Hello and it is good to have you back and hopefully you will enjoy learning more about Tenerife!
So you have experienced the sun, sand and alcohol of Tenerife but have you every taken a little time out on your holiday to experience some local culture? If you have, then Great! As you are experiencing the traditions of the local people who are celebrating their Patron Saint and religion. If you haven’t, then I suggest you try checking it out; find out what is happening while you are on the Island. The atmosphere is great, colourful and friendly with such an amazing community spirit.
What can you expect?
Well you can
be sure to feel relaxed, as things move at a much slower pace than what it does in England. The
locals will start to gather in the town from an early time, before the procession arrives.
Many local ladies
will be dressed in their traditional costumes, which some are very colourful or maybe just black skirts, this depends on their home town (Pueblo). The men will be dressed in white
shirts, black waistcoat and black hat. Some men will wear a sash around their
waist but the style is the same and with a variety of different coloured sashes.
The town is usually buzzing and you can feel the sense of excitement in everyone. Small children
are very much involved with their tradition, with little outfits and smiling faces.
This is very much a family time and a celebration of what they believe in. It
is about their time and the town’s opportunity to celebrate their Saint’s day
and why not? It you like culture and something different on holiday, then you should try to
attend but be prepared for the event to be slower and more chilled out.
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| Folklore Fiesta San Isidro
Friendly Locals
I have
travelled to a few Folklore festivals over the past 11 years and I have always been accepted
immediately by the people of Tenerife, friends and family. I call some people
my family, as I was engaged for 9 years to a local man and so this is how I can
share my knowledge, photographs and happy times. I got to see the other part of Tenerife and local culture, that tourists miss out on. I still keep in touch with many family members and visit
them every year, so I will always be part of their world and culture.
A
particular Folklore I attended at San
Isidro with (at the time my fiance, MIguel) and my sister Maureen. We met up with Miguel's brother Tony and his lovely wife Nora and son Marcus in their home town; so it was a little bit more special to us. Nora, Marcus and Tony were constantly offering us food and drink which had been prepared and stored in a cooler box, just like we have in the UK for our picnic. Smiling, happy and lovely. Maureen and me felt so much part of this traditional celebration and wonderful family.
Just picture the
sun shining, music playing, people dancing and the sound of loud, happy people
talking with excitement. Groups of musicians would appear to play and sing, while the
ladies are dancing in their local costumes. They walk off a few yards, still
singing and dancing then stop a little further down. This is repeated all the
way to the beach.
Following the groups of musicians and dancers, are large floats, all brightly decorated with flowers, plants and ribbons. Traditionally dressed women, men and children on the floats are
handing out small plastic cups with red wine, samples of food and fruit. How nice is this! What a friendly place
to be.
 Photograph:
Nora, Marcus and me
Procession
The procession is
taken very seriously and religion is very much respected during the festivals.
The crowds will follow the procession down to the finished point where further
celebrations will carry on. This will go on until early hours of the morning,
drinking, eating, dancing and singing.
We were constantly offered food and drinks in the street while waiting for the parade, just a wonderful friendly and caring atmosphere.
What a fantastic day we had and what I really liked
the most was that the town, freely allowed visitors, tourists or any other
culture/race into their celebrations without any questions or uncomfortable
stares. This show that the Canarian people are friendly and always welcome their visitors.
Thank you to all that made my day so enjoyable and an
opportunity to learn more about the culture of this beautiful Island.
I hope you enjoyed learning about some traditions of
Tenerife and hopefully you will stay posted to see more.
If you like my write up and want to learn more about
Tenerife, please follow me on Twitter and Instagram. I would love to say hello…
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