Romería in Arafoverified
The Arafo romería, one of the best known in the south-east, in the town of the music bands.
Arafo is known across the island for its musical tradition: two historic bands coexist in one small town. That shows in its romería, among the liveliest in the south-east.
The romería takes place on 29 August, while the main day of San Bernardo, the municipality's patron, falls on the 31st.
To walk in the romería you need traditional dress. The programme sets it as an essential condition: anyone taking part in the procession itself wears traditional Canarian costume and leaves out anything foreign to it. Dressing as a mago is not dressing up in a costume: you do not go bare-headed (men wear a hat, women a hat and headscarf, or the headscarf alone), and sportswear, T-shirts, trainers, handbags, heels, sunglasses, caps and branded clothing are all out. Phones and keys go in a talega or a bag of traditional cloth. If you are not in costume you can still watch the romería from the street without any problem.