I follow a Lanzarote blogger called Arminda Arteta Viotti, who writes about the human history of Lanzarote. The other day she posted about how there has long been a strong tradition of beliefs in witches and spirits on the island.
She wrote about how, in the times before electricity, the solitude, the darkness, the winds and shadows of nighttime Lanzarote were a perfect mix to cultivate beliefs in the supernatural.
Apparently, older people here still talk about the "bailaderos" (dance meetings) of witches in the villages Soo and Mozaga - where we currently live. At these gatherings, the witches would meet to dance, sing and make "scandals".
In the past, many people claimed they had been assaulted on the roads of Soo and Mozaga by witches in the form of animals. Word spread that the witches would kidnap people who were walking at night from town to town, only for the victims to reappear somewhere else on the island several days later, confused and disorientated.
To protect themselves from the witches, a tradition grew that those who had to walk alone at night through the fields and villages would start to sing very loudly to themselves as soon as it grew dark. The lyrics to one such traditional folk song to ward off witches were :
"Every time an islander walks alone, He sings at night out loud for he knows that all his limbs will tremble with fear."
I am looking forward to some spooky night walks around our village, with this information on my mind.
Source: Arminda Arteta Viotti
Image: "Aquelarre" by Goya
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