 |
| Carnaval procession. |
February 2nd is an island-wide public holiday in honour of the spiritual patron of the Canary Islands: the Virgen de la Candelaria. The Fiesta de La Candelaria is held every February 2nd, coinciding with the celebration of Candlemass - the Presentation of the Lord and the ritual purification of the Virgin Mary. In the town of Candelaria, where the figure of the Virgin resides, there is a program of religious events lasting several days, details of which can be found (and a PDF program downloaded) from the town hall's website.
Festividad de la Virgen de Candelaria
The only municipal public holiday falling in February this year is on Tuesday, February 9th for Martes de Carnaval (Carnival Tuesday), which you'll probably know as Shrove Tuesday. This is a public holiday in the following districts of the island; Arafo, Arona, Arico, Candelaria, El Rosario, El Sauzal, Fasnia, Granadilla de Abona, Icod de los Vinos, La Matanza de Acentejo, La Orotava, La Victoria de Acentejo, San Cristobal de La Laguna, San Miguel de Abona, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Santa Ursula and Tacoronte.
Tenerife Municipal Public Holidays in 2016
Most of Tenerife's carnivals - with the exception of Los Cristianos, which is in March - take place during February this year. Santa Cruz Carnaval runs from the 3rd to the 14th February; Puerto de la Cruz Carnaval begins on January 31st through to February 14th; Los Gigantes Carnaval is on the 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd February.
Smaller carnivals including those in Granadilla, La Orotava, Los Realejos and Icod de los Vinos, also take place in Februrary.
 Carnaval in La Orotava runs from 6th - 13th February, with it's main parade from 5 pm on Tuesday, 9th February. See program (in Spanish): El programa del Carnaval de La Orotava 2016 “De Villeros y Máscaras” |  In the San Agustín district of Los Realejos, where this year's carnival theme is Toys, events began on January 24th and will run through to February 11th. There, the main parade takes place from 5 pm on Sunday, February 7th. El Carnaval de los Juguetes en Los Realejos |  In Icod de los Vinos, their carnival, inspired by Eurovision, is from January 31st to February 13th, with the main parade on Sunday, 7th February, from 5:30 pm. El Carnaval de Icod de los Vinos 2016 |  Granadilla de Abona's Pirate-themed carnival is taking place from 19th to the 28th February. The main parade is on Saturday, 27th February, from 5 pm, with the parade in El Médano on Sunday, 28th February, also from 5 pm. Programa del Carnaval Pirata en Granadilla de Abona |
Fluent in Spanish and having spent 16 years on the island, Pamela Stocks has now been translating, researching and publishing information on customs and events in Tenerife for 25+ years. This takes a considerable amount of time and effort, for which she receives no payment whatsoever. If you find this work useful or interesting, please buy her a coffee. 
No comments:
Post a Comment