The Canarian carnival between heat and color
One afternoon, speaking with the Gran Canarian actress Antonia San Juan, he confessed to me that for her “the land in the distance is like a vacation for a child”. I was lucky enough to be born into a carnival family on the island of La Palma and today, also in the distance, I think of the Canary Islands, and innumerable memories of childhood and youth are painted in my mind in bright colors, they move to the They have warm rhythms and arouse the desire for February to enjoy, like yesterday, the days and nights of Carnival.
The murga refines her voices and, at the top of her lungs, humorously proclaims lyrics loaded with social criticism , while the comparsa and the batucada are protagonists in parades of an authentic explosion of music and dance. It is time to open old trunks full of masks and colorful costumes, a fun search for fantasies that for two weeks will fill the streets and squares of the largest cities and population centers with magic.
Undoubtedly, an average annual temperature of 22 ºC invites in the middle of winter invites you to immerse yourself among the mogollones and beach bars and to join in the fun parrandas, enjoying in first person the whole essence of a party that the Canarian people prepare with fervor for months. A faithful portrait of the idiosyncrasy of the town, it could be said that in the Canary Islands the whole year is carnival. At the end of its celebration, there is no time for sorrow and, with the same euphoria with which the starting gun was fired, all eyes are directed to the following year and the neighborhood associations soon meet again in their local rehearsal: the countdown begins for new carnival times.
1) SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE
"The Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife already has a Queen!" . This is perhaps one of the phrases that are proclaimed with the greatest enthusiasm during the celebration of carnivals in the chicharrera capital. On the immense stage that, adapted to the theme ( this year is “Bollywood” ), is installed every year at the Tenerife Fairgrounds. The coming and going of candidates for Queen becomes a media event that every year brings together accredited journalists from around the world. It is an intense creative and artisan work of several months, resulting in spectacular dresses with magical designs and large dimensions. They can weigh up to 200 kg but, thanks to the help of the wheels that are attached to their structures, the young hopefuls freely show off their fantasies to the beat of the music.
Cavalcades color the city
The Grand Gala for the Election of the Santa Cruz Carnival Queen will be held tomorrow, February 6 at 10:30 p.m. (peninsular time) and will be broadcast live on channel 9. During the gala, one of the most anticipated moments will be the performance by the singer Nalaya, who in the middle of her tour of South America will return to her homeland to present her new single 'Let you go'. We talk to her and smiling, Nalaya confesses to feeling a unique energy every time she returns to Tenerife: "I can't help but think" Wow! How good it is to live here! The soul singer and voice of Supermartxé, is an authentic Condé Nast Traveler spirit who moves between Madrid, New York, Ibiza and Rio de Janeiro... but who is very clear about returning to Tenerife, by the sea in her home in the Port de la Cruz, to establish his home. According to Nalaya, Tenerife Carnival is "salsa, energy, good weather and fun".
An obligatory appointment in the chicharrera capital is also the Gran Coso Apotheosis of Carnival, a massive parade that runs through the streets , in which spectacular floats will parade the newly elected Queen accompanied by her court and by the murgas, comparsas, rondallas (small groups made up of singers accompanied by string instruments) and other Carnival groups. A display of color, music and joy shakes Santa Cruz de Tenerife and at around eight o'clock in the afternoon, at the end of the parade, a large pyrotechnic display will make way for the traditional dance of Carnival Tuesday in the Plaza de la Candelaria, to the rhythm of prestigious popular orchestras. The Tenerife Carnival is, in short, synonymous with joy and carefreeness. In addition to the Announcement Cavalcade, the Grand Gala for the Election of the Queen, the Coso or the Burial of the Sardine, there is the Day Carnival, which since 2008 has also revived the festival for the whole family. Festival of International Tourist Interest, the streets of Santa Cruz become a real hive and during these days, the crowd and revelry take over a city that is very proud to host the best carnival in Europe.
2) GRAN CANARIA
Over the years, true to its history and its origins, the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Carnival has been able to look to the future and make a difference making a hole in your calendar for new events that enrich your offer . A good example of this is the Carnival Drag Queen Gala , which in 1998 marked a before and after in the history of the carnival in the capital of Gran Canaria with the celebration of the first gala, which exceeded all expectations. With the Santa Catalina Park as the great epicenter, also in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the election of the Carnival Queen is a true example of beauty and excellence and the great cavalcade , the maximum exponent of citizen participation, bringing together all the protagonists of the party who make the journey in hundreds of decorated floats.
The Drag Queen Gala of the Carnival of Gran Canaria, a 'must'
3) ON THE OTHER ISLANDS
In the smaller islands, carnival is celebrated with the same euphoria as in the two provincial capitals. In La Gomera , for example, they also choose their Carnival queens, sing in murgas and dance in troupes and, during Ash Wednesday, disguised as widows, they mourn the end of the party in the popular burial of the sardine. In addition to all this, in our tour of the carnivals of the Canary Islands, we also find curious customs that are much less known to tourists and that coexist with the popularity of the capital's carnivals.
the carnival of Reef , on the island of Lanzarote, maintains in its programming the ancient tradition of the crop . It was recovered by a group of friends in 1963 and is currently known as The Parranda of Los Buches . It is a musical group that, carrying buches (bladders of large inflated and tanned fish) with which they hit people, sings sea songs and is the great protagonist of the carnival arena. Along with them, the Diables of Teguise , whose clothes are painted with rhombuses and dots, scare young people with a stick.
Comparsas, murgas, parrandas... The everything goes of the Canarian party
on the island of The iron the tradition known by the name of The Rams , a celebration in which the protagonists are a group of people with their bodies smeared black, covered by skin and with the antlers of a ram and a cowbell tied to their waist. Once untied by the shepherd, they chase whoever they find on their way and also smear them with bitumen.
Fuerteventura , known as "the quiet island", wakes up from its delicate calm and eager for fun. In their carnival week, the intrepid Majorera mascaritas make the so-called 'archipencos' , original gadgets with which they try to float in an attempt to ride on the sea. On the other hand, the 'arretrancos', on four wheels, participate in a fun race on dry land.
The Palm he dresses in white on Shrove Monday. In "the green island" the return of those emigrants who sought their fortune in South America during the 19th century is remembered and thousands of palmeros and many others who arrived from the other islands gather in the main streets of Santa Cruz de La Palma. All dressed in white emulating the returned clappers , participate in a parade that starts from Avenida de Los Indianos, to the sound of Cuban rhythms and in the middle of a great cloud of talc that envelops the entire capital.
Many place the origin of this custom in the Cuban ñáñigo rituals of skin whitening. Other versions narrate that, upon the arrival of the ships at the port, the passengers who returned home boasting of the riches obtained in Cuba were dusted. While everyone savors refreshing mojitos and intense Havana cigars, arrival at the Plaza de España de la Negra Tomasa -fundamental character of this festival marks the beginning of a celebration that starts in the morning, around 12:00, when the Plaza de España is already abuzz with people, and continues until dawn.
Tanned skins, faces hidden behind masks and a heart that beats to the rhythm of the carnival. Having a lot of fun is the only requirement. No one is a stranger in the carnivals of the Canary Islands, so listen to the song: put on your best costume, enter the carnival... and sing, dance and laugh!
*You may also be interested...
- The white carnival of La Palma
- Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife
- All information about the Canary Islands
- Canary Islands: paradise is ours
- All the articles of Andrés Acosta
With or without a mask, the Canarian carnival is 100% enjoyment