A little bit about the Virgen del Cisne

In my previous post, I said that we are in the middle of the fiestas of the Virgen del Cisne. It has come to my attention that you, the hearyoni reader, might not be quite familiar with these festivities.

The main celebration and pilgrimage associated with these fiestas occurs in the province of Loja (east of El Oro). But because there is a large population of immigrants from Loja in El Oro, the fiestas are also commemorated here.

A little bit about the history of the fiestas.

El Cisne is a small town in the province of Loja founded in 1550. Later in the 16th century, the residents of El Cisne traveled to Quito to ask a sculptor for an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe to place in their sanctuary. With the statue in tow, the residents of El Cisne returned home. (FYI: We're not talking about the Virgin of Guadalupe from Mexico. This is the Virgin of Guadalupe from Caceres, Spain)

In 1594, a terrible drought hit the region. The authorities in Quito said that the residents should abandon the village and relocate. They took the statue with them. On their journey to their new village. From the moment they arrived in their new hamlet, it was beset by violent storms that uprooted trees, knocked over homes, and ruined their harvests.

The residents took this as a punishment from the Virgin for having removed her from El Cisne. They disobeyed the government's orders and returned to their hometown. In the end, the government decreed that the the town should always be populated.

It is very popular for people to make a pilgrimage on foot to El Cisne at this time of year. Some travel hundreds of kilometers, on foot through the Andes, to reach El Cisne. Others travel in bus.

For people who don't make the pilgrimage, they mark the occasion with several masses (I believe there is a mass for nine consecutive nights), a vaca loca, the burning of the castillo, bailes, and other traditional fiesta activities.