Your Tenerife Photos

Archives

• February 2004
• March 2004
• May 2004
• June 2004
• July 2004
• August 2004
• September 2004
• October 2004
• November 2004
• December 2004
• January 2005
• February 2005
• March 2005
• April 2005
• May 2005
• June 2005
• July 2005
• August 2005
• September 2005
• October 2005
• November 2005
• December 2005
• January 2006
• February 2006
• March 2006
• April 2006
• May 2006
• June 2006
• July 2006
• August 2006
• September 2006
• October 2006
• November 2006
• December 2006
• January 2007
• February 2007
• March 2007
• April 2007
• May 2007
• June 2007
• July 2007
• August 2007
• September 2007
• October 2007
• November 2007
• December 2007
• January 2008
• February 2008
• March 2008
• April 2008
• May 2008

Desert Island ChristmasThere's a rumour going about that Christmas is coming! :) No, seriously, people have been searching here lately for Tropical Christmas Cards and, ever eager to please, I wanted to point out that we have a selection of those, mainly because I thought they were rather apt for an island where you can be pretty certain of temperatures warm enough to be lolling about on the beach on Christmas Day.

So, if you're sick of cold weather and winter snow scenes, why not send some real "warm wishes" instead this year, with our desert island decorated tropical palm tree, or Santa enjoying the winter sun and water sports.

Scuba Diving Santa

Santa designed this especially for the scuba diving enthusiasts, though we think it's a bit risque when you see this on ladies thong knickers! :-)

Whichever you choose, it'll be like sending your Christmas Cards from a sub-tropical paradise island. If you're coming to Tenerife or the Canary Islands for Christmas, they're perfectly in keeping with your winter sun holiday to make your friends and relatives just that little more green ...

Click here to continue onto Santa's Tropical Grotto ...

Labels: Christmas

| Permalink | (0) Comments | Post a Comment

To respond to another reader's question, "What holidays are celebrated in the Canary Islands?", the answer is that these are primarily based upon the Public holidays celebrated in Spain, which includes a mix of religious (Roman Catholic), national and regional observances.

National Holidays

Date

English name

Local name

January 1	New Year's Day	Año Nuevo
moveable	Good Friday	Viernes Santo
May 1	Labour Day	Día del Trabajador
August 15	Assumption	Asunción
October 12	Columbus Day	Día de la Hispanidad
November 1	All Saints	Todos los Santos
December 6	Constitution Day	Día de la Constitución
December 8	Immaculate Conception	Inmaculada Concepción
December 25	Christmas Day	Navidad del Señor

In addition to those, Canaries Day - Día de Canarias is celebrated here on May 30th and Epiphany - Día de Reyes is a public holiday on January 6th. Although the latter is listed as optional, it is the big day of the Christmas period, so I think there would be civil unrest if it wasn't observed!

Wikipedia additionally says that Holy Thursday - Jueves Santo (the day before Good Friday), is not observed as a holiday in the Canary Islands. However, every year except 2007 (when it was swapped out for something else and many complained) it has been observed here, to my knowledge.

You also have to add local holidays, usually for the patron / fiesta of individual towns. Shops might close in one area, but are open just a few miles away. In Santa Cruz, Shrove Tuesday is always a holiday for Carnaval.

But visitors need not worry about finding things to do and getting fed. With the economy relying on tourism, somewhere will be open 365 days a year, particularly in the resorts. And, even in other areas, if the day off is for a fiesta, then there will be processions to watch and plenty of hot dog stalls open!

If you live here, of course, you won't get any important business done on those days and, if you work here in anything to do with the tourist sector, the chances are that you will never have a day off on anyone's public holiday!

Related information: What's On When in Tenerife?

Labels: Christmas

| Permalink | (0) Comments | Post a Comment

Can you believe it's already a whole week since the Christmas season came to an end here in the Canary Islands?

OK, for many of you, Christmas will have ended what seems like an age ago and the party will have stopped after New Year, but here, with Los Reyes (Three Kings) on the Epiphany on January 6th and their cabalgata (cavalcade) on the night of the 5th, the celebrations go on much longer. (Carnaval 2007 is just around the corner, so the lull will be short-lived. :)

Christmas and New Year, we opted to spend relatively quietly, but I won't insult your intelligence with an account of those. They go much like they do elsewhere: eat too much, watch too much TV, irrespective of what movies are being re-run for the umpteenth time ... The televised Christmas Day Concert by the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra was superior and I'd recommend trying to catch that again.

The order of service for the Cabalgata de Los Reyes that we went to watch in Garachico, was much the same as it had been in previous years. We discussed this at the time actually and decided that it has to be, because people - children especially - expect it all to be done in a certain way, at a certain time.

We prefer to get down to Garachico early, find a convenient place to park, stroll through the town and spend some quality time at pavement cafes and it's remarkable to see that only 10 minutes before the Kings arrive, there are only a few others waiting around for the show to start. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, just as the fanfare sounds their majesties' arrival, a crowd of hundreds appears.

This year, we didn't have the additional entertainment - unless you count Melchor's "blue rinse" or the typical "school nativity" like hiccup, when the shepherds' campfire got rather out of control, setting light to the wooden tripod over it and needing to be doused with soil from a nearby municipal flower pot - nor the film show, while we waited in the square for the procession to finish winding it's way around the streets of Garachico. No idea why not, but it did mean waiting around for quite a bit.

Probably while they all had "conversations", as Sheila in La Palma points out in her account of the Three Kings Parade in the capital, Santa Cruz de la Palma:

Sheila writes, "The whole procession takes hours. They start at the post office, then when they get to the Plaza España, they have a conversation, find they're all off to visit the same baby, and decide to travel on together. Then at the Plaza Alemeda, they find King Herod's court, and have a conversation with him."

(Waiting around, however, was not wasted time, because we met and chatted to Jane and Tony from Balearic Discovery, who were staying in Garachico at Hotel El Patio - which they thoroughly recommend - and, if you fancy tailor-made short breaks and holidays on different Spanish island, then I'm sure they can help you.)

Back in Garachico, Herod even has his own castle. In other towns, such as in Icod de Los Vinos, he has to make do with doing "no good at all" at the town hall. Bite your tongue about that being no different use than any other day! :)

And you've got to hand it to him, even if he does have evil intentions, just like Santa and the Three Kings, old Herod has a lot of mileage to cover each year.

Canarias24Horas have a nice account here, Los Reyes dejaron regalos e ilusión a su paso por Canarias, in Spanish, but with lots of pictures, about the Three Kings in Santa Cruz, Tenerife, who arrived by helicopter, camel and the shiny new tram.

Sheila also noticed that, "the shops stay open until about 1 am for people who like to leave present shopping until the last minute." The shops in Garachico, I think, had closed much earlier than that, but it is amazing how much "panic buying" is done here on January 5th - just as it is on December 24th in other parts of the world.

Canarias24Horas, again, have a report on the panic buying phenomenon and it is not just with gift buying. In the morning, we'd been in our local supermarket where there was a queue of customers and an obvious air of last minute buying to "stock up for a siege". That was Friday. The shop was going to be closed on Saturday, but reopen on the Sunday afternoon. You'd think it was going to be a month, not 36 hours!

Reading about the traditions of the Epiphany at Wikipedia, I had not realized that the ring-shaped bread or Roscón de Reyes (Crown of Kings) that we buy from the Pasteleria El Aderno in Buenavista del Norte, follows the Mexican format of containing a complete set of pottery figurines of the three magi, as well as the "unlucky bean", rather than the Spanish tradition of having just one.

Something we made time to do this year, which we had not done before, was to follow something of the route of the many Nativity or Belén displays: these take many forms, but irrespective of their religious significance, they make wonderful viewing for any kid (of any age) who likes model villages - and we've plenty more nativity photos to come.

Stamping on sandcastles ...

One curiosity amongst Canary Islands' nativities this year was that a group of 50 children were brought in to demolish the largest Nativity in Spain made of sand, on the beach of Las Canteras in Las Palmas, the capital of Gran Canaria.

Missed the fun? Never fear, there are only 347 days until next Christmas!

Images of the Christmas season in Tenerife

Labels: Christmas

| Permalink | (2) Comments | Post a Comment

As Arline and Sam Bleecker say in the Chicacgo Tribune, "We've barely finished savoring this year's Christmas goodies and already Cunard has a gift in the works for next year's yuletide season. Just in time for the holidays in December 2007, the venerable 167-year-old line will christen its newest monarch."

This Queen Victoria's first Christmas will be spent lolling in the sunshine of the Canary Islands and Morocco and ports along the Iberian Peninsula.

A new but smaller Queen coming for Christmas `07

Labels: Christmas

| Permalink | (0) Comments | Post a Comment

Ask Yahoo! tell us that, "The day before Epiphany itself is Twelfth Night, which was celebrated with raucous parties, bonfires, and masquerades in medieval Europe." They obviously haven't been to Spain and the Canary Islands, or else they would not say that the raucous parties were celebrated, in the past tense. :)

"The day of Epiphany is also called Three Kings Day in Mexico and Hispanic communities.", they tell us, as it is here also.

Tomorrow night, on the eve of Epiphany, two rather elderly "little girls" will be making their annual pilgrimage to see the Cabalgata of Los Reyes in Garachico. This event may be for kids, but it goes on until well after midnight, with lots of action, fireworks and fun. Plus, the three kings arrive here, as you can see, on real camels too!

La Tienda explain how this is celebrated in other parts of Spain, saying, "Three Kings Day, the sixth of January, is still alive and well in Spain. The local parades, the Magi, the happy children scrambling for caramelos - it is Epiphany, the culmination of the Christmas festivities, and it remains intact ? very traditional and very Spanish."



Tags: Tenerife, Canary Islands, Canarias

Labels: Christmas

| Permalink | (0) Comments | Post a Comment

"El Gordo" the traditional Lotería de Navidad (Christmas Lottery) on December 22nd, was a little kinder to Tenerife this year than it was last year, by distributing a total of 12.1 million euros (in the region of £8 million), to lottery winners on the island. And, for once, the north of Tenerife saw most of that prize money.

In La Guancha, 9 million euros was shared amongst fifth prize winners, the first time that the whole of a winning fifth prize ticket's numbers had been sold in Tenerife.

Meanwhile, in nearby Icod de los Vinos, a family with tickets, purchased in Seville, bearing the first prize number, 20297, won them a reported €2,100,000.

Another million euros was shared out amongst 50 or 60 winning tickets of forth prizes and another 50,000 euros in fifth prizes, in Candelaria, Tenerife.

La Lotería de Navidad deja en Tenerife 12,1 millones de euros
Nueve millones de euros y parte de EL GORDO en Tenerife
El ’Gordo’ se reparte por media España y sólo pasa de puntillas por Canarias
La Lotería de Navidad deja un 'pico' en Gran Canaria y Tenerife
El Gordo de la Lotería de Navidad 2006, para el número 20297
Un ´Gordo´ madrugador, repetido y repartido
Spain gripped by El Gordo

Labels: Christmas

| Permalink | (0) Comments | Post a Comment

Los Reyes (The Three Kings) don't bring the gifts until Epiphany here - Santa does bring a few on Christmas Eve now - but for one lucky shopper in Santa Cruz, they turned up early this year. Melania Martínez Olivares (29), made one very fortunate 20 euro purchase that turned into 6,000 euros (around £4,000), when she won the traditional Christmas draw, held amongst stores in Tenerife's capital.

The only "problem", was that she had to spend all that money in one ten hour mega shopping expedition, in one day. Just to make it a bit more complicated though, there was a limit of 150 euros that could be spent in any one of the 40 participating shops.

Starting prompt at 10:00 a.m. on December 21st, Ms Martínez, accompanied by two hostesses, enlisted her mother, brother and father to help. Dad got the job of ferrying the morning's parcels home while they took a break for lunch, before continuing into the afternoon's home stretch. The report says that they managed to spend the whole of the 6,000 euros just 15 minutes before the end of the "trial" at 8:00 p.m.

Having completed all of her gift shopping and indulged in her love of shoes, Ms Martínez says even she doesn't remember what she bought, so unwrapping gifts on January 6th will be as much of a surprise for her as it will be for the members of her family. And we all thought that shopping and spending money was easy! :)

Reyes adelantados

Labels: Christmas

| Permalink | (0) Comments | Post a Comment

Whilst it was fresh and chilly this morning, it is probably getting close to, well 20, if not 25C, even here on the north of the island today.

I'm pretty sure that will suit many people, including my mother who is snoring away on the patio, suitably overfed, even as I type! :)

Checking the webcam at the Canarian Astrophysics Institute observatory this afternoon (see still image, left), we can see that there was certainly no "White Christmas" in Tenerife this year.

There'll be no skiing on Teide today! OK, so the idea is merely a spoof! :)

However, the record remains unbroken, so far (fingers crossed and wood suitably touched) today for the eleventh consecutive Christmas Day (for which I have figures: even more from memory) on which it has never rained in Tenerife.

Best wishes for a very Feliz Navidad - Merry Christmas - Joyeux Noël - Glückliches Weihnachten from a warm and sunny Christmas afternoon in Tenerife.

More webcams in Tenerife

Tags: Tenerife, Canary Islands, Canarias

Labels: Christmas

| Permalink | (1) Comments | Post a Comment

Papá Noel, better known to English speakers as Father Christmas or Santa Claus, who is growing in popularity on these islands - and, some would say, competing with Los Reyes (The Three Kings) who arrive on January 6th - arrived in Icod de los Vinos, before going off to visit millions of homes around the world, with an impressive cavalcade that drew hundreds of spectators from all over the north of Tenerife. Santa's sleigh, pulled by his reindeer, was the finale of a procession that included more than 150 figures, among them; gnomes, elves, Disney characters and a Dixiland band.

Papá Noel desfiló en Icod ante cientos de personas

Labels: Christmas

| Permalink | (0) Comments | Post a Comment

In the past one would see long queues of people at the back of the Convent of Santa Catalina in La Laguna, Tenerife, there to buy Christmas sweets from the turntable that was the nun's only method of delivering their goods, unseen, to the public.

Today, the nuns' hand-made Christmas delicacies are only sold to order, since there are not as many nuns as there were in the convent olden times to carry out the necessary work, but those who have tasted these delights certainly don't mind how much they cost, because they have the pure flavour of tradition.

The Santa Catalina nuns are experts in special foodstuffs for Christmas Eve.

An old document from 1767 recounts that the nuns dined on eggs and chocolate and, that on the following day, being Christmas, their menu was based on meat, a fig pudding, roscas de manteca (lard cakes) and mistela. (A type of wine made from a blend of grape must with wine alcohol.) In the past they made deserts, now disappeared, such as one based on rice with sugar, almonds and cinnamon.

The Mother Superior of the Santa Catalina convent, Sister María Cleofé López Lantigua, underlined that they continue to faithfully maintain the Christmas sweet making tradition. Although they used to make more sweets, production has been reduced, attending only to the orders from those persons who collaborate with the convent. This is because, she added, "there are very few nuns to do the work and, given the hours it takes, it isn't profitable." Though she doesn't reject the idea of opening a dulcería in the convent, teaching their culinary arts to youngsters via a workshop and school and, if the authorities don't apply heavy taxes, the money can be a benefit to the community and be used to restore the convent.

The current sweet and pastry maker in the Santa Catalina convent is Sister María Inés de León Domínguez, who is 71 years old. Sister Inés, who was born in La Orotava, learned the art from her grandmother, Remedios Méndez.

Sister Inés has lived in the La Laguna convent for 54 years, delighting many with her culinary magic and special flavours.

One of her principal specialities are rosquetes de vino, which are made with nutmeg, cinnamon, liqueur, flour, lard and salt. Then there are her galletas de leche (milk biscuits), formed with antique metal cutters in shapes of hearts, clubs and half moons, made with oil, butter, flour, milk and almond or coconut.

The mantecados (lard cakes), typical of the Christmas season, Sister Inés makes with lard, lemon, cinnamon, aniseed liqueur, flour, salt and ground almonds and, that are then decorated with a piece of crystallized fruit.

Her rosquetes de palo follow a very ancient recipe, with a paste made with oil, flour, lard and wine, to which is added water mixed with aniseed liqueur. She also makes truchas de batata (sweet potato pies) and tocinos de cielo (caramel puddings).

The star of the Santa Catalina nun's recipes though, is the tarta de almendra (almond tart), which has a crunchy exterior made with almond paste and, which opens to reveal a rich filling made with cabello de ángel (literally translated, this means angel hair and which is a type of pumpkin) and peach.

The Antique Recipe

Sister Inés says that all the sweets described contain a small secret that they guard and underlined that her oldest Christmas sweet, the recipe for which is revealed for the first time to EL DÍA, is the sopa borracha - literally: drunken soup.

This is not a liquid, as the name suggests. The recipe is one of the oldest existing and takes 8 hours to make. The day before, a syrup is made by boiling water, vanilla pods, cinnamon and aniseed. Half of this goes to make a paste by adding almonds. The next day, the delicacy is made with layers of bizcochos de lengua de gato (oval sponge cakes shaped like cats tongues) which are moistened with rum and aniseed liqueur, followed by a layer of the almond paste and continued, alternately, into the form of a cone. The whole is then thoroughly "sozzled" with the cited syrup.

Recetas de las catalinas

Labels: Christmas

| Permalink | (0) Comments | Post a Comment

And, it looks like it can go on dreaming this year ...

La Opinión report today, that, "Intense rains, low temperatures and snow, have turned many Spanish communities this Christmas Eve into authentic Christmas Card scenes." However, in the Canary Islands, while temperatures have dropped notably, by the end of the day yesterday, there was still no snow on Mount Teide.

La lluvia y la nieve obligan a mantener la alerta en cinco comunidades

Labels: Christmas

| Permalink | (0) Comments | Post a Comment

In a moving note to the press written and signed by the 900 African immigrants currently being held at the Centro de Retención de Extranjeros de Las Raíces (Foreigners Retention Center at Las Raíces, Tenerife), they say:

"We are very tired. We want the Spanish people to know that we do not come to steal, we are not delinquents, we come to work. We ask that King Juan Carlos and President Zapatero grant us liberty as a Christmas present."

Los 900 internos de Las Raíces aseguran que vienen a España para trabajar, no para robar

Labels: Christmas

| Permalink | (0) Comments | Post a Comment

According to the Mirror, amongst lots of other fascinating figures about how Brits spend Christmas, "115,000 Britons will be spending Christmas on the beach this year, with Gran Canaria, Tenerife and Lanzarote the top three destinations."

XMAS BY NUMBERS

Labels: Christmas

| Permalink | (0) Comments | Post a Comment

Televisión Canaria, at 21:00 tonight are broadcasting a special of their Canarian folk program, La bodega de Julián, dedicated to Chirstmas themes, including carols, customs, fireworks and traditional dances of Canarian Christmas folklore.

The channel broadcasts on analogue throughout the Canary Islands and on TDT in the rest of Spain. TV Canaria also broadcasts two other channels, TV Canaria 2 and the international channel TVCi which broadcasts in North and South America.

Especial de ’La bodega de Julián’ dedicado a la Navidad

Labels: Christmas

| Permalink | (0) Comments | Post a Comment

With the suggestive name of Navidad Viajera (Christmas Traveller) a Tenerife folk group are making a tour with a theatre and music show that brings together Christmas customs in the Canary Islands.

Performances are in Los Realejos, tomorrow, December 19th; in La Orotava on December 22nd; Puerto de la Cruz on December 23rd and will be present at the Misa de Gallo (Christmas Eve Mass) in the area of La Perdoma.

Navidad viajera de Higa

Labels: Christmas

| Permalink | (0) Comments | Post a Comment

La Laguna is the "traditional" place to do Christmas shopping on the island of Tenerife and, as well as the perfect atmosphere provided by the town's beautiful architecture, more pedestrianization seems to be strengthening La Laguna's position.

The forecast in La Laguna is good and, already many small shops have items reserved for Los Reyes (The Three Kings - who traditionally bring the gifts on January 6th), with the hope that sales will be higher than in 2005.

In Santa Cruz, meanwhile, stores are having to make do with volume only equal to last year's Christmas season and, shopkeepers are worried that sales will be low, with some claiming that the city is in a situation of crisis. Lack of parking or other modes of transport - a tourist shopping bus has been suggested - are amongst reasons why Christmas shoppers find Santa Cruz less convenient.

While in Santa Cruz though, look out for Papá Noel (Father Christmas) inviting shoppers into stores that are participating in a 6,000 euro Christmas Draw.

Los comerciantes de Santa Cruz temen que las ventas de Navidad sean bajas

Labels: Christmas

| Permalink | (0) Comments | Post a Comment

Whilst Gran Canaria may have The biggest traditional Nativity Scene in the Canaries - quite rightly observed that the Nativity Scene or Belén is still centre stage of Christmas displays in Spain, despite the fact that this is an increasingly secular country.

Meanwhile, La Orotava in the north of Tenerife has a Nativity display, housed in the central patio of the Municipal Library (pink building, above, right), inspired by the historic center of the town.

Some of the buildings in this singular scale model are exact replicas of those in La Orotava. One of the buildings represented is the Casa Ponte Fonte (a.k.a. the Casa Lercaro), the 16th and 17th century mansion that is considered by many to be the most representative building of traditional Canary Island style.

The model uses 29,500 tiny tejas (terracotta roof tiles) and natural stone is used to imitate the cobbled streets and patios. Also represented are traditional labours, such as basket making, needlework and street sellers - all down to the finest detail - with even hand made typical costumes on the close to one hundred tiny pottery figures.

The 40 meter square model is on view to the public until January 6th on all days, except December 24th and 31st, including Saturdays and Sundays. Hours are Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 19:00, Saturdays 17:00 to 21:00, Sundays 11:00 to 13:00 and 17:00 to 21:00. On December 25th, January 1st and 6th, 17:00 to 21:00.

The Biblioteca Municipal (Municipal Library) can be found at the old Casino Orotava, right in the historic center, at number 3 in Calle Tomás Pérez: the street which runs down from the Town Hall towards the church of La Concepción.

BienMeSabe have some really lovely photos of the spectacular display with the following report: Espectacular Belén del conjunto histórico de La Orotava

Labels: Christmas

| Permalink | (0) Comments | Post a Comment

The most important Christmas symbol in Spain and the Canary Islands is the Nativity or Belén (Bethlehem). People who make these, often huge nativity villages, are called belenistas and here, you can visit the site of one Tenerife nativity maker.

It's not as organized here as in other parts of Spain, but there's one shop in Tenerife, the "Bazar El Candado" in La Laguna, that sells articles for the nativity year round.

Many private individuals make amazingly detailed models in their homes and open up their doors to anyone who wishes to look round. There are also contests to choose the best nativities and various nativities, made for public institutions to put on display each year. In Santa Cruz this year, there is one at the Cabildo (Island Corporation) building and another in the Canary Islands Parliament.

However, one of the largest and most well known is at the CajaCanarias bank in Santa Cruz, which this year recreates the city in the 18th Century.

It has to be fun - both for adults and children alike - as the write-up says that, "As if by miracle of Christmas, the child Jesus will be born in the capital, Santa Cruz, this year, breathing island air." The model includes several hundred figures, as well as the buildings and live vegetation, plus lights and animation.

It's open to the public at the CajaCanarias headquarters in the Plaza del Patriotismo (bordered by the streets; Valentín Sanz, Ruiz de Padrón, Suárez Guerra, La Luna and La Rosa - see map) from December 1st until January 5th, from 11.30 to 13.30 and 17.00 to 20.30, Monday to Saturday. !0.00 to 13.30 on Sundays.

There are other Nativity displays in most towns on the island and, if you are interested in finding one in your area, or following their route, here is a list.

This year also, the largest Nativity in Spain made of sand is being constructed on the beach of Las Canteras in Las Palmas, the capital of Gran Canaria. Artists from Spain, Russia, Czech Republic, Holland and the United States are using 250 tons of sand to create a work of art that will cover 700 square meters and represent various biblical scenes from the Annuciation to the Birth of Christ and the Three Kings.

CajaCanarias recrea la ciudad de Santa Cruz de Tenerife del S. XVIII
More about Nativity displays in Tenerife, links to nativity photos

Tags: Tenerife, Canary Islands, Canarias

Labels: Christmas

| Permalink | (0) Comments | Post a Comment

We all know the original miracle story, but the modern miracle is that it is otherwise difficult to imagine how people in the Canary Islands manage to spend an average of 858 euros (£578 / $1,143) at Christmas, given the average income on this islands.

In Tenerife's poorest area, Daute - which includes the areas of San Juan de la Rambla, Guia de Isora, La Guancha, Icod de los Vinos, Garachico, Los Silos, Buenavista del Norte, El Tanque and Santiago del Teide - the average available monthly income per person is just 468.94 euros (£316 / $622).

The area is the second poorest in the Canary Islands: the dubious accolade of having the lowest average income going instead to the north west of La Palma, whose inhabitants have a mere 423.79 euros each, on which to subsist each month.

Even in Tenerife's richest area, Abona in the south east of the island, average monthly income only reaches 594.36 euros. Those with most money overall in the Canary Islands are in the south of Fuerteventura with 746.06 euros (£504 / $992).

There are three possible explanations that could account for this "miracle of accounting", apart from superb money management, stretching the cost of Christmas throughout the year, or borrowing heavily to cover the seasonal excesses.

One is "black money" that doesn't show up in official income figures and, this undoubtedly exists to some extent. Some of those in work may, legitimately, get 13 or 14 salary payments a year, one of the extras coming at Christmas. The other fact, common with the rest of the world is that the richest 2% own 'half the wealth'.

But, whichever way you cut it, making end meet with these general levels of income, at any time, but especially at Christmas, has to be a true miracle.

In other news, Buenavista town hall is opening a satellite office at the Teno Rural Park offices in El Palmar for residents in the higher areas of the district who have difficulty reaching the town center. It is only a couple of miles, so it would seem impossible that anyone could have this difficulty in the 21st Century, but mountain roads, lack of public transport and the severe lack of resources begins to explain why.

Labels: Christmas

| Permalink | (0) Comments | Post a Comment

Putting up Christmas decorations in Tenerife is almost a case of "guilding the lily": the island hardly needs them, when you consider the possibility of a snow capped mountain, whole forests of "Christmas" pine trees and a plethora of poinsettias growing wild on the island. But still, palm trees with Christmas lights wound around their trunks do also make fantastic, novel additions to the natural decorations.

Whist decorations are yet to go up in some smaller towns and those in homes are not traditionally put up until December 8th, the Immaculate Conception, Diario de Avisos report that the street lights are up in the capital, Santa Cruz, which seem to be these same blue and white ones - that's OK, I approve of them saving money - confirmed in this report. If you are just visiting, you will probably find it much more pleasant and convenient to go there by bus, as will become apparent.

This year Buenavista del Norte will be holding it's first Concurso de Escaparates (Christmas Window Dressing Contest) among the shops in the town. One of the changes in recent years here is that there are now enough, lively enough shops to hold such an event. When I first came over to this side of the island, Buenavista had merely a handful of dusty old establishments, generally devoid of customers.

Those will be on view from the beginning of December to January 7th, so hopefully, will provide me with a few photo opportunities as the season develops.

Meanwhile, here are some photos of more Christmas light decorated palms, Christmas decorations Tenerife style, colored lights in the Plaza de España and Santa on the streets of Tenerife amidst the cactus plants and tropical weather to wet your appetite for the aesthetic delights of the Christmas season, Tenerife stylee.

Labels: Christmas

| Permalink | (0) Comments | Post a Comment

The concert pictured was held in the church square in the resort of Los Gigantes in Tenerife, but you will find free concerts in many places on the island on the days leading up to Christmas and even on Chiristmas Day itself. Even if the music is not to your usual taste, the standard of playing is usually very high and the combination of it being live and the atmosphere of the event - especially given the holiday - make these concerts a really enjoyable night out.

The most famous is the annual free, open-air Concierto de Navidad (Christmas Concert) given by the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra, in the evening on Christmas Day itself, in Santa Cruz. (+/- 9 p.m.) This is usually located in the Plaza de España, but since that area has been undergoing a complete reformation this year, it may be elsewhere nearby this year. It is a tradition that draws a crowd of thousands, is also normally televised and, is followed by a grand fireworks display.

In smaller towns, such as in Buenavista del Norte, the municipal band also puts on a free concert in the evening of Christmas Day, every year. This one is indoors in the cinema in the main street and, afterwards, just about everyone gathers in the square to chat, have coffee - still warm enough outside - and generally mingle.

Labels: Christmas

| Permalink | (0) Comments | Post a Comment

Though the decorations in towns and villages will not be appearing for another month, you can have your Tenerife style Christmas decorations for your computer now with these three, exclusive and original Christmas Desktop Wallpaper images.


North Pole

This delightful and amusing tableaux in a half igloo shaped tent, complete with polar bears and husky dogs pulling Santa's sleigh, was seen on a garage forecourt in the north of Tenerife.


Arrival of the King

The much anticipated Parade of the Three Kings in towns and villages all over Spain and the Canary Islands. (Their schedule is only rivalled by a bloke in a red suit on December 24th.) Here's Rey Gaspar arriving in the town of Garachico.


Flor de Pascua

The Flor de Pascua, or poinsettia, is an essential part of Christmas in the Canary Islands and they grow wild, mostly on the northern slopes of the island.


All three, plus other Desktop Wallpapers can be downloaded here free

Labels: Christmas

| Permalink | (0) Comments | Post a Comment

For more about Christmas in Tenerife, visit:

Canary Islands Christmas 2006 | Christmas in the Canary Islands | Santa's Tropical Grotto | Tenerife Christmas Images | Exclusive Tenerife Gifts ...

Lots of people are searching for Tenerife in December and, anyone planning a trip to the island then, most probably for Christmas, will want to know what the weather is going to be like. In the absence of a crystal ball to be able to give you the weather forecast for Christmas Day 2006 (sorry), I have done a little bit of digging into the historical weather conditions over the last ten years, on December 25th:

Tenerife South Weather: December 25th


Historical data, courtesy of Weather UndergroundTemperatures shown are centigrade: the maximum, presumably, at the hottest part of the day and the minimum looks to be the night-time reading.

Not much of a chill factor either in winds, all but once, well below 10 miles per hour and, the likelihood of rain ... Well, we won't tempt fate by outwardly saying it, but I think that the figure somewhat speaks for itself! :)

Add to this that sunset is around 6:15 p.m. - considerably later than it will be at that time of year further up the hemisphere - and that the length of the day is around 10 hours 20 minutes, with visible light for over 11 hours of the day, there is every reason to believe that you should find ideal conditions to beat the winter blues.

Not booked yet? What's keeping you? :) Winter 2006/7 Now on Sale!

Tags: Tenerife, Canary Islands, Canarias

Labels: Christmas

| Permalink | (0) Comments | Post a Comment

Here we are in Easter Week and already, visitors to this blog have shown that they are beginning to think of Christmas 2006 in the Canary Islands. Of course, one has to make travel plans in advance, so here are some ideas for you.

Christmas week is said to be the busiest week of the entire year for tourism in Tenerife. As Christmas Day 2006 will fall on a Monday, the busiest day for arrivals at the airport is likely to be the Friday, December 22nd, with a few more coming on Sunday, December 24th.

Read more of our posts and articles on Christmas in the Canary Islands.

Traditional Christmas, Only Warmer ... and Someone Else Cooks!

If what you want is a British-style Christmas - turkey and stuffing - with added sun, then you can have that. Many of the British bars in the resorts put on a Christmas Lunch. Better ones may require reservations, so make that a priority on the night you arrive. With satellite TV available almost everywhere, you can probably still catch the Queen's Speech too.

If, for a change, you want to catch the King of Spain's Christmas Message, first you'll need to understand Spanish, of course, but that is broadcast on Christmas Eve. If you follow the religious traditions, check out the church in Los Cristianos to see if they have a multilingual carol service on Christmas Eve, as they have been known to do in the past. It's fun.

Prices for Christmas week itself are at a premium, of course, but that is probably offset by the fact that you don't need to worry about Christmas food, gifts and decorations at home and, it's probably worth it just to have someone else cook the Christmas Dinner!

If you fall asleep on the beach after your Christmas Lunch, even at Christmas, prepare to be burnt crisper than an overdone turkey dinner. Toasted tourist isn't very tasty!

Escape the Traditional Christmas Dinner

If you want to escape the whole "traditional Christmas Dinner" thing, be warned that you may find restaurants outside of the resort areas closed on Christmas Day. This is not because the locals are celebrating, it's because they're resting from having done so the night before. Christmas Eve is a family gathering, Christmas Day is for recuperation.

Depending on the weather, many locals will head off up the mountain on Christmas Day. The 3,718 meter high Mount Teide, the dormant volcano at Tenerife's heart, does often get snowcapped for Christmas and is a beautiful sight to behold. As are the Christmas pine trees, seasonal red poinsettias and other natural "decorations" you'll see on the way.

The ideal conditions are enough snow to play in, but not too much to close the roads. You will need warm clothing, but wrap up, throw snowballs, forget the turkey and trimmings and snack on churros con chocolate