1. WE ARE GOING TO CELEBRATE “ THE WATER DAY” ON
22TH MARCH, TALKING ABOUT THE LEGEND OF
THE MYSTERIOUS HOLY IRON TREE FROM EL
HIERRO : GARÓE
The legend is about holy tree that the Bimbaches ( ancient people from El Hierro Canary
Island) called Garoé (' river, lagoon '). It was one of its symbols. hen the conquerors
were coming, the bimbaches decided to keep The holy Tree in secret to avoid new
foreigners: the Castilian or Spanish soldiers finding out it . The legend asserts that
the Garoé was a large laurel tree that assured the life of the Bimbaches,
providing them water in sufficient amounts for their survival. The Bimbaches
later filled water chaffs and water was transported to towns to all parts of the
island.
2. The secret was only kept for some time: a local young gilr fell in love with an European
soldier and showed him the place where Garóe was. Conquerors discovered the tree
after the soldier had told them the hidden place. The Bimbaches killed the woman near
Garoé, it was also named, the Holy Iron Tree. She was killed because she had reveled its
secret.
It has also medicinal virtues: it is said its root to be used for curing illnesses. A
hurricane knocked the holy tree down in 1610.
The scientific explanation
Due to its location, where tradewinds occur, the
water from the clouds is condensed from the branches from the trees and
it later pours rain around the island. This phenomenon takes place
throughout the Canary Islands.
3. The original tree fell in a storm in 1610. In 1957, another laural was planted
in the same location as the Garoé. It has been growing and is presently
surrounded by mosses.
Clouds continue to pass through the summits of the island and, during
foggy days, produce the observable phenomenon of horizontal rain. the
Garoé has been left in herreña conscience as a sacred tree able to provide
water to the island
By
Amanda Arvelo GROUP1
Agnieszka Bednarz (Poland)
Ewa Kijas (Poland)
Karolina Barglik (Poland)
Yara María Zamora (Spain)
Elizabeth Santana (Spain)
Miriam (Germany
