Thursday, May 01, 2008
Tenerife Calendar for the Month of May 2008
May begins with Día del Trabajador (May Day), a national holiday on the 1st and, since that falls on a Thursday, you can be sure that lots of people will also take the Friday off and make it into a long weekend. In anticipation of which, many fiestas and events have been carefully planned to fill up this free time ... 
The northern town of Los Realejos is certainly the place to start the month of May in Tenerife this year. First, there's Festival Flypa 08: the town's annual International Paragliding and Free Flying Festival, that runs from May 1st to 4th. But, if jumping off a cliff suspended by a bit of string from an old sock isn't exciting enough for you, there's always the accompanying concert schedule.
Heading the bill on Friday, May 2nd is Cuban originated hip-hop band, Orishas (MySpace), who already provided the official tune for Tenerife's Carnaval, Hip Hop Conga, taking part in the Gala for the Selection of the Carnaval Queen and performing live in Santa Cruz Plaza Weyler on Domingo de Piñata back in February of this year. In August 2007, Orishas had been in Tenerife once more, performing outside the Auditorio as part of the fusion music festival, Festival Mumes.
Of course, it's not [only] Tenerife that has made Orishas worldwide famous: that probably owes much to "Represent, Cuba" - Orishas featuring Heather Headley, which is on the soundtrack of 2004 musical, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights.
Which all goes to make it sorta quaint and extremely surprising (no, really, it's the real deal, not a tribute act) that Orishas should be playing the Polideportivo San Agustin (San Agustin Sports Center) in Los Realejos this coming Friday, May 2nd, for a mere 5 euros (about 4 quid.) Starts at 9 p.m. and includes the Disco Móvil MINGO SHOW, with music from the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s too. Woooo!
Fiestas de Mayo (May Festivals)
At the same time, Los Realejos, along with Santa Cruz, celebrate Fiestas de Mayo (May Festivals) or Fiestas de la Cruz (Festivals of the Cross). In Santa Cruz these mark the founding of the city in 1494. In Los Realejos on the night of May 3rd is a huge "firework battle" - fought out between two streets in the town, considered one of the biggest fireworks displays in Europe. There are also Fiestas de la Cruz in Güímar.
Fiestas de Mayo in Los Realejos 2008
Fiestas de Mayo 2008 in Santa Cruz
More Events in Tenerife in May
From May 9th to 24th there's the Festival de Música Brasileña (Brazilian Music Festival), Tensamba. Friday, May 9th at the Sala NUEVABASILICA in La Orotava, is the Salsa Open 2008. Also on Friday, May 9th and Saturday, May 10th, there's the Arona Jazz Festival 2008, from 8.30 p.m. in the Plaza de la Iglesia (Church Square), Los Cristianos. And on Saturday, May 10th is the 24th Palma Canaria Norte Rally.
Día de las AlfombrasYear Corpus Christi Día de las Alfombras 2008 22 May 29 May 2009 11 June 18 June 2010 3 June 10 June 2011 23 June 30 June 2012 7 June 14 June 2013 30 May 6 June 2014 19 June 26 June 2015 4 June 11 June 2016 26 May 2 June 2017 15 June 22 June 2018 31 May 7 June 2019 20 June 27 June 2020 11 June 18 June 2021 3 June 10 June 2022 16 June 23 June
Corpus Christi this year falls in May and the biggest celebrations are held in La Orotava, where the Día de las Alfombras (Day of the Carpets) - made of sand and flowers in the streets - is held on the 8th day of Corpus Christi, i.e. the following Thurdsay from the date of the religious feast itself. In 2008, the Día de las Alfombras falls on Thursday, May 29th. The calendar provides the dates until 2022, for those who like to plan ahead!
Around 100,000 people crowded into the streets of the town to see the sand and flower carpets in 2006 and, I'm sure the number had increased last year.
La Orotava families, many still with the same surnames since the 15th Century conquest of Tenerife, start making the flower carpets from the early hours of "carpet day." Late morning to early afternoon is the best time to see them working on them and virtually complete. 
The central sand carpet made in the square in front of the town hall (pictured) made the Guinness World Record for the Largest Sand Painting; the 859.42 square meter "alfombra" or carpet of sand created in the town of La Orotava in Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain) in June 2007.
In the early evening the procession walks all over these ephemeral carpets and destroys them, so the "window of opportunity" to see them is very short. Don't miss them, because even if you have no religious interest, as works of art, they are breathtaking.
As well as the big Día de las Alfombras in La Orotava, almost every town and village also partakes in this fiesta and makes carpets, often with salt and flowers, generally on the Sunday either before, or after Corpus Christi.
Día de las Alfombras Corpus Christi 2007
And at the end of the month, on May 30th is the Día de Canarias (Canaries Day), the annual event and local holiday, which celebrates "Canarianess" and remembers the anniversary of the first session of the autonomous Canary Islands Parliament, of May 30th, 1983. Its roughly the equivalent of England's St. George's Day.
Día de Canarias - Canaries Day
More Fiestas in May 2008 in Tenerife | More events on our calendar
Labels: Orishas in Tenerife
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