Festivities and Traditions

The popular festivals in Tenerife have a typically peasant air. They are the romerías, which are pagan-religious festivals in honour of the patron-saint of the town. In them, there is a very colourful parade with oxen-drawn carts and all sorts of utensils and folklore is the main protagonist; everybody usually wears the typical costume. Another typical festivity, this time totally religious, is that of the Corpus Christi which is celebrated mainly in La Orotava, when beautiful and extremely colourful carpets are made of flowers. In the square facing the Town Hall of La Orotava, one cannot but admire a beautiful tapestry made of the peculiar volcanic sands of Las Cañadas del Teide. A most obscure festival is that of Saint Andrew on the night of November the 29th. This day the cellars are traditionally opened and the new wine is tasted and in some towns such as La Orotava or Puerto de la Cruz, people mainly teenagers run with strings of tins which make a dreadful noise along the cobbled stoned streets. In Icod de los Vinos the young people slide on wooden boards along the steep streets of the town but, without doubt, the most cosmopolitan and longed-for festival is the Carnival, which is of International Interest, and where one can enjoy the colourful imagination and joy of the local population. The main point for the Carnival is Santa Cruz de Tenerife which becomes a real human river of dances, masks, and where for several days only music and rythm occur.