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ARCHIVED - Sunday 12th January 2020 Romería of the Virgen de la Luz in El Cañar, Tallante Cartagena
This hugely popular Romería is always well attended
El Cañar runs between Isla Plana and Tallante
The Romeria of La Virgen de la Luz, in la Rambla de el Cañar is taking place on Sunday 12th January 2020, departing as normal from the little church in Tallante.
This is a very well-attended Romería and is always popular with locals of all nationalities, who enjoy a walk in the Cañar itself, before sharing picnics with friends in the attractive setting of the rambla.
Events begin at 8.30am in the church of Tallante, with a eucharist and presentation of the medals of honour to the mayordomos of Tallante, followed by hot chocolate and rolls for all afterwards at 9am.
After mass, at around 9.30am the Virgen de la Luz is carried out of the hermitage and sets off on foot to the hermitage of Santiago Apostól at El Rincon de su Miedo, about 1km away, where the procession stops for the neighbours to enjoy a drink and a spot of refreshment.
It´s usually here until around 11.00.
At this point, the Virgen is loaded onto the back of a lorry and driven down to the Cañar itself, where she is unloaded about half a kilometre away from the what is called the Fuente, roughly in the middle of the Cañar. It´s about a 3km walk from Rincon de su Miedo to the fuente.
The fuente is a natural water source, a place which has played such an important ròle in the lives of the inhabitants of this area, and in this case, it´s a long history.
The first traces of habitation in the Cañar date back to the late Paleolithic, which roughly covers 60,000 to 10,000 BC, and there is evidence of Roman occupation in nearby Isla Plana, so its highly likely that this water source would have been used by Roman shepherds in the period between 200 BC and 350 AD.
Following this there is no real evidence of human habitation until the 16th century, when reference is made to the fuente in municipal documentation.
The actual Cañar itself is 7 km long, and runs from Isla Plana to Tallante, and is a lovely walk at any time of the year, so whichever end participants select to access the fuente on this day, it´s about 3km in.
It´s considerably busier coming in from the Isla Plana end ( directions and map below) as many groups walk up to the fuente from this end. The nearer to the fuente, the more difficult it is to park, and the road is narrow.
About 1km in from Isla Plana is a wider area where many choose to park and walk in from there. It´s easy to access, but many people turn out on this day, so it just gets busy.
Once off the lorry, the Virgen de la Luz is carried down to the fuente and the little hermitage of La Luz, where an open air mass is sung by the Cuadrillas and the mayordomos of Isla Plana are presented with their medals.
The cuadrillas start to play around 12.00 and mass is at 14.00. This is a musical mass sung by the cuadrillas present, which is more like a folk music concert than a religious service.
The original hermitage dates back to the 17th century, when a shepherd tending his flock saw a vision of the Virgin Mary, although the existing structure was only constructed in the 1950s.
Following this, there´s normally a big paella for all supplied by the council ( although most people take their own picnic along as well) the cuadrillas enjoy a spot of music and merrymaking and lots of people will bring food and set up picnics.
Accessing the Romeria
Many are not really interested in the religious aspect, so tend to miss out the mass at the beginning and make sure they´re in position near the fuente when the Virgen arrives on foot. Timings are always a little vague, but be in position for around midday, and that should be OK.
To access the Cañar:
If you look at the link here the Rambla runs down from Casas de Tallante to Isla Plana, and is an un-named and unmade dusty track. The fuente is about 2-3km from Isla Plana.
Driving along the main coastroad from Puerto de Mazarron, go through Isla Plana. Go past Nonos Restaurant, the road bends to the left, and there is a bar and parking on the right hand side.
Take the left hand turning through the middle of the greenhouses and that leads into the Cañar. There are likely to be quite a few people around. Many of you will have seen the huge white cliff that dominates the skyline driving across from Fuente Alamo: the Cañar runs along the foot of this.
From Tallante end. The white Tallante church is on the main N332 running from Cartagena to Puerto de Mazarron, stay on the old road and follow signs for Tallante, don´t go around it on the new bypass. Opposite the church is a turning, which leads straight down to Rincon de su Miedo. From here, the road continues straight on into the cañar.
Don´t turn off, just go straight, and the road bends and climbs then drops down into the cañar and turns into an unmade rambla running along the foot of the great white escarpment. the road is fine, a bit bumpy, but OK, just leave the low slung ferrari at home and you´ll be fine! Expect to end up walking, the cañar track is one car wide, and on this day patience is required.
If you've not been before, go, it's a community event, relaxed and enjoyable, and a lovely way to enjoy the open air and stunning scenery of this rambla, which is a great place for a walk any day of the year.
The day closes at 5.15pm when the virgen is returned to her church in Tallante, with the salve in her honour sung as she returns back to the chapel.
Click here for further information about the Cartagena municipality
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