The Sacred Heart

Spreading salt for a salt carpet

It’s El Paso’s main fiesta, The Sacred Heart (El Corazon Sagrado). Like Mazo and San José, they make archways and carpets, but they’re slightly different.

In San José, they dye the salt, and then put the colours together to make the picture. In El Paso, they start by putting down white salt –kilos and kilos of it from the salt pans in the southern tip of the island.

Spraying the colours onto the salt carpet

They carefully put a stencil on top, and spray on the various colours until the design’s complete.

Spreading salt for a salt carpet

In this case, they added a table on top with a statue of the Virgin, and then this man started retouching.

Spreading salt for a salt carpet

There will be a procession this evening after the special mass at 7 pm.

More photos tomorrow.

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.

This article has 1 Comment

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