The photo above was taken in 2007 and shows a portion of what was to become the world’s largest sand painting, situated in the Town Hall square of La Orotava in Tenerife. When completed, the enormous creation covered an area of 9?250.7 ft² and remained in place for the duration of the town’s Corpus Christi celebrations, a beautifully creative tradition which has taken place on an annual basis for generations.

However the gigantic sand painting above is just one part of the festivities which are planned meticulously during the months preceding the Christian feast. Using a combination of naturally coloured sand and millions of flower petals, the narrow streets of the town are covered with patterns and pictures by the locals to form a network of what is known as Las Alfombras de Corpus (The Corpus Rugs).

Fortunately the weather is fairly predictable as the sand and petals are free to blow away at any moment due to the lack of adhesives used and on the day of the ceremony the decorated streets are walked on by the procession, all traces of the locals’ artistic efforts brushed away in a fraction of the time taken to painstakingly place them there initially.

The artwork attracts thousands of people from all around the world, but surprisingly The Corpus Rugs are still relatively unknown to foreigners, even to the majority of tourists who visit Tenerife on a regular basis and find themselves visiting the same tourist traps year after year.

The next time you visit Tenerife be sure to make a detour and visit this beautiful part of the Island. It’s a perfect way to see a local tradition in full swing and to witness a community pulling together to create something incredibly unique and beautiful.

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