Saturday, September 15, 2007
Tenerife Village Fiesta: Day 2
Visit the following page for the start of this series of posts on these Fiestas.
Last night's carnival style opening of the Fiestas in El Palmar was a hoot, though, it's hard to understand why they put times on the program: they bear absolutely no relation to reality.
Not that this really matters, except, the longer one spends waiting, the more acutely one becomes aware of the complete lack of public toilets!
Events were slated to begin at 7.30 p.m. yesterday. When did they actually start? Some time well after 9 p.m. Although the official speeches then were mercifully short, it still must have been getting on for 10, when the carnival opening procession even started off on it's rounds of the village streets. 
It was a little after midnight when it and the entourage of revellers - the Comparsa, the band and numerous carnivaleros: mostly men dressed up as women and one, inexplicably (although the lack of bathroom facilities might have been a clue), dressed in an adult diaper - finally returned.
Then the party started. Well, no the party had been going on in the streets of El Palmar (both of them) for all that time and, this was when I discovered what is really meant by "enjoying the good meat, wine and music." 
The meat - a whole open-backed truck load and probably several animals worth of it - and the wine was free. As much as you like: all you had to do was to raise your hand amongst the hundreds of others similarly begging.
Chaotic? Well, just a tad, but I only saw one argument break out.
On the back of this ancient camion (lorry), which apparently, was still being fixed at 6 p.m., were half a dozen people handing out barbecued meat, from an industrial-sized grill, in half loaves and sloshing out the "good wine" in plastic cups, at speed of service that McDonalds can only dream about.
By the time everyone did get back to the plaza and the dance band got going, the wheels were certainly well oiled, so to speak. 
And, if the free food and wine wasn't enough for anyone, there's a stall in the square selling toys, snacks and sweets, plus two bars, one of which is also selling perros calientes (hot dogs) and papas locas (chips n sauce).
So onto today's scheduled events.
Fiesta Day 2 - Saturday, September 15th (Eve of the Fiesta)
At 16:00 there is a photographic exhibition in the plaza.
At 18:30 (very approx.) is the Baile de las Libreas. (Livery Dance)
I've been informed that the Baile de las Libreas usually starts around 8 to 8.30 p.m. and, based on yesterday's experience, I have no reason to doubt it. What I've been told is that the only thing that starts on time is mass (and today we have one that will act as a guide to the rest of the timetable): the rest of the times are listed, just so that people will start gathering. Ah!
This dance is apparently one of the oldest folk dances in Tenerife, probably dating from the 17th Century and, also seems to be unique to El Palmar.
It consists of three pairs of dancers, i.e. 6 in total, all male, three of whom are dressed as women, plus figures representing male and female devils. The whole symbolizes the struggle between good and evil and the dancers dance, jumping and gyrating with exaggerated movements, to the sound of the "tajaraste" pipes and drums around the streets of the village, eventually setting fire to the devil figures in order to purify and drive away evil.
Many different theories exist over exactly when, how and why this dance originated, but it seems that a combination of elements fused at some unknown point in history. The "tajaraste", most likely originates with the pre-conquest aboriginal inhabitants of the islands and was allowed to be combined with Christian religious events as a means to attract people.
The dancers who dress as women have powdered faces and wear veils, from which may come the custom of masks at carnival and, the presence of devils in religious processions seems to have been an island obsession, as is written in the records of the tribunals of the Inquisition.
There's more information about it (in Spanish) here from Paulino Alonso; in this article about the statue being built in El Palmar to commemorate the dance Eladio de la Cruz diseñará la escultura de las libreas en El Palmar, this newspaper article which emphasizes it's status as one of the oldest dances Buenavista conserva una de las danzas más antiguas de Tenerife and in-depth cultural considerations over this dance, the symbolism of fire and the prevalence of fireworks at fiestas in Algunas consideraciones sobre las libreas y fuegos de artificio en nuestras fiestas populares.
At 21:00 The Eve of Fiestas Eucharist (mass) will be sung by the Coro Santa Monica (Santa Monica Choir) from Los Realejos, followed by a procession of the venerated (and Canonically Crowned, by Pope John Paul II) image of Nuestra Señora de la Consolación, accompanied by the Band of Cornets and Drums from Nuestra Señora de la Asunción in La Cuesta, Buenavista del Norte. At the end of the procession, we will enjoy a fireworks display provided by the Toste Brothers from Los Realejos.
After the fireworks, and listed as starting at 24:00 there is a Monumental Verbena (Open air dance) with the Orchestra de Arturo Castillo (or Arthur Castle's Orchestra, if you really must anglicize it) from Garachico.
Fiestas El Palmar 2007 Photos
Labels: Fiestas El Palmar 2007
