Church of the Guanche People facts for kids
The church's official symbol
|
|
| Formation | 2001 |
|---|---|
| Type | Guanche ethnic neopaganism |
| Headquarters | San Cristóbal de La Laguna (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain). |
|
Region
|
Canary Islands, Spain |
| Website | Church of the Guanche People |
The Church of the Guanche People (Spanish: Iglesia del Pueblo Guanche) is a religious group. It was started in 2001 in the city of San Cristóbal de La Laguna. This city is on the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, Spain.
The main goal of this church is to bring back and share the old religion of the Guanches. The Guanches were the first people to live on the Canary Islands. They lived there before the Spanish took over.
In 2008, about 300 people were members of this church. The Church of the Guanche People is studied as one of the smaller religions in the Canary Islands.
Contents
Who Started the Church?
This church was started by people from the Canary Islands. They were followers of the goddess Chaxiraxi. She was an important goddess in the Guanche religion. Chaxiraxi was linked to the harvest, which is when crops are gathered.
What Does the Church Do?
The Church of the Guanche People performs special ceremonies. They do baptisms and weddings. They try to follow the old Guanche customs for these events.
In 2002, a wedding was held on Tenerife island. It followed what they believed were Guanche traditions. This kind of ceremony had not happened for hundreds of years. It stopped when Spain took control of the islands.
The Guanche Calendar
The Church of the Guanche People has its own special calendar for religious events. This calendar officially started in 2001. That year, they had their first celebration of Achu n Magek.
According to their calendar, the year 2001 is called "Year 1 of the Guanche New Age." This shows they are starting a new time for their ancient religion.
Modern Guanche Religion
The Church of the Guanche People is a modern pagan group. It is a part of Canarian Neopaganism. Neopaganism means new paganism. It is a modern way of practicing old religions.
See also
- Germanic Heathenism
- Hellenism
- Kemetism
