Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Tenerife Village Fiesta: Day 5
What time did we say the kids' activities would start yesterday?
Yes, 11 a.m. (That's what is says on the printed program.) And what time did they start? 4 p.m. Good job I didn't go down until the afternoon then.
Lesson 1: Whatever time they tell you here, pay no attention! :-)
Except, of course, on the occasions when the time they list is true.
How do you tell the difference? Heck, I wish someone would tell me!
My advice: if you come across a village decorated for fiestas, hang around for a couple of hours, because something is almost bound to happen.
And it's uncanny, you know, whenever there's any event on, there will seem to be nothing happening and nobody there until the exact moment everything starts. I see this every year at the Three Kings parade in Garachico. There will be no more than a few people milling around (probably mostly visitors), then all of a sudden, you hear the kings arriving, look up and a football stadium sized crowd has beamed down, probably from outer space.
Yesterday was the same. I had the plaza all to myself for the now customary couple of hour wait, then, at the very moment that the air was plugged into the bouncy castle, hoards of children appeared from nowhere, shoes were coming off and they were forming a line. Can anyone explain this?
And, could someone please lay on a bouncy castle day for grown-ups. :)
Probably the nearest thing is what we have lined up for today (and my bet, on this occasion, is that the published times will be fairly accurate):
Fiesta Day 5 - Tuesday, September 18th
At 17:00 - Eucharist for the departed of the village.
At 18:30 - Exhibition and workshops of Native Sports, including:
Juego de Palo (Stick fighting)
The "juego del palo" (stick fighting) originates from techniques of defence and attack used by the Guanches, ancient inhabitants of Tenerife. Now a sport where no is harm inflicted, it has become a type of fencing match between two combatants armed with wooden sticks.
We've all seen Robin Hood and Little John doing something similar. :)
Bola Canaria (Canarian boules)
"Bola Canaria" (Canarian boules) is very similar to the French sport of petanque. In both games the idea is to get closest to the jack but in the Canarian game the boules are heavier and the playing area larger.
Lucha Canaria (Canarian Wrestling)
Canarian wrestling is the most popular of the indigenous sports in Tenerife. Requiring both strength and skill, the winner is the wrestler who makes their opponent touch the floor first with any part of their body aside from the feet.
... plus other popular games.
Los juegos y deportes autóctonos y tradicionales canarios (In Spanish) Illustrated article on Canarian native and traditional sports and games.
Visit the following page for the start of this series of posts on these Fiestas.
Fiestas El Palmar 2007 Photos
Labels: Fiestas El Palmar 2007
