With a population of 45,000 Arrecife, the capital of Lanzarote is a typical Spanish city serving up a wealth of beaches, promenades, parks, shopping malls and nightlife. All of these attractions appeal to tourists on Lanzarote holidays as do the wealth of tourist attractions such as Castillo San Jose located by Puerto Marmoles. The fort became a refuge when a volcano reaped destruction on the island and engulfed people’s homes. The castle, offering up alms. became a refuge known as the “Fortress of Hunger”. Arrecife is probably best known for it’s ‘saltwater rugs’ which are created to celebrate Corpus Christi.

There is an exodus in Arrecife after the Corpus Christi mass has been said. The next part has been planned for months and is when the locals go and collect all the tools that they need and find a vacant piece of pavement to create their ‘Alfombras de Sal’ (saltwater rug). The design is simply a picture made from coloured salt.

Arrecife used to be a major salt exporter because of the number of salt pans in the area. Now, only a few remain at Salinas de Janubio. The salt is bought by the local council and businesses, who spend 10, 000 Euros every year. This is a good investment as the ‘saltwater carpets/ rugs’ are a big tourist attraction, bringing the crowds from Lanzarote holidays to see the artwork.

You’ll find that the standard of the saltwater rugs in Arrecife varys greatly with some being considered quite amateurish, whilst others are masterpieces that have taken hours to create. Pictures are created on other towns and cities in the Canaries with flowers, but only Arrecife uses salt.

After the pavements around the church and also the Plaza de Constitucion have been covered, the artists and their families and friends go into the city to celebrate, which allows the tourists from Fuerteventura holidays the chance inspect their work and take photographs. Unfortunately, these creation only last for a day. The next afternoon at 13.30 local time, all the congregation, including the artists who have made the ‘carpets’ take part in the Procession of The Blessed Sacrament and trample all the designs underfoot.

Emily Collins works in the travel industry and writes about destinations in the Canaries, including “Fuerteventura holidays. For more information on Lanzarote and the Canaries visit YouTravel.com.