![Corpus Christi archway, Mazo, La Palma Corpus Christi archway, Mazo, La Palma, Canary Islands](https://sheilacrosby.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2010/06/corpus192.jpg)
Mazo in La Palma is one of the best places to be at Corpus Christi. Of course, Catholics all over the world celebrate the fiesta, but in Mazo they make the most wonderful archways and carpets decorated with petals, leaves and seeds.
![Corpus Christi archway, Mazo, La Palma Corpus Christi archway, Mazo, La Palma. Canary Islands](https://sheilacrosby.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2010/06/corpus179.jpg)
Each village of the municipality makes an archway with a carpet and a little altar.
![Corpus Christi flower carpet, Mazo, La Palma Corpus Christi flower carpet, Mazo, La Palma. Canary Islands](https://sheilacrosby.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2010/06/corpus166.jpg)
During a normal Catholic mass, the host is put into a special vessel called a monstrance. During the procession at Mazo, the priest walks on the flower carpets while everyone else walks at the sides. As the priest reaches each archway, he places the monstrance on the little altar, kneels, and wafts incense towards it.
![Corpus Christi altar, Mazo, La Palma Corpus Christi altar, Mazo, La Palma. Canary Islands](https://sheilacrosby.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2010/06/corpus149.jpg)
It’s difficult to overstate the work that goes into this. For example, how long do you think it would take you to do make of these?
![Corpus Christi archway, Mazo, La Palma Detail of Corpus Christi archway, Mazo, La Palma, Canary Islands](https://sheilacrosby.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2010/06/corpus202.jpg)
And there are 25 of these rosettes across the base of the archway.
![Base of Corpus Christi archway, Mazo, La Palma Basel of Corpus Christi archway, Mazo, La Palma, Canary Islands](https://sheilacrosby.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2010/06/corpus146.jpg)
And the whole thing is maybe 10 metres (33 ft) high.
![Corpus Christi archway, Mazo, La Palma Corpus Christi archway, Mazo, La Palma, Canary Islands](https://sheilacrosby.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2010/06/corpus143a.jpg)
The archways will stay up until Sunday. If you miss this, you can see some examples from previous years in the Red House Museum. You can also see photos of last year’s archways and procession here.
Next year, Corpus Christi will be on 23 June 2011.
![Corpus Christi picture, Mazo, La Palma Corpus Christi picture, Mazo, La Palma, Canary Islands](https://sheilacrosby.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2010/06/corpus180.jpg)
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