Every year, residents of Puerto de la Cruz on the Spanish Canary island of Tenerife carry a statue of the Virgen del Carmen from its chapel to a beach at the harbour.

virgen del carmen
Men carry the statue of Virgen del Carmen to Puerto de la Cruz dock on the Canary island of Tenerife, Spain. Getty

Huge crowds watch as the statue is placed onto a fishing boat – the Virgen del Carmen is the patron saint of fishermen.

The boat carrying the statue then makes a short journey along the island coast before returning to the harbour, accompanied by a flotilla of small boats.