Thursday, January 31, 2008

Britannia Rules Tenerife

Video: Santa Cruz crowns it's Carnaval Queen 2008 and 4 "Dames of Honour", in reverse order.

If the Gala to select the Carnaval Queen in Santa Cruz, Tenerife, last year was "Amargo" (bitter), then this year's was surreal and, I'm not just talking about one of the candidates costumes, which included one of Salvador Dali's "melting" clocks and a picture of the mustachio'd artist on the flounce of her dress. Actually, that was my favourite, but I was surprised she got nowhere.

The televised gala in general was school end of term concert quality and there were the endless performances by all the carnaval groups and dancers. But, that's exactly what carnaval is all about, so it was good, despite all the technical hitches. They just added to the entertainment. The worst of those hiccups might have been that there was no sound to her mike all through Xiomara Laugart's first number, but it was surpassed because the sound did work through her second one.

The Orishas were good, even if they were miming (as you'd expect.)

The surreal part for me was seeing such an ostensibly English design, chosen by a panel of mostly Spanish judges - of course - that also included, French actor, Gérard Depardieu and Italian actress, Sophia Loren.

Well, I guess that's globalization for you! :)

It was reported that Loren said she would "probably" dress up in costume for carnaval. If she did yesterday, she came disguised as actress, Sophia Loren.

And the winner is ... Nauzet Celeste Cruz Melo in a Santi Castro designed costume entitled, "La Edad de Oro" (The Golden Age), representing the (French owned) supermarket chain, Carrefour. When she came out onto the stage originally, she was introduced as Queen Elizabeth I (you know, of England) and the music that was played while she paraded was "Rule Britannia".

Maybe Tenerife claimed Britannia 'coz Britain is taking her off the coins?

Anyway, you certainly can't accuse the Spanish of being bad losers, endorsing Queen Elizabeth I and Rule Britannia, given the history of the Armada! Nor indeed of any remaining animosity over the part she played in local history.

Elizabeth I is known to have backed English pirate, John Hawkins, who was slave trading partner of Pedro de Ponte (son of the man who paid for the conquest of Tenerife). Hawkins once lived in Ponte's house in Tenerife, in Adeje. The key may be that last night's "Queen Elizabeth I" is from next door in Arona.

The upshot, ladies and gentlemen, is what Nelson failed to do by force (and a few others before him), it seems we've finally managed to do with a Carnaval Queen (if only for a year) and, perhaps more surprisingly, we've achieved this Révolution surréaliste with French, Italian and Spanish help.

Britannia Rules the island of Tenerife! :-)

Canarias7 tell it (in Spanish) Magia y glamour en el Carnaval de Tenerife dejan atrás el trago 'amargo' de 2007, with the press photos here, here and here.

The Golden Age wins the 2008 Carnival in Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Tenerife carnival recovers glamour after last year's deception

PS: Harry Potter and David Copperfield were magically made to disappear. That is, they were conspicuous by their complete absence at the gala and turned out to be mere Tenerife myth and rumour, as we'd suspected in the end.

PPS: That's all the contests done now, so today everyone gets a "day off" from partying. :) Tomorrow night, the Carnaval Party takes to the streets. The big parade in Santa Cruz is on Tuesday. More Carnaval news in due course.