Virtually every city, the town and the village celebrate their holiday, which is usually related to the day of the patron saint of a given town or an event important to it. Virtually every religious holiday ends with having fun together in the streets, preferably until dawn. Mercadillos are also popular (fair) and romerias (pilgrimages resembling merry processions).
The most important holidays and fiestas in the Canary Islands
5 I: Cavalcade of the Kings (Three Kings) A parade passes through the streets of towns and cities, the main attraction of which is the Three Kings distributing sweets.
II: carnival In the week before Ash Wednesday, a 24-hour fiesta takes place on the streets of most Canarian cities.
2 II: Virgin of Candelaria (Of Our Lady of the Candle) The patron saint of the Canary Islands is celebrated in the city of Candelaria in Tenerife. The holiday is also celebrated 15 of August.
III the IV: Holy Week (Holy Week) Religious processions pass through city streets. The celebrations in Santa Cruz de Tenerife attract the most participants.
V the VI: Corpus Christi (Corpus Christi) Religious processions go out into the streets of the city. In Orotava, Tenerife, beautiful street carpets are made of several tons of volcanic sand and flower petals.
23-24 WE: San Juan (Midsummer night)
There are bonfires on the beaches of the entire archipelago, where we celebrate until the morning.
The first half of VII: Descent of the Virgin of the Kings (Perigrynation of Our Lady of the Magi) The most important holiday on El Hierro, during which the Mother of God is carried in a solemn procession from one end of the island to the other. The holiday is celebrated every four years (2009, 2013, 2017).
21-30 VII: Descent of the Virgen de las Nieves (Perigrynation of Our Lady of the Snow) The feast in honor of the patron saint of La Palma begins with the bringing of the Virgin Mary from the sanctuary to the capital. After the official part, crazy fun begins on the streets of the city. The holiday is celebrated once every five years (2010, 2015, 2020).
24 XII: Good night (Eve) After a gala dinner with the family, most people meet in town with friends and acquaintances.
31 XII: New Years Eve (new year's eve) Traditionally, you stay at home until midnight. Only after the gala dinner and eating 12 lucky grapes (one for each clock tick) you go out to clubs, and especially on the streets.
Traditional sports
Traditional Canarian sports have been undergoing a real renaissance in recent years, probably still grown by the Guanches. Competitions and shows are usually held on the occasion of religious holidays.
India canaria is one of the most popular sports, i.e. stock variation, In which the barefoot players try to take down the opponent using various grips. It is enough to win the fight, for the opponent to touch the sand arena with any part of the body other than the foot. This method of fighting was used by the Guanches as a way of bloodless resolution of conflicts between tribes – Interestingly, according to the notes of astonished chroniclers, the winner always extended his hand to the defeated, to help him get up and escort him to his place.
In recent years, lucha canaria has become an extremely popular sport – many cities have teams, that take part in regular competitions.
Other popular sports are juego de pło (fight with sticks), shepherd's jump (jumping over obstacles using a wooden pole), lifting plow (lifting the plow), lifting of the stone (lifting stones) oraz drag degarndo (herding cattle).
Carnival
The three-week carnival in the Canary Islands is an absolutely special time that is awaited throughout the year. The climax of the carnival is the week before Ash Wednesday, but the fun really starts three weeks earlier, and preparations for it last for a year.
The most famous carnival is Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria – The celebrations in these two cities are said to exceed only the carnival in Rio de Janeiro. During the carnival, the streets of most cities and towns are filled with processions of dancers and costumers. The celebration is divided into two parts. During the official parade there are parades, concerts, carnival queen and drag queen election. Performances by dance groups are an important element (accomplices) and satirical (murgas), which sing rhyming couplets criticizing politicians. The unofficial part is just crazy fun on the streets of the city, in which thousands of people dressed as aliens participate, nuns, priests, sexy nurses and vampires. Traditionally, women dress up as men, and men pretend to be women – during the carnival, everything is allowed. For several years, an official carnival theme has been announced in Santa Cruz and Las Palmas, e.g.. pirates, horror characters. The carnival ends with the so-called. the funeral of the sardine (Burial of the Sardine) -cardboard fish, accompanied by a retinue of howling weeps, is burnt, and with it, carnival is blowing up.
Carnival for Canarians is more than just carefree fun seasoned with alcohol and a bit of eroticism. Celebrated practically from the 16th century. the holiday took on special significance during the Franco dictatorship, who tried to forbid the carnival celebration. It has succeeded everywhere except in Cadiz, The Palamas of Gran Canaria and Sanata Cruz de Tenerife – their inhabitants renamed the carnival the Winter Festival and continued to take to the streets, and under the cover of carnival disguises they could criticize the rulers with impunity. Carnival returned to the streets of Spanish cities after the death of the dictator and has become a joyful symbol of freedom of speech and customs.