eRes Course Resources

I decided to interview my father who is from the Canary Islands in Spain. While he has lived in the US for the past 20 years, he is has still spent most of his life in the Canary Islands and speaks to his family who still lives in Spain. Q: Do people pray? When and how often do they pray? And what do people pray about? A: “Yes, everyone one prays at sometime or another. It’s a very religious culture, especially when it comes to the elderly. My mother and aunts pray every night before they go to sleep. When I was younger my eldest sister would have us pray before every school test for us to get the best outcome.” Q: What sacrifices are made for religion? A: “Every Sunday morning your time is sacrificed. We would walk 2 miles every Sunday to go to church for a few hours and then ate after with the entire family.” Q: Do people perform Pilgrimages? A: “My mother and aunts would bi-annually make a pilgrimage to the St of Candelaria, which was a walk to the other side of the island to come beg for forgiveness for the sins you had committed those last two years.” Q: Do people perform rituals such as traditional dances or ceremonies? A: “Every week is a different ‘Town Party.’ Depending on which Saint was born that week, one of the towns on the island would throw a carnival like party in the town plaza.”