La Palma Carnival: Tuesday - Friday

Los Indianos, Santa Cruz de la Palma

Tuesday 16th
Santa Cruz de la Palma
5 pm Fancy dress ball in the senior citizens day centre, with live salsa music

Los Llanos
Cancelled

Wednesday 17th
Santa Cruz de la Palma
11 am Presentation of prizes in the town hall.

Los Llanos
11 am - 1 pm Children's activities, Plaza de España
8 pm Murgas, Plaza de España

Cancajos
8 pm the Octopus's Funeral followed by a dance



Thursday 18th
Los Llanos
7 pm Comparsas (musical groups) at the carnival stage
8 pm Murgas, Plaza de España

Friday 19th
Santa Cruz de la Palma
9 pm The Sardine's funeral. Procession from the Alameda to the carnival stage, followed by the cremation, fireworks and a dance.

Los Llanos
11 am - 1 pm Children's activities, Plaza de España
1 pm The Sardine's funeral starts at El Camino Los Lomos -Los Pedregales. At 7 pm the procession leaves for La Calle Ramón Pol. and should arrive a 9:30 pm. On it's arrival, the sardine will be cremated.
10 pm Live music at the carnival stage

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Los Llanos Carnival Programme for the Weekend

Sorry, I don't know Los Llanos nearly so well, so I can't tell you where to find things. But they're usually quite loud, so I suggest you just follow the noise.

Friday 12th
22:00 Masked dance with live music
22:00 Carnival kiosks

Saturday 13th
10:30 Table Tennis
12:00 "The Great Powder"

Sunday 14th
11:00 Table Tennis

Monday 15th
11:00 Activities for children
22:00 Carnival dance with live music

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Balcon Taburiente Restaurant

The patio at Balcon Taburiente restaurant

There are several restaurants in La Palma with amazing views. If you fancy an amazing view with your dinner, there are several restaurants on La Palma which can oblige. For example, there's Balcon Taburiente restaurant on the edge of Los Llanos, clinging to the edge of the Angustias ravine.

I haven't had more than a coffee there myself, but I've heard good things of the food. Certainly, they're very friendly, even if you turn up with a large dog. As a guide, the most expensive thing on the menu is garlic or onion steak for €13.80, and one of the cheapest main courses is a pork chop for €6.80.

From the centre of Los Llanos, take the road to the Caldera, signposted in brown. When you reach the edge of the cliff, turn left (turning right leads into the Caldera) and you'll find it on your right after maybe 100 yards. There's a not-very-obvious car park opposite.

They open from 11 am to 11 pm, except on Sundays, when they shut an hour earlier, and Tuesdays when they're shut all day.


The balcony at the Balcon Taburiente restaurant

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La Cancelita Viewpoint

The view of Los Llanos from La Cancelita

La Palma has even more glorious viewpoints then the other Canary Islands. One of my favourites is La Cancelita, where you get two amazing views for the price of one. The good view covers Los Llanos and a good chunk of the surrounding plain. (Los Llanos means 'the plains' but it's not that flat by UK standards.

The view of the Caldera de Taburiente from La Cancelita

And the fantastic view sweeps down across the Caldera de Taburiente. All right, so you get fantastic views of the Caldera from almost anywhere around its rim, and from an awful lot of the Caldera floor, too. But this ones very accessible -- just a short drive from Los Llanos.
Follow the brown signs for the Caldera, and then take Calle Cancelita. You'll need to park when you run out of tarmac, and then walk along the dirt track for about five minutes. Believe me, it's worth it.


La Cancelita viewpoint

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World Book Day

April 23rd is world book day. On La Palma, the celebrations go on all week. Both Santa Cruz and Los Llanos have book stalls out in the street. Last year, they had a 10% discount, although most of the books were in Spanish. Since I'm a book-a-holic, I loved it.

This year, they're having events to encourage people to come. Amoung other things, Callou (from the TV series) will be in Santa Cruz signing books all week, as are various adult authors. And the cowboy from Oregon, Leaping Louie will be doing his lasso/whip/comedy routine in Los Llanos (Monday 6pm, Plaza de España) and Santa Cruz (Tuesday, 6:30 pm, Plaza de España). And a group from El Hierro will be performing "a dance spectacular inthe street" called "The Garoé Tree". (The Sacred Garoé is a tree in El Heirro).

A fair few books are going to be "presented" which usually means the author reading part of the book, followed by nibbles and a chance to buy a signed copy. Los Sauces will stage a play, "El", in the Casa de Cultura on Tuesday at 8:30 pm, and Jackie Rios and Sis del Castillo wilol give a concert in Los Llanos on Wednesday at 6:30 int the Plaze de España.

I'm looking forward to this, especially if they have discounts again.

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Weekend Carnival Programme

Santa Cruz de La Palma
Saturday, 28th February

12:00 noon. Cuban music in the plaza de la Alameda.

10 pm Costume night, with music from Salsaludando and Arena Caliente at the carnival stage

Sunday, 1st March

6 pm children´s party with music from Vigord Jazz, and a prize for the best child´s costume of 2009, at the carnival stage.

Los Llanos
Saturday, 28th February

6 pm Carnival Procession in Puerto Naos.
Organized by the Neighbourhood Association Jaraco from Puerto Naos.
Avda. de Puerto Naos

10:00 p.m Public dance at the carnival stage, with music from Ricaband and Bolero

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Canival programme during the week

Santa Cruz de La Palma
Monday, 23rd February LOS INDIANOS - the main event for most people. At one time many Palmerans left the island in search of a better life in the Caribean. Los Indianos celebrates
those who came home again stinking rich. Basically, almost everyone wears white, usually "Gone with the Wind" style dresses for the women, and suits and Panama hats for the men. Some people carry cardboard suitcases, and everybody throws truly amazing quantities of talc at each other. If you dress up and join the parade, the town hall will provide talc. I believe last year they handed out five tones of the stuff and of course most people bought more. The talc is considerably cheaper at the supermarket then at the carnival stalls, and you probably want at least 500g per person. Lots of photos from two years ago here, and a description of last year's event here.

Give it a miss if you have bad asthma, or you're shaky on your feet - the ground gets very slippy. Otherwise make sure you see at least a bit of it. People come from South America for this!

10 am. Waiting. Dignitares wait outside the town hallto greet old friends, neighbours and family who wen to (south) American in search of fortune. Today they come to stir upthe town with Cuban rhythms.

11:00-12:30 am. Cuban music from Los Viejos in la plaza de la Alameda.

11:30 am - 1 00 pm. Tradicional Cuban Music from Pimienta and Ají in the plaza de España. During the performance, the dignitaries will recieve "la Negra Tomasa", a traditional character who represents the returning Palmerans.

And then there's something called "La Batatita, Las Chancleteras y el Manisero," performed by the students of the Municipal Theatre School.

12:30-2:00 pm. Cuban Music from Son Bohemio in la plaza de la Alameda.

13:00-14:30 pm. Tradicional Cuban from the group Mayeya in la plaza de España.

14:30 pm. I Festival Pimienta y Ají in la plaza de Santo Domingo with traditional Cuban music from various groups.

14:30-16:00 pm. Tradicional Cuban from the group Orillas del Son in la plaza de España.

16:00-17:00 pm. Yet more traditional Cuban music from Parranda del Gofio in the Plaza de España.

16:30 pm. Official reception for Los Indianos and the talc battle starts.

17:00 pm. The main procession of Los Indianos from Avenida de Los Indianos (the main road leading south out of town) to the plaza de la Alameda.

17:00-18:30 pm. Tradicional Cuban from the group Son Bohemio in the plaza de la Alameda.

17:30-19:00 pm. Tradicional Cuban from the groups ONG El Cardero Punto Com y Punto on the carnival stage.

18:30-20:00 pm. Tradicional Cuban from the group Cuarto Son in the plaza de la Alameda.

19:00-20:30 pm. Tradicional Cuban from the group Mayeya on the carnival stage.

20:00-21:30 pm. Tradicional Cuban from the group Changó in the plaza de la Alameda.

21:30-23:00 pm. Tradicional Cuban from the group Orillas del Son in the plaza de la Alameda.

23:00-00:30 pm. Tradicional Cuban from the group Changó in the plaza de la Alameda.

24:00 pm. Public dance with music performed by Salsaludando, Arena Caliente, Geniales and Rica Band on the carnival stage.

00:30-02:00 am. Tradicional Cuban from the group Cuarto Son in the plaza de la Alameda.

Martes, 24 de febrero

17:00 pm. Dance in fancy dress at the Day Centre for Pensioners

19:00 pm. Carnival Festival, with a performances by the La Longuera, Dance School, Ventacayce Cultural Centre, La Palma Dance School, La Encarnación childen's group, Chango Batuka Workshop Calcinas Dance Group and Devorah Velásquez León, at the carnival stage.

Viernes, 27 de febrero

21:00 pm. THE SARDINE'S FUNERAL This is the other crazy night, although the funeral in Santa Cruz seems to be less popular each year, whereas the one in Los Sauces gets more popular (that one's on March 9th this year). Yes, it's a funeral procession for a huge papiere mache sardine, complete with fake priests and moUrners howling with fake grief. It's like being inside a Monty Python sketch. (There's a longer description with photos here)

The funeral procession for Lady Sardine leaves the Plaza de la Alameda at 9p,and heads for the carnival stage. On arrival, the cremation and fireworks (NB the locals stand well back for a good reason!) After that there will be a public dance with music from Salsaludando and Los Geniales at the carnival stage.

Los Llanos de Aridane

MONDAY, February 23
11 a.m. CHILDREN'S WORKSHOP
Plaza de España

4.30 p.m. Parade and children's mask contest
Carnival Scene

10 p.m. Public Dance
with the musical group Libertad and Bolero at the Carnival Stage

TUESDAY, February 24
5 p.m. CARNIVAL COSO
with a carnival groups parades: murgas, comparsas, batucadas, carrozas, etc.
From “La Vera de Argual” to Plaza de España.

WEDNESDAY, Feburary 25
8 p.m. Murgas in La Plaza de España

THURSDAY, February 26
8 p.m. Murgas in La Plaza de España

FRIDAY, February 27
9:30 p.m. The Sardine's Funeral (See the description for Sana Cruz, or a longer description with photos here)

The Burial starts at 1:00 p.m. in El Camino Los Lomos – Los Pedregales, from where the funeral procession leaves at 7:00 p.m. towards La Calle Ramón Pol.
Once the funeral procession arrives, the Sardine will e cremated.

10:00 p.m. VERBENA
With Ricaband and Grupo Libertad orchestras at the Carnival Stage

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Los Llanos Carnival Program for the weekend

FRIDAY, February 20
Festival of Comparsas (Comparsas perform musical dance numbers)
> 8 p.m. Carnival Stage

SATURDAY, February 21
Comparsas performance
> 11.30 a.m. Plaza de España

Big Talcum-Powder throwing party (NB, there's a really good talc-throwing party in Santa Cruz on Monday)
Music and Dancing with La Retranca, Libertad and Salsaludando orchestras
> 1 p.m. Carnival stage

More Music and Dancing
with the orchestras: Bolero, Libertad and Ricaband
> 10 p.m. Carnival Scene

SUNDAY, February 22
THIRD AGE (pensioners') FESTIVAL
With the performance of carnival groups. Then Verbena with Silvia Reyes Group
> 5 p.m. Carnival Stage. Free entrance

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Ruido Fiesta 7

Casiano Melian







Friday night was the fiesta for issue 7 of Fanzine Ruido, held in bar Jon y Jor, inthe same building as the Millenium cinema in Los Llanos

It was a great night out. €3 paid for entrance to the gig, a copy of the magazine, and a free beer. (I was driving, so it was the only alcohol I had all night.)

The bands were Casiano Melian and Eremiot y la Tripulación. They were great!

And finally, they had an impromptu jam session. My husband joined in on the drums, and had a great time.

Eremiot y la Tripulación

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Anguish and Waxworks.

The Sanctuary of Anguish (Santuario de Las Angustias)

The Church of Our Lady's Anguish lies near the bottom of Las Angustias Ravine, where the river Taburiente runs out of the Caldera. (Well, they take a lot of the water for irrigation, so in the middle of summer it trickles. That still makes it the only year-round river in the Canaries). To find it, take the road from Los Llanos to Tijarafe. Just north of the bridge over the river, take the side road towards Puerto Tazacorte. The church is on the left, about 200 yards from the junction.


Inside view

The inside of the church is beautiful. The main statue in the altarpiece is Mary holding her dead son, by a Flemish artist from the 16th century. That's where the name of the church comes from. She's flanked by St Michael (16th century) and St Ambrose (17h or 18th century). But personally, the bit I find really striking is the painted ceiling.


That amazing ceiling

Beautiful carving is surprisingly common in churches on La Palma. It mostly dates from the days when the island got rich supplying sailing ships for the trip to America. This church has two other claims to fame.
The first is that for some reason, it's traditional for older couples to marry here. I mean couples over about fifty, who won't be having children short of a miracle.
The other is the collection of votive wax offerings on either side of the altar. Some were left by Canarian emigrates about to leave for Cuba or Venezuela. Others were left in gratitude for a cure, and to my English eyes, these look almost surreal. So if you prayed for a baby and finally got one, you'd leave a little waxwork baby. If your prayer for arthritis-free hands was granted, you'd leave a waxwork hand. There are at least two wax hearts, and at the top right, there's a breast. I can only imagine that somebody survived cancer.


The wax offerings

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Argual Flea Market

The flea market in Argual, just outside Los Llanos, takes place every Sunday from about 10 am to about 2 pm. It's smaller than the monthly market in Santa Cruz, but it's a much nicer situation. I think it's been a market square for a very long time. At any rate, it's surrounded by beautiful old buildings and has trees growing in the middle (which must be really nice on the hottest days).


Yesterday it was rather a small affair. This was partly because it clashed with the market in Santa Cruz, but mostly because the forecast was rain.



Even so, it was enough to see that this market has a slightly different flavour to Santa Cruz. It has a much higher percentage of German Hippies selling New Age things like Tibetan singing bowls.


I only saw two stalls setting plants. One also sold vegetables, and I bought some really good broccoli, plus sage and dill for the garden.


And one man was selling Palmeran cigars. Now I don't smoke, but I believe Palmeran tobacco has a very good reputation.


But perhaps my favourite bit was the dreamy live music. I haven't seen these two before. The instrument onthe left is a digeridoo. If anyone knows the name of the instrument on the right, please let me know, because I haven't seen one before.

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