Celebrating the Unique Fishing Tradition at La Aldea
On Thursday, 11 September, La Aldea welcomed around 8,000 people to the El Charco Festival, the most popular and representative event of the patron saint festivities in honour of San Nicolás de Tolentino. This celebration marks the beginning of the annual festivities in late August and concludes in mid-September.
## A Tradition Unfolds
At 17:00, in line with tradition, locals and visitors sprang into action once again, diving into the mud in pursuit of the best mullet. The atmosphere was filled with excitement, anticipation, and joy.
The Mayor of La Aldea, Pedro Suarez, initiated the festivities by launching the signal at 17:00. This event has become a key part of the town’s identity, blending history, culture, and tradition. Historically, the day following the religious festival – 10 September – witnessed locals heading to the beach to practice Embarbascada, a fishing technique involving the use of plant sap to sedate fish, making them easier to catch by hand.
## A Celebration of Community
“The emotion and responsibility felt during such a unique festival reaffirms our identity as a community and draws in those who are unfamiliar with our celebration,” remarked Mayor Pedro Suárez.
Event organiser, Leandra Delgado, stated that the patron saint festivities dedicated to San Nicolás de Tolentino encapsulate the spirit of a municipality that, as the song suggests, is “far from the capital yet very close to the hearts of the people of Gran Canaria.”
In this edition of the festival, Abián Valencia León won the award for the largest catch, weighing 1,100 grams and measuring 47 centimetres, while Ancor Jiménez Ramírez was recognised for the highest number of catches.
The afternoon was filled with excitement, complemented by lively music and a familial atmosphere during lunch, following a dance session that began at noon and continued past two o’clock on the La Aldea pier. The unmistakable tunes from the Agaete band had everyone dancing and singing along to cherished local anthems like “Soy aldeano, señor.”
This event perfectly rounds off the trio of the most popular programmes during the festivities in honour of San Nicolás de Tolentino in La Aldea: the branch, the pilgrimage, and the charco.
