Easter on La Palma

It is said that during the summer months, there is a fiesta happening somewhere on La Palma every single weekend. I can definitely believe that! The Palmerans love to fiesta :)

The big fiestas include Los Indianos when everybody wears white and has literally thousands of people flocking to the island. The Bajada of course, when the Virgin Mary is brought down from the Las Nieves Sanctuary, is another huge one. Then there is the fiesta with the Dancing Dwarfs held every 5 years. Massive. Then the rather gentler but also popular farming fiestas such as at San Antonio and San Isidro. And the bizarre Funeral of the Sardine (hey, that can be a sad thing) and a whole lot more of inventive ideas to get together and celebrate.

Easter of course is another story and this year, the Wednesday before Easter during the Semana Santa, we were lucky enough to see the procession of El Santo Encuentro through the streets of Santa Cruz. 

It was a big procession with around 100 participants representing various scenes, plus I think 3 different musical bands - we dodged about quite a bit, heading off into the side streets in order to get ahead of the procession and see any parts we might have missed so we rather lost track of the numbers. 

Probably one of the more surprising aspects of the procession is the use of the 'capirote' which is the hood with conical top, often more associated with the Ku Klux Clan. However, the capirote along with the 'nazareno' (penitential robe) is used to hide the face of the wearer for a much more innocent reason in Spain. These types of robes have been used since the medieval period for penitents who could demonstrate their penance while still masking their identity. You can make your own mind up on that one!

It's certainly a good reminder that Easter has its origins in something other than chocolate eggs and days off work!
* It might be worth noting that in Spain and the Canary Islands, Jueves Santo (Maundy Thursday) and Viernes Santo (Good Friday) are observed as Fiestas Laborales (Public Holidays), whilst Easter Monday is not.

The Indians are coming to town

Call it crazy and you won't be far wrong.  The Indians are coming to town.  OK so to be more precise, it's the Indianos and it is more a case of 'going to town.'
It is all about the fiesta of the Indianos you see which has its main day on Monday, 7th March.  It is a rather clever portrayal of people returning to La Palma having earned 'a fortune' in Cuba.  Really - how else could you pursuade a significant percentage of the population to dress up in white - white shirt, white trousers, or pretty white dresses and white parasols, depending on your pursuasion.  And if there was any doubt about the white which is intended to represent wealth, there is plenty of talcum powder being thrown about.  And I am talking about kilos, be in no doubt about that!  Oh, and the ocassional  travel bag stuffed with monopoly money just to emphasise the point.

So if you are on La Palma already, it could be worth you heading for Santa Cruz to see what the fun is all about.  Just follow the music (there are street bands on most corners and a marching band plays as they parade through the town), the supermarket trolleys stuffed full with 'ron y cola' (rum and coke) which act as mobile bars and the cloud of talc.  Alternatively, if you are due at the airport on Monday, you can expect to be shunted off onto the Santa Cruz bypass - unless you make a concerted effort to get in.  I suggest you park up in Los Cancajos and catch the bus though as traffic is not allowed to pass through the centre of town and parking is not going to be a happening thing. I predict fun, fun, fun. 
Here is a link for the Special Indianos Bus Timetable