It’s that time of year when fiestas are taking place all over Tenerife to celebrate the patron saint of fishermen, the Virgen del Carmen.
In Las Galletas, this began on Friday night with a live band, in the square known as La Rambla, until 4am! Last night, Saturday, the turnout was even higher as the photographs below illustrate. Again, the party continued until 4 o’clock in the morning with a live band and dancing, with plenty of food stands and bars to keep the revellers refreshed.
As you can tell, the music is a Latin-American influenced salsa/merengue style, and it’s the same that they play every year!
Today there is a foam party for the children, followed by more dancing tonight. There will be a religious ritual involving a statue of the Virgen herself, where she is carried from the church in a procession around the town, taken for a short boat trip around to the next cove, then returned to Las Galletas in time for the fireworks!
For more on this celebration see Janet’s post HERE.
Sea
The sea has many moods and from here I see them all. Sometimes when the weather is gloomy, the sea can be at its most enigmatic.
Chinamada Walk
Walk to Chinamada in the Anaga mountains, Tenerife, on 29th January 2012
The video really gives a feel for what it’s like, but even then can’t convey the VOLUME of the music! You can feel it through your bones, through the floor, through your innards …
But really there’s nothing similar in British culture, at least not that I’m aware of, and it’s really good to see that such traditions are still maintained and well supported here. If only the music weren’t quite so loud …
This is true, video just cannot reproduce the vibrating apartment, rattling bones or jangling brain… I have no idea why they need to have it so loud! People obviously enjoy it though and, as you say, it’s tradition