Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Encyclopedia
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the capital , second-most populous city of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands and the 21st largest city in Spain, with a population of 222,417 in 2009...
is held each February in Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the capital , second-most populous city of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands and the 21st largest city in Spain, with a population of 222,417 in 2009...
, the capital of the largest of the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
, and attracts people from all over the world. It is considered the second-most popular and internationally-known carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
, after the one held in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
(Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
). Partially for this reason, the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife is twinned with the city of Rio de Janeiro.
In 1980, it was declared a Tourist Festival of International Interest by the Secretary of State for Tourism. The Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife aspires to become a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
, as a declaration of its status as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
would promote the festival internationally. In 1987, singer Celia Cruz
Celia Cruz
Celia Cruz was a Cuban-American salsa singer, and was one of the most successful Salsa performers of the 20th century, having earned twenty-three gold albums...
went to the Carnival Chicharrero with Billo's Caracas Boys; attended by 250,000 people, the concert was registered in the Guinness Book of Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
as the largest gathering of people in an outdoor plaza to attend a concert.
The festivities on the streets of Santa Cruz de Tenerife start on the Friday before Carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
with an opening parade, which reaches its height during the night when thousands of people in fancy dresses dance until the early hours of the next day. The party continues night after night until Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday, in the calendar of Western Christianity, is the first day of Lent and occurs 46 days before Easter. It is a moveable fast, falling on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter...
. That day, people of Santa Cruz de Tenerife celebrate the "entierro de la sardina" (burial of the sardine), and with this event the carnival is officially over. However, the party starts up again the following weekend, known as the weekend of the piñata.
The festival has two parts: the official Carnival, and the Carnival on the street. The official carnival has more than a hundred groups, including murga
Murga
Murga is a form of popular musical theatre performed in Uruguay and in Argentina during the Carnival season. Murga groups operate in Montevideo and at the Buenos Aires Carnival, though to a lesser extent than in Montevideo; the Argentine murga is more centred on dancing and less on vocals than the...
s, comparsa
Comparsa
A comparsa is the band which plays a conga during a Latin American Carnival celebration. It consists of a large group of dancers dancing and traveling on the streets, followed by a Carrosa where the musicians play...
s, rondalla
Rondalla
The rondalla is an ensemble of stringed instruments played with the plectrum or pick and generally known as plectrum instruments. It originated in Medieval Spain, especially in Catalunya, Aragon, Murcia, and Valencia...
s and other musical groups. The street carnival is more loosely organized, and comprises the people celebrating on the streets. Thousands of people come each day to the streets to participate, most of whom wear a disguise in accordance with Carnival tradition.
History
The Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife has been celebrated since the time of the earliest European settlement, and possibly earlier. In 1605 Gaspar Luis Hidalgo alluded to the habit of reversing the sexesGender role
Gender roles refer to the set of social and behavioral norms that are considered to be socially appropriate for individuals of a specific sex in the context of a specific culture, which differ widely between cultures and over time...
in dress. Early written references date from the end of the 18th century, in the writings of visitors.
The journal of Lope Antonio de la Guerra Peña in 1778 includes a dance held in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, where he then talked about comparsas (bands playing conga music
Conga (music)
Conga music is a style of Cuban music used to dance Conga. The most known Conga song is "Conga" of Gloria Estefan.-Parodies:*In Sesame Street, this type of music is titled "The Monster Clubhouse Conga" where the purple monster with pigtails named Googel, green monster Phoebe and blue monster Mel...
). In 1783, the Corregidor reported the use of masks "being banned by royal instructions". In practice the ban was not carried out, and a carnival feature was the mixing of the masked upper class with the common people.
Governmental ban
During the dictatorships of Miguel Primo de RiveraMiguel Primo de Rivera
Miguel Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja, 2nd Marquis of Estella, 22nd Count of Sobremonte, Knight of Calatrava was a Spanish dictator, aristocrat, and a military official who was appointed Prime Minister by the King and who for seven years was a dictator, ending the turno system of alternating...
(1923–1935), and General Franco (1940–1960), the Carnival was known as "winter holiday" as a ruse to circumvent the ban that had been enacted against it. Despite the ban, the festival continued to take place in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Cádiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
, Spain. In 1954 with Los Bigotudos (today known as Afilarmónica NIFU-NiFá) performed the first murga
Murga
Murga is a form of popular musical theatre performed in Uruguay and in Argentina during the Carnival season. Murga groups operate in Montevideo and at the Buenos Aires Carnival, though to a lesser extent than in Montevideo; the Argentine murga is more centred on dancing and less on vocals than the...
(musical theater).
Promotional posters
Since 1962, a poster for each year of the Carnival has been created. Artists such as John Galarza, Gurrea, Javier MariscalJavier Mariscal
Javier Mariscal is a Valencian Spanish artist and designer whose work has spanned a wide range of mediums, ranging from painting and sculpture to interior design and landscaping. He was born in February 1950 in the city of Valencia, Spain, into a family of eleven brothers and sisters...
Dokoupil César Manrique
César Manrique
César Manrique was an artist and an architect.-Biography:Manrique grew up in the area of San Ginés lagoon. At age 23, he participated in his first exhibition in Arrecife. He attended the University of La Laguna. In 1945, Manrique attended the art school San Fernando in Madrid for five years...
Cuixart Pedro González
Pedro Gonzalez
Pedro Gonzalez may refer to:*Pedro González de Lara, Spanish noble and statesman*Pedro González de Mendoza , Spanish cardinal and statesman*Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez, U.S...
, Fierro, Paco Martinez, Mel Ramos, Enrique Gonzalez, Maribel Nazca, Elena Lecuona and many others have contributed to their designs. For the 2009 Carnival, it was proposed that an open competition take place for participants to design the official poster for that year.
Traditional events
The main venues for Carnival competitions and the election of the Queen have been the Teatro GuimeráTeatro Guimerá
Teatro Guimerá is a theatre located in the capital city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands is the oldest theater in the Canary Islands.Founded in the 19th century...
(until 1985) and the Plaza de Toros (1986–1988) Its central circular stage was decorated with a silver crown in 1986–1987 and a golden crown in 1988. Additional venues have included the Plaza de España in 2005, the Centro Internacional de Ferias y Congresos de Tenerife
Centro Internacional de Ferias y Congresos de Tenerife
The Tenerife International Centre for Trade Fairs and Congresses , also known as "The Fair Recint" was opened in May 1996. The building, covers an area exceeding 40,000 square meters in the sea front of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Is in close proximity to other venues such as the Parque Marítimo César...
and the Esplanade of Parks in 2008. Since the construction of the Centro Internacional de Ferias y Congresos de Tenerife, additional Carnival venues have varied.
In recent years tickets for several events (especially the Final Murgas Adultas Contest and the Gala of the Queen) have sold out completely (over 20,000 seats) between 15 and 60 minutes after tickets go on sale. The Gala of the Queen, with a stage spectacle that crowns the first lady of the Carnival and groups awarded for their efforts, is broadcast each year by a national network for the entire country and broadcast via satellite to all continents. Networks covering the event include RTVE, Televisión Canaria, Antena 3 Televisión, Canal +, Galavisión and Telecinco.
Capital of Carnival
In May 2000, the Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife became the Carnival Capital of the World and headquarters of the 20th Convention of the Federation of European Carnival Cities (FECC). The convention, held on the island of Gran CanariaGran Canaria
Gran Canaria is the second most populous island of the Canary Islands, with a population of 838,397 which constitutes approximately 40% of the population of the archipelago...
, featured appearances by Carnival performers and concluded with performers from the Carnival of Las Palmas
Carnival of Las Palmas
The Carnival of Las Palmas also Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is one of the biggest and most spectacular events of its kind in Spain and the World. It is considered the second largest of the Canary Islands....
.
Themes
- 1987 - Rome: This was the first year that the Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, was themed. For this, the perimeter of the Plaza de España was surrounded by an Ionic-styleIoniaIonia is an ancient region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey, the region nearest İzmir, which was historically Smyrna. It consisted of the northernmost territories of the Ionian League of Greek settlements...
paired colonnade, giving the appearance of a circular Roman temple. The portal of the lintel of each pair of columns, was adorned by two Atlantic mackerel (chicharros) crowned with laurels. This was the year the Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife entered the Guinness Book of World Records. - 1988 - Wild World: The colonnade of the previous year was recycled, painted in salmon and topped with white palm leaves made from fiberglass, giving the appearance of palm trees. Every two or three palms were on platforms which were reproductions of previous carnival Queen costumes in white fiberglass. A model of King Kong stood on a pedestal
- 1989 - Millennial Egypt: The Plaza de España replaced the Plaza de Toros as the main stage. It was decorated with two large sphinxes and an Egyptian-style palace gate.
- 1990 - Story World: The scene at the Plaza de España was that of a story in two parts. One story was "happy" (with a smiley-faced house) and the other "dark", with a tree whose branches were shaped like hands in a tribute to the film Poltergeist.
- 1991 - Space: The tower of the Plaza de España was integrated into the scenery, transforming it into a giant telecommunications antenna dominated by metal, neon and laser lights.
- 1992 - Cinema: The stage of the Plaza de España evoked a Western movie set.
- 1993 - Circus: The stage was extended to almost half the surface of the square. This was the first year that Antena 3 Television broadcast the Queen Gala nationally and internationally (on Antena 3 Internacional); previously, it had been broadcast by RTVE, TVE1 and La2 TVE Internacional.
- 1994 - Atlantida: The stage was highlighted with oceanic colors. The gala was presented by journalist Willy García. The queen that year was Maria Candelaria Rodriguez, who wore "Diva" (by Marcos Marrero) for Casinos de Tenerife.
- 1995 - The Thousand and One Nights: Scenes from the Arabian story adorned the stage of the Plaza de España, inspired by the film Aladdin.
- 1996 - Mexico: The main stage of the Carnival moved to the newly-opened Centro Internacional de Ferias y Congresos de TenerifeCentro Internacional de Ferias y Congresos de TenerifeThe Tenerife International Centre for Trade Fairs and Congresses , also known as "The Fair Recint" was opened in May 1996. The building, covers an area exceeding 40,000 square meters in the sea front of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Is in close proximity to other venues such as the Parque Marítimo César...
. The theatrical set evokes a neighborhood in Mexico, and the characters were stereotypical negative portrayals of Mexicans as "drunk, lazy and violent". The Mexican Consul was in attendance, and it was broadcast in America by GalavisionGalavisiónGalavisión is a Miami, Florida based Spanish language cable network owned by Univision Communications, Inc. The station is unrelated to the Mexican channel of the same name, other than sharing the Televisa-produced programming.-History:...
and in Spain by Telecinco. The show nearly created a diplomatic conflict; TelevisaTelevisaTelevisa is a Mexican multimedia conglomerate, the largest mass media company in Latin America and in the Spanish-speaking world. It is a major international entertainment business, with much of its programming airing in the United States on Univision, with which it has an exclusive contract...
closed its office in Tenerife, which was owned by Canal 7 del Atlántico (ECO Noticias). Construction errors on the set required help for the queen candidates to cross the stage. Its highlight was a performance by Enrique IglesiasEnrique IglesiasEnrique Iglesias is a Spanish pop music singer, a son of singer Julio Iglesias.Enrique started his musical career on Mexican label Fonovisa...
. - 1997 - Prehistory: The set was simple: a rocky mountain made of papier-mâché in the center of the Centro Internacional de Ferias y Congresos de Tenerife.
- 1998 - The Middle Ages: The set of that year was a medieval castle with flags, coats of arms and colored conical roofs.
- 1999 - Comic World: This marked a return to the Plaza de España, with a set filled with superheroes. Highlights were Captain America (known as "Super Chicha") and a giant bust of Lara Croft.
- 2000 - Pirates: A pirate galleon was the centerpiece, surrounded by palm trees, islands, beaches and waves.
- 2001 - Space Odyssey: A spaceship was the main feature at the Plaza de España.
- 2002 - The Roaring 20s: The scene of the Plaza de España was decorated with motifs reminiscent of the first two decades of the 20th century. The Eiffel TowerEiffel TowerThe Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
was featured on stage, with the Statue of LibertyStatue of LibertyThe Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
and the Golden Gate BridgeGolden Gate BridgeThe Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, the structure links the city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to...
behind the Eiffel Tower. - 2003 - The Far East (China): The center of the Plaza de España was occupied by a Chinese temple in red. A papier-mâché sculpture of the Buddha was withdrawn after protests by the Buddhist community of Tenerife, who objected to a religious figure being used frivolously. The main streets of Santa Cruz de Tenerife were decorated red and gold, with Chinese lanterns.
- 2004 - Celia Cruz: The stage at the Plaza de España was decorated as a Cuban neighborhood, with a neon sign reading "Celia Cruz" in blue.
- 2005 - Hollywood Musicals: The stage of the Spanish Steps was inspired by Hollywood black-and-white musicals.
- 2006 - Tribes: The stage was again moved to the Centro Internacional de Ferias y Congresos de Tenerife. Two sets (one primary and one secondary) were planned, joined by a footbridge. The decoration of both was based on graffiti and Web icons. It was originally intended to target "urban tribes" (punks and hippies) but was given a general theme of "tribes", which proved confusing.
- 2007 - Fashion: Known as the "Bitter Carnival" due to the negative role acquired by the director of that year's Gala Election of the Queen, Rafael Amargo (amargo in Spanish means "bitter") and the show itself.
- 2008 - Magic: The stage was moved to the parking lot of the Parque Marítimo César ManriqueParque Marítimo César ManriqueThe Parque Marítimo César Manrique is an entertainment complex, designed by architect César Manrique, located in the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife ....
. The decor was inspired by the struggle between good and evil (white magic and black magic), incorporating motifs from The NeverEnding StoryThe NeverEnding Story (film)The NeverEnding Story is a 1984 German-American epic fantasy film based on the novel of the same name written by Michael Ende. The film was directed and co-written by Wolfgang Petersen and starred Barret Oliver, Noah Hathaway and Tami Stronach. At the time of its release, it was the most...
, The Lord of the RingsThe Lord of the Rings film trilogyThe Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter...
and Harry PotterHarry Potter (film series)The Harry Potter film series is a British-American film series based on the Harry Potter novels by the British author J. K. Rowling...
. - 2009 - Horror Films: This was known as "the anti-crisis Carnival". The main stage at the Centro Internacional de Ferias y Congresos de TenerifeCentro Internacional de Ferias y Congresos de TenerifeThe Tenerife International Centre for Trade Fairs and Congresses , also known as "The Fair Recint" was opened in May 1996. The building, covers an area exceeding 40,000 square meters in the sea front of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Is in close proximity to other venues such as the Parque Marítimo César...
was flat, without any carvings or models. The decoration was large-format canvases printed with motifs from an early influence of Ed Wood, Nosferatu. The satanicSatanismSatanism is a group of religions that is composed of a diverse number of ideological and philosophical beliefs and social phenomena. Their shared feature include symbolic association with, admiration for the character of, and even veneration of Satan or similar rebellious, promethean, and...
hymn "Ave SataniAve Satani"Ave Satani" is the theme song to the film The Omen composed by Jerry Goldsmith. The Omen won an Oscar for Best Score, with Ave Satani nominated for Best Song, one of the few foreign language songs ever to be nominated....
" was heard several times at the introduction to the gala. - 2010 - Tenerife, Carnival History: At first the theme was "History of Mankind"; after a policy change in the city, it was changed to "Tenerife, story of a carnival".
- 2011 - Enrique González and Canary murgas: This year honored Don Enrique GonzálezEnrique GonzálezEnrique César González is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher.-Playing career:González made his first start against the Cincinnati Reds on May 28, 2006, pitching six innings for the Arizona Diamondbacks and giving up only one run...
, the "father of street musicians", founder of several acts of the carnival. The Murgas final was held for the first time in Heliodoro Rodriguez López StadiumEstadio Heliodoro Rodríguez LópezEstadio Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez also Estadio de Tenerife is a multi-purpose stadium in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of CD Tenerife. The stadium holds about 22,000...
, with an attendance of 20,000.
Noise complaint
In January 2006 a group of neighbors in Santa Cruz de Tenerife filed a complaint with the Board of Administrative Disputes, supported by eight community buildings and ten residents of the area known as the "ring" (the middle of the festivities). They asked for suspension of the Acts of Carnival in the city center. Several volunteer groups decided in the lawsuit to seek damages. The City Council awarded at least 180 million euros to cover collateral damage. Finally, according to the ruling "the generic request for suspension of the carnival is in no way excessive and could be subject to a full assessment. It is obvious that the carnival is composed of a plurality of events, the adequacy of social discomfort and noise both have separate ratings according to the social reality of the time that the rules must be applied for, as the public prosecutor warns, not all such actions have the same capacity to undermine fundamental rights and therefore that in no way justifies the request for suspension of Carnival because of the violation of fundamental rights." The order added that the neighbors broke the principle of good faith by failing to notify the Town Hall before the Carnival and submit a comprehensive plan, leaving the door open to further demands. That year a storm also struck Tenerife, delaying Carnival plans.This decision was appealed by the neighbors before the Board of Administrative Disputes Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Canarias (TSJC), which resolved the violation of fundamental rights by the Carnival of 2006 and 2007. In the legal basis of the fifth sentence, suspending the Carnival was not considered appropriate. However, the TSJC said "in no case" noise at night could exceed 55 decibels and that the City should take the necessary steps to control it while moving (if necessary) "the evening activities to residential areas". On Thursday, February 8, 2007, a judge of the Administrative Dispute No. 1 in the capital suspended night dances held in the center, as they violated the fundamental rights of neighbors. On Monday, February 12, 2007, after negotiation with both parties, the court declared inadmissible the suspension of acts of Carnival in the streets. The reason was that this was already resolved for 2007 by the 2006 ruling of the Chamber for Contentious Administrative Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Canarias.
2007 Holiday Act
On February 14, 2007 the Parliament of the Canary Islands, in an extraordinary meeting, unanimously approved a new law lifting environmental-noise regulations during certain dates at the discretion of municipalities.Daily events
During the weeks preceding the Wednesday election of the Carnival Queen, there are contests for adults and children comparsas, lyrical and musical groups, rondallas )string ensembles), the Queen of the Elderly, the Child Queen, Song of Laughter and adult and children's murgas. The official Carnival song is chosen, which will be presented to the Queen candidates in the hall of the City Council. Also featured are a choreography contest and a contest rewarding the most original floats and decorated cars. Nearly a month earlier, preparation starts with the official presentation at the Calle de La Noria. Shortly before Christmas, the Carnival poster is released.Wednesday: Carnival Queen selection
The Wednesday before Carnival weekend, the Queen of the Carnival is elected. The event is usually broadcast to the entire country, and abroad by satellite. During the gala, the candidates parade across the main stage. A jury composed of members of the municipal corporation and celebrities chooses the queen; there is also a vote via SMSSMS
SMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
(short messaging service). After choosing the bridesmaids, the mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
hands the scepter to the winner. Since the costumes are heavy, the candidates rely on wheeled transportation. The costumes are also expensive, so the candidates are sponsored (usually by a multinational corporation
Multinational corporation
A multi national corporation or enterprise , is a corporation or an enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. It can also be referred to as an international corporation...
with a presence on the islands). The Hogar Canario Venezolano also sends its own Queen and holds a privileged position in the next Announcement Parade. Costumes are usually made of feathers, plastic, metal and paper. The queen is responsible for representing the carnival at tourism fairs as an ambassador for the Canary Islands.
Friday: Announcement Parade
On Friday the Announcement Parade is held, in which all participating groups march along the main thoroughfares of the city announcing the arrival of the carnival. The parade 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. The queen and the bridesmaids (on their own floats) are escorted by the murgas and rondallas. Private carriages also participate in the parade, which lasts more than four hours. That night, the street carnival officially begins.Carnival Saturday
The Saturday of Carnival is a day dedicated entirely to dance. There are two main venues: one in the Plaza de la CandelariaPlaza de la Candelaria
The Plaza de la Candelaria, is a square in the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife , which is located next to the Plaza de España....
(which replacing the one in the Plaza de España
Plaza de España
Plaza de España may refer to:Spain** Plaça d'Espanya in Barcelona** Plaça d'Espanya in Palma de Mallorca** Plaza de España in Madrid** Plaza de España in Santa Cruz de Tenerife...
during its renovation) and one in the Plaza del Príncipe. Depending on the holiday, one or more stages are built in the Plaza de Europa for electronic music, or tents in the Plaza de la Iglesia de la Concepción
Iglesia de la Concepción (Santa Cruz de Tenerife)
The Iglesia-Parroquia Matriz de Nuestra Señora de La Concepción is a Catholic church located in the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife...
and the Plaza de Europa feature Latin music. Dances not only cover the three points but all the connecting streets, bars and cars playing their own music. One of the main streets of the carnival is Bethencourt Afonso, popularly known as Calle San José.
Carnival Monday (Lunes de Carnaval)
This is a day of feasting, with performances at the main venues in the capital. Since 2009, the Plaza de la Candelaria is home to the Santa Cruz Dance Carnival, an electronic-music event which in its first edition featured DJs Armand Van HeldenArmand Van Helden
Armand Van Helden is a record producer, DJ and remixer whose biggest commercial successes came from his remixes of the 1996 Tori Amos song "Professional Widow" , which reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in January 1997, and his own track "U Don't Know Me ", which went to number 1...
, Ron Carroll
Ron Carroll
Ron Carroll is an American DJ, singer, songwriter and producer. He is primarily known in the house music circuit. Carroll has worked with many of house's most famous producers, including E-Smoove, Maurice Joshua and Bob Sinclar. He has also produced, usually with partner Spero Pagos, for other...
, DJ Craze
DJ Craze
DJ Craze , born Aristh Delgado, is a Nicaraguan American DJ who plays hip hop, Miami bass, breaks, Dubstep, drum n bass, and practices turntablism. He is the only solo DJ in history to claim the DMC World DJ Championships trophy three times consecutively .-Biography:DJ Craze was born in Managua,...
, Roger Sanchez
Roger Sanchez
Roger Sanchez, also known as Roger S. and The S Man, is a Grammy award-winning American House music DJ who has scored many hits in the European and World Charts...
, DJ Dario, Real El Canario and DJ Ser.
Tuesday: Grand finale
On Carnival Tuesday a coso (parade) runs along the Avenida de Anaga, marking the official end of Carnival. Again march carnival groups, floats, decorated cars and the Carnival Queens. During the afternoon a show is held especially for tourists arriving by bus from other areas of the Canary Islands.Ash Wednesday: Burial of the sardine
On Ash WednesdayAsh Wednesday
Ash Wednesday, in the calendar of Western Christianity, is the first day of Lent and occurs 46 days before Easter. It is a moveable fast, falling on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter...
, the first day of Lent
Lent
In the Christian tradition, Lent is the period of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer – through prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial – for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and...
, is celebrated "the burial of the sardine". The streets of Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the capital , second-most populous city of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands and the 21st largest city in Spain, with a population of 222,417 in 2009...
are draped in mourning. A giant sardine made of paper is carried in a funeral procession, followed by wailing widows. The Catholic Church is mocked, with participants dressed as pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
s, bishops and nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
s imitating blessings and other religious rites (often accompanied by sexual objects). A few years ago, the decision of the Hall of Santa Cruz de Tenerife to reschedule the burial of the sardine to the following Friday (to coincide with the arrival of a cruise tour of the city) sparked a controversy that led some groups to arrange an alternative funeral for the sardine on Wednesday, replacing the burning of the sardine with placing candles at the monument of the Chicharro in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Piñata weekend
The weekend puts an end to "Don Carnal" until the next year and whose role, especially on Saturday, has grown in recent decades to the point of having internationally-renowned entertainment comparable to the Monday of Carnival.- Saturday of PiñataPiñataA piñata is a papier-mâché or other type of container that is decorated, filled with toys and or candy and then broken as part of a ceremony or celebration. Piñatas are most commonly associated with Mexico, but its origins are considered to be in China...
(Sábado de Piñata): Since 2008 it was called the "Carnival by Day", although its first edition had to be moved to the following Sunday because of inclement weather. From 12:00 to 16:00, it is celebrated with simultaneous musical performances at three venues in the center of the city: Plaza Weyler, Plaza del Príncipe and Plaza de la Candelaria. - Sunday of Piñata (Domingo de Piñata): On Sunday morning the Old Cars Contest is held, followed by a traditional performance of the Afilarmónica NIFU-NiFá and the year's vocal-group winner at Plaza del Príncipe. The carnival concludes at night with a fireworks display.
Contests
- Adult Murgas Contest: The main contest in the Carnival, where murgas sing the best of their repertoire; the audience camps at the box office to get good seats
- Kids' Murgas Contest: A younger version of the adult murgas contest, in which participants are under 18 years
- Music groups: Groups perform Caribbean musical rhythms
- Groups of the Third Age: Oriented toward Canary Island folklore (the "third age")
- Rondalla and Cluster Lyric Contest: Held in the Teatro GuimeráTeatro GuimeráTeatro Guimerá is a theatre located in the capital city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands is the oldest theater in the Canary Islands.Founded in the 19th century...
or Auditorio de TenerifeAuditorio de TenerifeThe Auditorio de Tenerife "Adán Martín" , was designed by architect Santiago Calatrava Valls. It is located on the Avenue of the Constitution in the Canarian capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife , and next to the Atlantic Ocean in the southern part of Port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife...
, the contest is a cultural part of the Carnival interpreting Spanish poetry, operaOperaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
and zarzuelaZarzuelaZarzuela is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular song, as well as dance...
(Spanish opera). - Adult Choreography Competition: Amateurs mount choreography as if for a ballet
- Kid's Choreography Competition: Children's version of the adult choreography contest
- Adult Comparsas: Awards presentation and choreography on stage
- Kid's Comparsas: Children's version of the adult comparsas
- Rhythm and Harmony: Where the comparasas demonstrates its talent, parading and dancing to the beat of the batucada on the Avenida Anaga
- Competition floats
- The Song of Laughter (La canción de la Risa): Since 2005, its purpose is to reward the song and staging more fun created for the occasion. Held at the Teatro Guimerá, its first edition was won by Los Hijos de Buda with an ironic song about the Spanish royal family.
See also
- Santa Cruz de TenerifeSanta Cruz de TenerifeSanta Cruz de Tenerife is the capital , second-most populous city of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands and the 21st largest city in Spain, with a population of 222,417 in 2009...
- CarnivalCarnivalCarnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
- Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Wikipedia Spanish version)