Holidays during your internships on the Canary Islands
Carnival of Tenerife
During your hotel internships on the Canary Islands you may get the chance to go to Santa Cruz to take part in the carnival
The Carnival of Santa Cruz takes place each February and is considered the second most popular carnival of the world after Rio de Janeiro. It is full of colour, music and it is inspiring to see so many people participating in the event. Each year a new theme for the Carnival is elected. The festivities start on the Friday before Carnival with an opening parade. 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. The costumes of the queen candidates are very heavy and expensive, that is why they rely on wheeled transportation and sponsors. The costumes are made of feathers, plastic, metal and paper.
Here is our favourite photo, that sums up “Carnaval” so far 🙂
In Santa Cruz the ‘Reina’ is elected on Wednesday before Carnival starts and celebrations are to start properly on Friday. The election is broadcasted worldwide while the candidates parade across the main stage. The jury consists of members of the municipal corporation and celebrities. Also there is a voting via SMS.
The announcement parade on Friday 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. All participating groups are announcing the arrival of the Carnival.
On Carnival Saturday there are parties around the whole town. The main locations are the Plaza de España and the Plaza del Príncipe with stages and party tents where people of all around the world are dancing. But of course there are many more places to dance. On Carnival Saturday you can find music and dances in all the bars and streets of Santa Cruz.
The Carnival Monday is the day of feasting. You can find different perfomances at the main locations of the Carnival in Santa Cruz.
The Tuesday is the finale of Carnival. The coso parade runs along the Avenida de Anaga and indicades the end of the Carnival. During the afternoon you can visit the show which is held.
The official end of Carnival is Wednesday, with the Burial of the Sardine. A giant sardine made of paper is carried in a funeral procession, followed by howling widows. On this day the catholic church is mocked by the participants who are dressed up as clergyman.
The Carnival is always so much fun! So get your costumes on and make your way to Santa Cruz. 🙂 Don´t miss out on the Parade on the Tuesday in case you have your day off!
Of course you will also enjoy carnival on the other Canary Islands, as well as other cities on Tenerife.
The regional holiday “Día de Canarias” will be celebrated on the 30th May
On all the islands numerous cultural activities will take place on this holiday. Particularly in the capital cities like Santa Cruz (Tenerife), Las Palmas (Gran Canaria), Arrecife (Lanzarote) and Puerto del Rosario (Fuerteventura) there will be a varied program on offer. Also there will be many local events in other smaller places, which you can enjoy during your internships on the Canary Islands.
The Canarians celebrate this special day, because there was the “First Session” of the Canary Parliament on 30th May 1983. This session was under the direction of Pedro Guerra Cabrera, the first President of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands. A year earlier, on 10th August 1982, the Canary Islands became one of the 17 autonomous communities in Spain.
Canarian traditions have a huge priority on this day. They dance and celebrate in traditional costumes to typical Canarian music. Each island has their own colourful costume that shows clearly where they are from and that they are very proud to be a “Canario”. Take your chance to try the local Canarian food specialties and see the traditional sports – the Canarian wrestling (“lucha canaria”) can be very interesting.
This is one of the most important days of the year for Canarians.
Get ready to celebrate!!!
Summer-time is “Fiesta”-time on the Canary Islands
“Romerías” are the traditional harvest festivals which take place on all of the Canary Islands – Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, La Gomera and El Hierro. They are characterized by tradition and folklore.
However, it is not only celebrated after the harvest, but especially on the day of the respective patron Saint of the local church.
With splendid processions and a combination of religious rites and folk music the statue of the patron Saint is carried, with dancing and singing through the streets. The Canarians are again dressed in their very traditional costumes and spread their very own charm.
