Christmas in Tenerife - the poinsettia

It's coming up to that season again and, whilst you certainly can have the familiar traditions of a roast Christmas dinner - albeit roasting in the sun, right by the beach - and apparently at considerably less cost than it would set you back to remain in 'rip-off Britian', for those who prefer to see something of the local customs, here's the start of what you'll find for Christmas in Tenerife.

This is pretty much the same every year, but it may all be new to you if this is to be your first Christmas on the island, so we're sure you won't want to miss anything. And you won't, if you watch this space over the next few weeks.

The first sign of Christmas each year in Tenerife (ignoring the commercial aspects that are creeping ever earlier into the largest stores on the island, as they are everywhere else) is the appearance of the flores de pascua or poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima), that typically Christmas plant, native to Mexico and Guatemala.

Poinsettia bushes of considerable size have now also made themselves at home all over the north of Tenerife, so it's well worth taking a trip to see them. You don't even need to leave the main roads, unless you want to.

Meanwhile, parks, gardens, squares and town streets, will begin filling with  specially cultivated poinsettia plants between now and Christmas - 106,430 of them in the capital, Santa Cruz, this year alone - that set the scene perfectly.

Permalink | (1) Comments | Post a Comment

 Sol wrote (on December 19, 2008 9:58 AM)  

Nice post, thanks for the idea, now there is the French one on http://vidadesol.blosgpot.com !