continuously stormy weather that made it impossible for their ship to leave the bay. They eventually repented and  returned the painting to the locals, praying to be forgiven. Miraculously the weather immediately calmed again and they could continue their journey. 

The much venerated image has since been housed in the oldest church in Valle Gran Rey up in El Guro, and the valuable medieval painting is the focal point of the 'VII Bajada' fiesta which officially starts tomorrow (see: The Great Fiesta begins).

The pageant will be directly followed by a concert on the pier entitled 'Cabañuelas en La Gomera' featuring Pedro Manuel Afonso from Gran Canaria. After that there'll be salsa bands and dancing 'til late...well, early morning more likely.

The Christmas Fiesta in January

Above the programme. Find out more about this traditional event...

Upper Valle Gran Rey

Part of upper Valle Gran Rey seen from El Guro last Friday evening after a light shower

Programme for festive season 2016 in VGR

Above is the programme for the Christmas and New Year season in Valle Gran Rey (click image to enlarge). The New Year's Eve and New Year's Day fiestas take place in the harbour of Vueltas this year.
It all culminates in the main Christmas fiesta on January 6th 2017 at the chapel above El Guro/Casa de la Seda which begins as always with the procession from La Calera at midday.

Main Christmas Presents and Fiesta Jan. 6th

Fiesta in Los Reyes, El Guro, Valle Gran Rey, La Gomera

In Spain and some Latin American countries,the 6th of January is called El Día de los Reyes (The Day of the Kings). It marks the day when the Three Kings or Magi, as related in the second chapter of the gospel of Matthew, arrived to worship and bring their gifts to the baby Jesus after following a star in the sky.  In Spanish tradition on January 6th (Epiphany) the kings  Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthazar (representing Arabia, the Orient, and Africa) arrived on horse, camel and elephant, bringing respectively gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus. Children (and many adults) polish and leave their shoes ready for the Kings' presents before they go to bed on the eve of January 6. The next morning presents will appear under their shoes as the kings  take the role of Santa Claus here . Most towns in Spain arrange colorful parades representing the arrival of the Reyes Magos to town a day or two before, so children can see them on their camels or carriages and hand them letters listing their wishes.  Wine, snacks, fruit and milk are left for the Kings and their camels. In Spain, children typically receive presents on this day, rather than on Christmas, though this tradition has changed a bit in recent years, and children now receive presents on both days.

Ermita de Los Reyes in El Guro, Valle Gran Rey

The Ramo

V.alle Gran Rey's oldest church is in El Guro and dedicated to Los Reyes. Every year the Fiesta de Los Reyes in honour of them takes  place on the national holiday Jan. 6th when the 'Ramo' is made this morning at the cultural centre in La Calera. From there the procession to the chapel of Los Reyes starts at midday, led by the 'ramo' which is an artfully bound bouquet of fruit and vegetables of considerable weight. All is a noisy affair with loud firecrackers being shot into the air along the way. A traditional dance is being performed by many worshippers during the processions, accompanied by ancient chants and the 'chacarras y tambores'. The 'chacarras' are a locally made very large type of castanets, of which there is a 'male' and a 'female', the 'female' having a slightly higher pitch. The 'tambores' are Gomera's unique goat-skinned drums. After arrival there's a mass in the chapel in El Guro followed by folklore and several salsa bands and dancing until early morning.

Tomorrow, January 7th, is a local holiday in Valle Gran Rey and afternoon mass at 'Los Reyes'  will be followed by Canarian folklore and a party outside the chapel.

Finally, this year there will be additional activities and entertainment for children in La Playa's Plaza San Pedro in V.G.R. on Sat Jan. 9th from 5pm.

Fatal motorbike accident

Location of the crash

A motorbike collided with a car between El Guro and Los Granados in Valle Gran Rey at around 9:15 last night, resulting in the death of the driver of the high-powered motorcycle. His pillion passenger suffered severe injuries but is said to be stable in hospital. The cause of the accident is yet unknown.

I passed the scene of the accident by public bus shortly after the incident had happened and I was shocked by what I saw. The dead man was lying in the middle of the road covered in a blanket and it took me some time to identify a twisted lump of metal as the remains of a motorbike. Police was on the scene diverting traffic past the scene of the accident. The car involved in the collision appeared to have only minor damage. 

La Gomera's mountains claim more victims

It was a busy and dangerous evening for the rescue helicopter from neighbouring El Hierro island yesterday. First it was called out to Valle Gran Rey to attend to a woman who was descending from the mountains near the chapel of Los Reyes in El Guro fell and suffered a leg fracture. The area where the victim was situated proved to be extremely dangerous for the helicopter to approach and the very gusty winds plus some fog and drizzle created additional hazards. After several attempts the chopper finally managed to set down rescuers nearby who got the victim into a position from where she could be winched up on a stretcher. She was then flown to the island's hospital in San Sebastian de La Gomera. There the helicopter was needed once again as a local man had fallen into a steep ravine nearby and died. With the help of the chopper it was hoped to recover the body, but owing to the extremely difficult terrain and the approaching dark this mission had to be aborted. This morning the man's remains were still there and recovery efforts continue.

Images showing attempts to approach the victim behind this ridge of mountain in Valle Gran Rey yesterday

Christmas festivities on La Gomera start tonight

Ermita de Los Reyes in El Guro, Valle Gran Rey

In Spain and some Latin American countries,the 6th of January is called El Día de los Reyes (The Day of the Kings). It marks the day when the Three Kings or Magi, as related in the second chapter of the gospel of Matthew, arrived to worship and bring their gifts to the baby Jesus after following a star in the sky.  In Spanish tradition on January 6th (Epiphany) the kings  Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthazar (representing Arabia, the Orient, and Africa) arrived on horse, camel and elephant, bringing respectively gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus. Children (and many adults) polish and leave their shoes ready for the Kings' presents before they go to bed on the eve of January 6. The next morning presents will appear under their shoes as the kings  take the role of Santa Claus here . Most towns in Spain arrange colorful parades representing the arrival of the Reyes Magos to town a day or two before, so children can see them on their camels or carriages and hand them letters listing their wishes.  Wine, snacks, fruit and milk are left for the Kings and their camels. In Spain, children typically receive presents on this day, rather than on Christmas Day, though this tradition has changed a bit in recent years, and children now receive presents on both days.

The Ramo

In Valle Gran Rey the Kings begin their tour in the mountain village of Las Hayas on Jan. 5th at 4 pm and then continue through all the villages and barrios of the valley and will finally collect the letters addressed to them near the town hall.

V.G.R.'s oldest church is in El Guro and dedicated to Los Reyes. Every year the Fiesta de Los Reyes in honour of them takes place there and this year the proceedings begin tonight, Jan. 3rd with all night dancing to the usual pop-salsa bands from 10 pm. On Jan. 6th the 'Ramo' is made in the morning at the cultural centre in La Calera, from where the procession to the chapel of Los Reyes starts at midday with the typical dance steps and chants. After arrival there's a mass in the chapel in El Guro followed by more salsa bands and partying.

Chapel vandalised

Damaged window © Diario de Avisos

One of the oldest and best-known chapels on La Gomera, the Ermita de Los Santos Reyes in the parish of Valle Gran Rey near El Guro/Casa de la Seda suffered an act of vandalism when some of its stained-glass windows were found to have been damaged on Thursday morning. The small 500 years old church is beautifully but remotely situated on the less-inhabited eastern side of the valley and can only be reached via a steep path. It appears that small stones were thrown from the outside to damage the windows and some letters had also been scratched into the door. Police are investigating this rare and very strange incident.

'Los Reyes' chapel (centre)

Procession of 'Ramo' to Los Reyes chapel today

Some images of today's procession below. See: Second Christmas Presents and Fiesta

The Ramo (centre)

Second Christmas Presents and Fiesta

In Spain and some Latin American countries,the 6th of January is called El Día de los Reyes (The Day of the Kings). It marks the day when the Three Kings or Magi, as related in the second chapter of the gospel of Matthew, arrived to worship and bring their gifts to the baby Jesus after following a star in the sky.  In Spanish tradition on January 6th (Epiphany) the kings  Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthazar (representing Arabia, the Orient, and Africa) arrived on horse, camel and elephant, bringing respectively gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus. Children (and many adults) polish and leave their shoes ready for the Kings' presents before they go to bed on the eve of January 6. The next morning presents will appear under their shoes as the kings  take the role of Santa Claus here . Most towns in Spain arrange colorful parades representing the arrival of the Reyes Magos to town a day or two before, so children can see them on their camels or carriages and hand them letters listing their wishes.  Wine, snacks, fruit and milk are left for the Kings and their camels. In Spain, children typically receive presents on this day, rather than on Christmas, though this tradition has changed a bit in recent years, and children now receive presents on both days.

Ermita de Los Reyes in El Guro, Valle Gran Rey

The Ramo

In Valle Gran Rey the Kings begin their tour in the mountain village of Las Hayas on Jan. 5th at 4 pm and then continue through all the villages and barrios of the valley and will finally collect the letters addressed to them near the town hall.

V.G.R.'s oldest church is in El Guro and dedicated to Los Reyes. Every year the Fiesta de Los Reyes in honour of them takes place there and this year the proceedings begin on Jan 4th with all night dancing to the usual salsa bands from 10 pm. On Jan. 6th the 'Ramo' is made in the morning at the cultural centre in La Calera, from where the procession to the chapel of Los Reyes starts at midday with the typical dance steps and chants. After arrival there's a mass in the chapel in El Guro followed by more salsa bands and partying.