Today is the celebration of Corpus Christi in the Catholic church. On Lanzarote, that means that this weekend will bring the traditional carpets of salt to towns and villages.
Work will begin on Saturday evening, as heaps of coloured salt are dumped in the street and groups of artists gather with tools to create their carpets. The carpets are actually large murals created in brightly coloured salt, often featuring abstract patterns or messages of hope.
On Sunday morning the carpets are on display for all to admire until midday, when a mass is held and a procession leaves the church, trampling over each and every carpet to symbolise the fleeting nature of life and beauty.
Salt carpets are created near the parish churches of Teguise, Yaiza, Tías, San Bartolomé, Haría and Tinajo, but it probably Arrecife’s display, in the streets around the Plaza de San Ginés, that is the most popular.
If you’re going to visit the carpets with children, bring jam jars or bottles so they can collect stripes of coloured salt as a souvenir once the carpets have been trampled.
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