A small rock in the Atlantic

I Don't Believe It!

(said in my best Victor Meldrew impersonation.)

We're on orange alert again, because there's yet another storm headed our way.

This one is small and intense and due to hit tonight with wind gusts up to 160 km/h on the peaks and possible heavy rain. The only good bit is that it's zipping along so fast that it should be over by lunchtime Saturday.

The observatory has been evacuated, the Octopus's funeral tonight has been postponed again, along with the hiking club's coast-to-coast walk on Saturday.

I haven't heard anything definite about the Sardine's Funeral on Saturday in Los Sauces. The storm may well have gone by then.

Labels: Carnival, La Palma, octopus's funeral, Sardine's Funeral, Weather

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An Octupus and a Sardine

Poster for the Octopus's Funeral, Los Cancajos, La Palma Island

The Octopus's funeral has been rescheduled for Friday 26th.

The procession will leave the pharmacy at 8 pm and make its way to the beach, where the octopus will be cremated. There will be fireworks and dancing. Everybody welcome.
This is a new fiesta, so it'll be interesting to see

Meanwhile the sardine's funeral at Los Sauces will take place on Saturday 27th. The percussion music starts at 8 pm and the funeral procession starts at 9:30 pm in the main square by the church. Last time I saw it, it was wonderful.

And I believe that Barlovento will hold their sardine's funeral the weekend after, on March 5th or 6th. Watch this space.

Poster for the Sardine's Funeral, Los Sauces, La PAlma island

Labels: Breña Baja, Cancajos, carnival programme, fiesta, La Palma, Los Sauces, San Andres y Sauces, Sardine's Funeral

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Rescheduled Sardine's Funerals

It poured with rain last Friday, so Los Sauces have rescheduled their sardine's funeral to Saturday 14th at 9:30 pm. This is a pity, because now it clashes with Barlovento's sardine's funeral, at 10:30 pm the same night.

Labels: Barlovento, entierro de la sardina, Los Sauces, Sardine's Funeral

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A Whole Shoal of Sardines

Carnival is officially over in most places, but if you missed the Sardine's funeral in Santa Cruz and Los Llanos, you still have four chances to pay your last respects.

Puntallana hold their sardine's funeral tonight at 10 pm, and the little village of Los Galguitos in San Andres y Sauces holds theirs tonight too, but I haven't been able to find out when.

Los Sauces hold theirs tomorrow (Saturday) at 9 pm. This is perhaps the most famous sardine's funeral on the island. I went last year and it was wonderful - like being inside a Monty Python sketch.

And I have an unconfirmed report that Barlovento will bury theirs on Friday the 13th. Incidentally, the Spanish aren't a bit superstitious about Friday the 13th. They worry about Tuesday the 13th instead.

Labels: Carnival, entierro de la sardina, La Palma, Sardine's Funeral

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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.

Los Indianos, Santa Cruz de la Palma

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

The Sardine'sfuneral, Santa Cruz de la Palma

Labels: al, Canary islands, Carnival, La Palma, Los Indianos, Los Llanos, powder night, Santa Cruz de la Palma, Sardine's Funeral

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The Funeral at Last!

Last night I went to the delayed Sardine's Funeral in Los Sauces. I finally discovered why people say it's better than the sardine's funeral in Santa Cruz.

They say it because it's true.

The crowd was far bigger than in Santa Cruz, and over half of them wore fancy dress - mostly Halloween theme costumes. This is my hairdresser. I didn't recognise him until he spoke.

First they had a butaca - serious percussion. I took a lot of video, but there wasn't much light and most people were wearing black, so it's not brilliant. I need to learn to edit video.

At the end of the butaca it poured with rain for about ten minutes. Imagine a couple of thousand people all looking for shelter and saying, "Oh no!" all at once. Thankfully it stopped pretty quickly.

Then I wondered about for a bit and had a beer (alcohol free - I was driving).

Then the sardine appeared.

Now in Santa Cruz its a funeral procession, and the mourners are wailing with fake grief, but they're walking in a dignified way.

In Los Sauces, the sardine is being tossed around as though it's on a rough sea. The pall bearers really work up a sweat. I found out the hard way that it gets a fair bit of momentum - the guys at one side can't necesarily stop just because they're going to crash into a photographer. I was glad I only took the compact camera. And the mourners jog and pogo and screech like banshees. It's like Santa Cruz used to be, only better. Monty Python eat your heart out. What's more, there were a couple of smaller sardines brought by groups of kids. The sardine goes around the square twice, and then through the back streets towards the huge new bridge, back along the main street, round the square twice again, and finally onto the bier in the square. The kids' sardines went under the bier.

Of course it ends with the sardine being cremated. And in Los Sauces, the crowd doesn't just watch and cheer. They pogo and boogie and scream again. And there are lots more fireworks.

By then it was one in the morning, so I didn't stop for the public dance. I just ate a sandwich and went home.

Next year I'm going back, and I'm definitely dressing up.

I'll post some video when I've editied it.

Labels: Canaries, Canary islands, Carnival, La Palma, Los Sauces, Sardine's Funeral

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The Sardine's Funeral

Tonight was supposed to be the sardine's funeral in Santa Cruz de la Palma.

This is actually a bizarre finale to Carnival, and as such was traditionally held on Ash Wednesday. (They still do so in Tenerife. See http://www.secret-tenerife.com/2008/02/ash-wednesday-burial-of-sardine.html
But some years ago, Santa Cruz de La Palma started to hold their Sardine's Funeral on
the Friday of Carnival week. Presumably they felt it would be more popular if most people didn't have to work in the morning.

But it's been raining most of the day, so it was postponed. Even if they cancel it, the villageof Los Sauces hold their Sardine's funeral next week. Watch this space.

And in the meantime, you can see pictures of a previous funeral here.

Labels: Canaries, Canary islands, Carnival, La Palma, Sardine's Funeral