It turns out that the Carnival in Tenerife ranks second in the world in popularity and the number of visitors after the festival in Rio de Janeiro. The annual event in February in the capital of the Canary Islands, the city of Santa Cruz, even got into the Guinness Book of Records once, gathering a quarter of a million people dancing in the streets at the same time.
On the island of eternal spring
As in the rest of the Christian world, the Carnival in Tenerife takes place on the eve of Easter and marks a farewell to meat and other excesses for the entire duration of Lent.
The history of the Canary Carnival dates back to the 17th century, when the tradition of nobles to dress up as women, servants and commoners was brought to the islands by the Spaniards. Skillfully made handmade masks at first were worn only by women and during any holiday, but gradually this attribute became only a carnival one.
The civil war that broke out in the 30s of the last century served as the reason for the banning of the holiday: people began to have more earthly concerns and hardships, and for 30 years before the tradition resumed, costume balls were held secretly in the homes of some residents of the city of Santa Cruz.
In 1967, the tradition was revived to attract tourists, and in 1980 it was declared an international holiday of tourist interest. Since then, the Carnival in Tenerife has become the second most popular and largest carnival in the world after the Brazilian one.
Queen and funeral
The main events of the Carnival in the Canaries take place in the capital square of Spain:
- First, the participants of the holiday choose the queen from dozens of applicants who have gathered from all over the island. Members of the government and foreign stars become arbiters, and the show itself is broadcast live on local television.
- The first procession is called "Announcing Cavalcade" and takes place through the streets of the capital on the first day of the carnival.
- Carnival week Tuesday is the turn of the Koso parade. To the sounds of samba, rumba and zarzuela, thousands of dancers pass through the square, and both locals and tourists take an active part in the holiday.
- For several days, a competition takes place in Murgas - the art of performing local ditties.
The grand event ends with a sardine burial ceremony, as in other Spanish cities. A crying and dancing funeral procession burns a giant cardboard effigy in the city's central square.
