Fiesta of the Sacred Heart, El Paso

Last week, the 5th June, in El Paso was the beautiful fiesta of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It's one of those fiestas which is not all about party time but more about reflection and celebration. Firmly with a religious base, it's very much worth a visit whether religious or not.

The amazing thing about this annual celebration is the way the decorations are made, an incredibly painstaking labour of love using natural materials and which literally takes months. 

The procession starts from the church of the Conception of Bonanza in the upper part of El Paso and then down into the town. Along the way the streets are decorated with handmade lanterns to light the way, arches and tapestries of flowers and seeds that depict various images. They are all created with natural materials made by different neighbourhoods, groups, associations and individuals and take months to make - and just for this day.

All the various areas of El Paso contribute including El Paso de Abajo, Tajuya, La Rosa, Camino Viejo, Fatima, El Calvario, Tenerra, artists Rodrigo Gonzalez de Paiz and Carlos Afonso, the Red Cross, the Center for Disability Care in Triana and different schools in El Paso.

Feria de Artesania San Antonio del Monte

  Yesterday was the big day for the Feria de Artesania San Antonio del Monte in Garafia, La Palma - a feria being a country fair and artesania meaning handicrafts.

Whilst there are a few ferias around the island such as at San Isidro, San Antonio is by far the largest feria as they make use of a sizable piece of land with a church plonked in the middle.  When I say 'the largest' I mean that over 2,000 people turn up to join in with the fun - coaches, buses, cars, motorbikes, caravans, walkers and lots and lots of people with tents! In fact, one year when it was a four-day event (normally it's spread out over three days), we made camp in our Land Rover for two nights. At the time we loved it ... but that was ten years ago :)

However, the main thing about both the feria at San Antonio and San Isidro is the cattle and other farm animals, namely goats and sheep. Plus horses, mules and those oh-so-sweet donkeys!

Fiesta of San Antonio, Garafia

This weekend, it was the largest fiesta on La Palma - the fiesta of San Antonio del Monte. And luckily for us it's only a 20-minute drive away so we definitely weren't going to miss that opportunity! In fact, the fiesta is held over several days as the Saint's Day of June 12th is always celebrated and then

Ruta de las Cruces

The 3rd of May is cause for celebration on La Palma - yes, something of a fiesta you might not be surprised to hear. However, this one is particularly important as it celebrates the founding of Santa Cruz de la Palma, which took place on 3rd May, 1493.   Like many fiestas, it starts rather late at 22.00 hrs and continues through the night.  The difference with this one is that it is in fact an excursion on foot - the Ruta de las Cruces - to see the decorated crosses to celebrate the event. 
If you are already on the island, you can enrol for the walk by ringing 603850336 and ask for Esther.  Don't worry, it won't be a dull half-dozen of you out for half an hour - it seems like half of La Palma go and it lasts approximately eight hours.  Or just turn up and follow the crowds.  You will find impromtu bars open, bands playing and singing and in general a great party atmosphere.  Oh, and the crosses are rather amazing too, decorated with jewellery, silks and flowers and many with huge but intricate backdrops made of tiny seeds.  And of course you can go and see them in the day too.

  Meet at 22.00 hrs in San Pedro and bring a coat, torch, walking pole or stick and reflective tabard or similar.
It'll be something of an eye-opener, even in the dark!

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

A Day to Remember

If you live on La Palma, one thing you might want to arm yourself with - apart from sun cream - is a calendar of public holidays and fiestas.   With this useful aid, you will have some idea when the shops are likely to be closed, apart from weekends and siesta time.  Although, I have to admit, no list is definitive as you might find what I call 'flying fiestas' (local ones) which are not on any list or calendar.  

Whilst many of them are obvious, such as  Christmas Day, New Year's Day and Easter, some are less so although the 1st and 30th of May (pleasingly called 'Day of Work' and 'Canary Day') are still a good reason to down tools, as in the UK.  

There are also a few less well-known ones thrown in such as Constitution Day on 6th December and Epiphany on 6th January.  Some pass almost un-noticed to us here in the country, whilst others such as Epiphany are celebrated in style, as in Los Sauces where the Three Wise Men arrive on camels.  Real camels, that is.

However, whilst they are all important for different reasons, one that I particularly like to mark is All Saints' Day on the 1st November.  Way back when (835 AD), the Roman Catholic Church declared the 1st November a Church holiday to honour all the saints, known and unknown.  On this day it is also customary to pray for the all those who have passed away, although not necessarily with sorrow.  On La Palma, as in many other places, we say it with flowers.  

Whilst the rest of the shops on La Palma remain closed, the flower shops are a hive of activity, trying to provide flowers for what amounts to every single and solitary headstone or grave on the whole island.  And the lovely thing about it is that no-one is forgotten or left out - that is after all the whole point.  So, no matter that Don whoever's family moved away years ago and there is nobody left to lay flowers on his grave or to place them tenderly in the little flower holders on the headstone.  All are remembered.  

Dancing Dwarves

At last – my first dwarf!!! I am thrilled. Yes, eight years on La Palma and still not a single dwarf spotted, except as a fridge magnet or cuddly toy ... up until last night.

You see, we are now in the 'semana grande,' the big week, of the huge fiesta where one of the many highlights is the dancing dwarves. Apparently, according to a friend, they live in the mountains except for this one night when they come down into town, disguised as bishops. And this only happens once every five years so you can imagine the excitement with thousands of people coming to see the spectacle not just from La Palma but from all over the Canary Islands. After their appearance on stage solemnly singing, they file into a castle-like tent and reappear ... as dancing dwarves.

I agree that it is one of the stranger happenings on La Palma but it is made all the more crazy by the dotty little dance, giant sized hats and face masks which hide their true identity (although you could probably guess that if you saw a dwarf in his civvies they would be of the special La Palma dancing variety.)  The dwarves perform six times during the evening, 7 pm, 8pm, 10pm, 11pm, 12pm and 1am and then, by way of a marathon encore, dance their way right along the length of the main street.

When we arrived at 7 pm, courtesy of one of the many coaches laid on from all points of the island, the queues to see the spectacle were enormous – and these people already had tickets which are a sell-out way in advance - they were just eager to get a 'good' seat. 

We were further amazed to see people already lining the main street where they had installed themselves either by sitting on the pavement reading a book, playing cards or chatting. Or better still, on little stools, cool box at the ready.  These people – incredibly - were waiting for the dwarves who would not appear on the street until some point after 1am.  A six hour wait is well beyond my comprehension but it is a reflection of the passion felt for the event.

So, being ticketless, we took up our place at one of the many vantage points and even being pretty far away, you still got the happy feeling that dancing dwarves give you.  

Of course, other than the dwarves, there was plenty else to see and do. Belly dancers were performing in the road. A fun fair in the car park. Shops open where you can buy, amongst other things, dwarf memorabilia. Impromptu guitar playing in bars. Eating, drinking and people watching from the pavement restaurants. An open-air nightclub overlooking the sea. And a band with huge stage for the middle of the night when the dwarves have disappeared back up to the mountains.

At 12.30 am we jumped into a coach to head for the hills ourselves. We were pretty much dwarf-ed out by then but not so other people who were waiting at the bus stop in Los Sauces at 1am for the bus that would take them down to the capital.  But for the next time – in five years – we are going to be there for the long haul. 

Gosh, I'm excited already.  

Crossing our fingers

The third of May on La Palma signifies a time to get your crosses out – well, in truth, they never actually go away – and adorn them with great finery. Pure white silk, costume jewelry and fresh flowers being the order of the day. Nice huh?
Well actually, yes.
For us, it is a time to head for the hills. Where better than the solitude of one of the furthest flung places on the island, Juan Adalid. It is a trip of nearly an hour, along the mountain roads of the north and to the nondescript hamlet of Llano Negro. Here we pause to support one of the few shops open on Sundays and Bank Holidays.
And then a U turn to San Antonio where two lonely flags fly high atop their masts to indicate that 'something interesting' just might be happening. We search out the near hidden road to Juan Adalid which is where our friends live. We almost always have to think which one of the single track roads, heavily bordered by tall greenery, will take us to their isolated house.
We drive cautiously along the road which is festooned with curves making it impossible to see ahead and the imminent arrival of a car hurtling towards us at full speed in the opposite direction. But now, we have joined a small convey of 4 x 4 vehicles all heading our way and at least we have some safety in numbers.
Where the impenetrable roadside greenery is not impeding our view of the road ahead, unguarded and impressive steep drop-offs are the norm with the road seemingly etched like a squiggly pencil line on the side of the hill. The view down to the sheer cliffs and the sea are, well, awesome, in every sense of the word.
There is a saying, in Yorkshire at least, 'it's a grand life if you don't weaken.' Similarly, it is a great drive if you don't crash or drop off the edge.
And so, after 20 minutes of rallying along with the other cars ever downward, having long passed the wind turbines, we arrive at a junction of other spindly roads. Here the other cars divert to a nearby hill as they are going to the annual fiesta of La Sentinela.
We continue on to our friends and their solitary outpost. Their hunting dogs alert them to our arrival long before we get anywhere near. Chickens which are dotted about here, there and everywhere continue to search the ground for any morsel of chicken-edible food, seemingly oblivious to our vehicle bumping along the now unsurfaced, uneven track. Near the house though, mother hens scurry away with their tiny babies into the safety of the cactus. Their goats are somewhere ... somewhere ... even our friends don't know exactly where, except that they will return in the evening.
We sip a welcome drink and chat about news in their part of the island. We are always surprised just how much news there is.
And then we set off on foot to join a couple of hundred other people at the fiesta on the opposite hill and yet again, marvel at how Palmerans have a happy knack for selecting such distant and logistically difficult places for a mass get-together.
But is is worth it. Not just for the mounds of free food – soup, paella, cheese, bread, potatoes, cake – and free wine, and live music of course. But also to see just how pretty their cross is.
And it is.

The day the Indians came to town

The Indians are coming! Red Indians? No white Indians?

Confused? Don’t worry, it is just fiesta fun.

Ask anyone, Palmeran or otherwise, and you will get a slightly different explanation of what this particular fiesta is all about. Generally though, it is to celebrate the return of the rich Palmerans from Cuba. And as we know, all rich people who are not out digging the land like the rest of us, dress in white. And if white is not white enough, there is always talcum powder …..

It is great fun though and a chance to head off to the capital for the day dressed in your finery. Incidentally, you don’t need to worry if you don’t own any white clothes – the shops are full of them for weeks in advance.

So watch out for ladies with pretty little parasols, small children in white slacks and shirts, and ‘rich’ men with wads of Monopoly money sticking out of their top pocket.

One thing this fiesta has in common with others on the island is the fantastic feeling of friendship. Live music abounds, a procession and just a little talc!

The Battle of Lepanto

Every 3 years, Barlovento in the north west of the island stages the re-enactment of the naval Battle of Lepanto. It is a spectacle which is the highlight of the two week fiesta held between 31st July and 15th August in honour of Nuestra Señora del Rosario, our Lady of the Rosary, the patron saint of Barlovento. In fact, the re-enactment of the battle of Lepanto (Italian name of the Greek port from where the Ottomans had their naval base) which happened in 1571, is a great tradition in Barlovento and is the only place in the Canaries to celebrate it and therefore a claim to fame for the town.
The Battle of Lepanto between the Holy League (which comprised the Knights of Malta, Spain, the Papal States, republic of Genoa, the Duchy of Savoy, the republic of Venice and others) and the main fleet of the Ottoman war galleys gave control to the Holy League over the Mediterranean and prevented the Ottomans from entering Europe. It was fought solely from rowing vessels (around 500 in total), involved around 23,000 dead, wounded or captured, 10,000 Christian slaves released and, according to some historians, was one of the world’s most decisive battles since 31 BC.
The Holy League credited the victory to the Virgin Mary to whose intercession with God they had implored for victory through the use of the Rosary. A new feast day was instituted which is now called the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary and this is why Barlovento has the honour to represent it.
The spectacle started with Our Lady of The Rosary being carried from the church in all her glory and prayers being said. We then watched transfixed, if one can be for an hour, as the Christians slowly swayed themselves and their boat across the surrounding fields of Barlovento. The Moors meanwhile, protecting their castle on the far hill, squabbled amongst themselves either out of boredom, historical accuracy or an attempt to entertain the crowds, which I must say, it did. The Christians eventually arrived at the castle in their boat which sported impressively large sails and was surrounded by several Turk boats. Following the 'sinking' of a couple of the boats, an vigorous and 'bloody' battle then ensued along with numerous explosions which literally threw the soil into the air creating large dust clouds.
Eventually, after having leapt up several times, the Moors were conquered, taken as prisoner and dragged off to the church to be converted to Catholicism.
Well done Barlovento and all who took part. It was an impressive performance and followed – of course – by much music and merriment far into the night.
For more photos check out http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/60703095

Remember me

I will be the first to admit that La Palma likes nothing better than a jolly good fiesta. In fact almost anything, noteworthy or not, has its own special day.

To my mind, one of the most inspired and unlikely fiestas – therefore winning my undying admiration – is the Day of the Deceased. Better known to most of us as All Saints Day, it is a time dedicated to those who have gone on before. On this special day, the 1st November, practically the only shop you will find open in an otherwise dormant island is the flourishing florist (it’s an ill wind …). Happily for them, it is a time when Palmerans say it with flowers.

Actually, the Palmerans seem to have developed a wonderful fact of life attitude with regard to death. It is hard to distinguish a group of casually dressed people gathering for a funeral from a jolly club outing. Indeed, the whole process of death here in La Palma, or rather that which immediately follows the final curtain, bears a little examining. ‘Swift’ would probably sum it up quite nicely. From the point where a person is pronounced dead and the funeral taking place is generally a breathtaking 16 to 24 hours. While sometimes traumatically sudden, this does of course cut out agonising decisions as to whether more distant relatives can, could or should attend the funeral and the time consuming selection of appropriate hymns. It does make me think though that long blinks should be avoided at all costs.

A rather improbable venue for a celebration then, the cemetery becomes a hive of activity, with swathes of people turning up every few minutes with arms full of flowers. Groups of cheerful villagers trim, tweak and tidy the blooms into beautiful arrangements, sprays and posies with which they decorate the ancient graves and tiered vaults. In a jamboree of festive colour, a celebration of life gradually blossoms.

And so, on the 1st November, there really is no better place to head than to the cemetery for a bitter-sweet experience of remembering and celebrating all rolled into one.

It really is a question of flower and glory, for ever and ever.

I think we can say Amen to that.

Dance into the light

Quite obviously, fiestas are an essential part of island life and somewhere on the island, during summer time at least, you will find a fiesta in progress at the weekend. You simply cannot avoid them or at least not notice them as whole towns are simply closed down at the drop of a sombrero in order to celebrate with conviction.

Fiestas are a two fold affair, celebrating a religious event and celebrating life itself. It is a time to shut up shop, down tools and spend some serious time meeting up with old friends, making new ones and generally kick back and enjoy. These days, perhaps religion has been forced into a rear pew but you can usually bank on the odd procession and mass for the morning after.

But by far the biggest part of any fiesta is getting together, eating, drinking and dancing well into the next morning. They are open to all – free entrance, free parking (ssh,La Palma hasn’t heard of paying for parking yet), and free entertainment even when the performers are national stars. And … yes there is more … at some fiestas ALL the food is free ie soup, bread, paella, goats cheese, meat stew …. And plenty of free red wine. And almost no-body is drunk and if someone is a bit merry, they will simply want to dance with you.

One of the largest fiestas on the island is at San Antonio in the North West. In an area where there are probably more goats than people, you won’t be surprised to discover that farming is the theme and so the main exhibition is of highly prized cattle. Held around 11th and 12th June every year, the event will actually be stretched out over 3 or 4 days and on the main day, attract around 2,000 people. People literally come from near and far and hundreds and hundreds will camp in tents, vans, mini cars and any make shift device they can construct. This is basically to make the most of 36 incredible hours of live music which is only broken to present trophies to the owners of the winning cattle and for a slightly unusual horse race. This is where the riders stand up in the saddle while cantering along and aim a needle type object through a ring. The ring is then released and the rider with the most rings is the winner. You would think this an impossible task as the rings swing around in the breeze as the rider is trying to control the horse, needle and himself, but it is all carried out with great zeal and good humour.

And still there is more to do with stalls selling anything from lucky bags for the children to Mexican ponchos, fishing rods, hand-made leather sandals and Bob Marley T-shirts. Plus of course any number of stands selling food and drink to keep you fortified as you dance into the light to the beat of a different drum.