CARNIVAL IN TENERIFE: EXPLOSION OF JOY AND COLOUR

Enjoying Carnival in Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Today, The Grandma and her friends are resting after an intensive and amazing night in Santa Cruz de Tenerife enjoying the local Carnival, considered the second most important in the world, after Rio de Janeiro.

The Grandma stayed in Santa Cruz de Tenerife celebrating Carnival some years ago with The Bonds and she has wanted to remember that moment returning to this beautiful island again.

The friends spent a crazy night celebrating this amazing party with the local inhabitants and thousands of tourists that arrived to the island to live this event.

It's Sunday and after this exciting night, all friends are resting or sleeping except The Grandma, who is studying a new lesson of her Intermediate Language Practice manual (Grammar 21).

More information: Purpose

The Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife is held each February in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the capital of the largest of the Canary Islands, and attracts people from all over the world.

It is considered the second most popular and internationally known carnival, after the one held in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Partially for this reason, the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife is twinned with the city of Rio de Janeiro.

In 1980, it was declared a Tourist Festival of International Interest by the Secretary of State for Tourism. The Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife aspires to become a World Heritage Site, as a declaration of its status as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO would promote the festival internationally. In 1987, singer Celia Cruz went to the Carnival Chicharrero with Billo's Caracas Boys; attended by 250,000 people, the concert was registered in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest gathering of people in an outdoor plaza to attend a concert.

Carnival of Tenerife, 2018

The festivities on the streets of Santa Cruz de Tenerife start on the Friday before Carnival with an opening parade, which reaches its height during the night when thousands of people in fancy dresses dance until the early hours of the next day. The party continues night after night until Ash Wednesday. That day, people of Santa Cruz de Tenerife celebrate the entierro de la sardina, burial of the sardine, and with this event the carnival is officially over. However, the party starts up again the following weekend, known as the weekend of the piñata.

The festival has two parts: the official Carnival, and the Carnival on the street. The official carnival has more than a hundred groups, including murgas, comparsas, rondallas and other musical groups. The street carnival is more loosely organized, and comprises the people celebrating on the streets. Thousands of people come each day to the streets to participate, most of whom wear a disguise in accordance with Carnival tradition.

More information: Carnaval de Tenerife

The Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife has been celebrated since the time of the earliest European settlement, and possibly earlier. In 1605 Gaspar Luis Hidalgo alluded to the habit of reversing the sexes in dress. Early written references date from the end of the 18th century, in the writings of visitors. The journal of Lope Antonio de la Guerra Peña in 1778 includes a dance held in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, where he then talked about comparsas, bands playing conga music. In 1783, the Corregidor reported the use of masks being banned by royal instructions. In practice the ban was not carried out, and a carnival feature was the mixing of the masked upper class with the common people.

During the weeks preceding the Wednesday election of the Carnival Queen, there are contests for adults and children comparsas, lyrical and musical groups, rondallas -string ensembles-, the Queen of the Elderly, the Child Queen, Song of Laughter and adult and children's murgas. The official Carnival song is chosen, which will be presented to the Queen candidates in the hall of the City Council. Also featured are a choreography contest and a contest rewarding the most original floats and decorated cars. Nearly a month earlier, preparation starts with the official presentation at the Calle de La Noria. Shortly before Christmas, the Carnival poster is released.

The Queen of Carnival of Tenerife, 2019

The Wednesday before Carnival weekend, the Queen of the Carnival is elected during the so called Gala Reina. The event is usually broadcast to the entire country, and abroad by satellite. 

During the gala, the candidates parade across the main stage in their rich and beautiful costumes that might weigh up to 100 kilograms.

A jury composed of members of the municipal corporation and celebrities chooses the queen. After choosing the bridesmaids, the mayor hands the sceptre to the winner. Since the costumes are heavy, the candidates rely on wheeled transportation. The costumes are also expensive, so the candidates are sponsored, usually by a multinational corporation with a presence on the islands.

The Hogar Canario Venezolano also sends its own Queen and holds a privileged position in the next Announcement Parade. Costumes are usually made of feathers, plastic, metal and paper. The queen is responsible for representing the carnival at tourism fairs as an ambassador for the Canary Islands.

More information: Web Tenerife

On Friday the Announcement Parade is held, in which all participating groups march along the main thoroughfares of the city announcing the arrival of the carnival. The parade begins at the Parque La Granja, concluding at the Plaza de España. It crosses the Ramblas, Avenida Islas Canarias, Plaza Weyler and Méndez Núñez to return to Las Ramblas, then turning onto the Avenida Anaga and ending at the Plaza de Europa or the Council of Tenerife building.

The queen and the bridesmaids, on their own floats, are escorted by the murgas and rondallas. Private carriages also participate in the parade, which lasts more than four hours. That night, the street carnival officially begins.

The Saturday of Carnival is a day dedicated entirely to dance. There are two main venues: one in the Plaza de la Candelaria, which replacing the one in the Plaza de España during its renovation, and one in the Plaza del Príncipe. Depending on the holiday, one or more stages are built in the Plaza de Europa for electronic music, or tents in the Plaza de la Iglesia de la Concepción and the Plaza de Europa feature Latin music. Dances not only cover the three points but all the connecting streets, bars and cars playing their own music. One of the main streets of the carnival is Bethencourt Afonso, popularly known as Calle San José.

Carnival Monday is a day of feasting, with performances at the main venues in the capital. 

Carnival of Tenerife, 2019

On Carnival Tuesday a Coso, parade, runs along the Avenida de Anaga, marking the official end of Carnival. Again march carnival groups, floats, decorated cars and the Carnival Queens. During the afternoon a show is held especially for tourists arriving by bus from other areas of the Canary Islands.

On Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, is celebrated the burial of the sardine. The streets of Santa Cruz are draped in mourning. A giant sardine made of paper is carried in a funeral procession, followed by wailing widows. The Catholic Church is mocked, with participants dressed as popes, bishops and nuns imitating blessings and other religious rites, often accompanied by sexual objects. 

More information: FU Tenerife

The weekend puts an end to Don Carnal until the next year and whose role, especially on Saturday, has grown in recent decades to the point of having internationally renowned entertainment comparable to the Monday of Carnival.

Saturday of Piñata or Sábado de Piñata: Since 2008 it was called the Carnival by Day, although its first edition had to be moved to the following Sunday because of inclement weather. From 12:00 to 16:00, it is celebrated with simultaneous musical performances at three venues in the center of the city: Plaza Weyler, Plaza del Príncipe and Plaza de la Candelaria.

Sunday of Piñata or Domingo de Piñata: On Sunday morning the Old Cars Contest is held, followed by a traditional performance of the Afilarmónica NIFU-NiFá and the year's vocal-group winner at Plaza del Príncipe.

The carnival concludes at night with a fireworks display.

More information: Rural Tenerife

Simply enjoy life and the great pleasures that come with it.

Karolina Kurkova