The alfombras de sal (carpets of salt) to celebrate Corpus Christi are currently on display in Arrecife around the Plaza de San Ginés.
Associations and collectives worked on the carpets, which are made from tons of coloured sea salt, into the evening yesterday, and the result is as impressive as ever – vivid blocks of colour in the streets of the capital.
However, there was annoyance that at least three of the carpets on Calle Real had been damaged, apparently by people riding bicycles or scooters over them during the night. Another carpet nearer the church had the word “Christ” scooped out by some nocturnal non-believer.
It’s not the first time that the carpets have been damaged by Arrecife’s night owls, and the damage isn’t too bad, but it’s a disappointment fore the people who worked so hard on these impressive displays.
The carpets will remain on display until midday today. Following the 12 o’ clock mass, the image of the Virgin will be carried out of the church and a procession will trample over all the carpets. After this, children often descend on the carpets to put the coloured salt in bottles and jam jars. Then the street sweeper will return the streets to normal.
Salt carpets can also be seen near churches in other parts of the island, but Arrecife’s is without a doubt the largest display.
For regular updates, pictures and videos of Lanzarote be sure to like and follow our Facebook page “Gazette Life Lanzarote”.
