Las Nieves Fiesta

Las Nieves will be holding its annual fiesta starting on Friday at about 1 am. It’s quite a big fiesta as Our Lady of the Snows (the Virgin Mary) is the patron saint of the island. The church holds a statue of the her in painted terracotta, from the 15th century, standing on a marble throne covered with silver.

Las Nieves is a pretty hamlet, in the municipality of Santa Cruz, but about 2 km outside it as the crow flies. Normally it’s quiet, but it’ll be jam packed on Friday and all weekend, with mobile bars and stalls selling cheap toys. The secular party goes on all day, with lots of special masses and processions in between.

Posted by sheila

Sheila came to La Palma with a six month contract and has stayed 24 years so far. She used to work as a software engineer at the observatory, but now she's a writer and Starlight guide.