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Public Holidays in Tenerife 2021

2021

These dates have now been confirmed by the Canarian Government, so the calendar of public holidays in Tenerife in 2021 will be as follows: 
  • 1 January – (Año Nuevo/New Year’s Day)
  • 6 January – (Epifanía del Señor/Epiphany)
  • 2 February – (in Tenerife to honour patron, Virgen de la Candelaria)
  • 1 April – (Jueves Santo/Maundy Thursday)
  • 2 April – (Viernes Santo/Good Friday)
  • 1 May – (Fiesta del Trabajo/Workers’ Day)
  • 16 August – (Asunción de la Virgen/Assumption) 
  • 12 October – (Fiesta Nacional de España/Spain Day)
  • 1 November – (Todos los Santos/All Saints Day)
  • 6 December – (Día de la Constitución Española/Spanish Constitution)
  • 8 December – (Inmaculada Concepción/Immaculate Conception)
  • 25 December – (Natividad del Señor/Christmas Day)
May 30, Canary Islands Day, isn't included, as it already falls on a Sunday.

There’s a legal right to public holidays in Spain (there's no such right in Britain), however, the official working week in Spain consists of 6 days, Monday to Saturday, inclusive. To make up the 14 days public holidays decreed by law, two additional days are added specific to each municipal council area.

Rosquetes rellenos (stuffed donuts)

Rosquetes canarios (Canarian donuts)

Fried donuts filled with a boozy, nutty, syrupy mixture, what's not to like? Some effort, but should be well worth it. Those of 'of a certain age' may be familiar with the curious old measurements that appeared in this ancient Canarian recipe.

Ingredients: 

1 egg and 4 egg yolks
½ pound (250g) of flour
½ pound (250g) of lard
2 teaspoons of yeast
juice of 1.5 lemons
a pinch of salt
butter for spreading
2 ounces (57.4g) peeled almonds
½ pound (250g) of sugar
a glass of anise liqueur
ground cinnamon
anise/aniseed
Sherry

Method: 

Beat a whole egg. Next, mix ½ pound of flour and ½ pound of lard and two teaspoons of yeast. When they are well mixed, add the beaten egg, which has previously been mixed with the water that is necessary [going to have to guess this one], the juice of 1 lemon and a pinch of salt. After kneading everything very well, roll out the dough on a floured surface. When well extended, it needs to be folded into four. It is first spread well with butter. This must be done three times, letting butter rest from one layer to another, for about ten minutes.

Fry two ounces of peeled almonds then grind them. Then a syrup is made, heating half a pound of sugar with half a quart of water and stirring well (remove from the heat when the syrup coats the back of the spoon, hanging on it as if it were a strand). To this syrup are added the ground almonds, the juice of half a lemon, a glass of anise liqueur, a pinch of ground cinnamon, a pinch of anise, half a portion of Sherry wine and four egg yolks. When all the ingredients have been mixed well, heat this paste until it is well cooked. It is better to wait a day  (leave in a cool place) before filling this paste into the donuts.

Roll out the previously prepared dough with a rolling pin. Then cut into pieces four fingers wide, put a little of the filling in the centre of the dough and then roll it, like a cigar, forming the donut. The donuts are then fried in very hot oil.

The old measurements that were in the original recipe:
  • Libra (Pound): Old weight, variable according to the provinces, in the Canary Islands it can be compared to 500 grams. Therefore, in this recipe 250 grams are mixed. flour and 250 grs. lard. The syrup is also made with 250 grams. of sugar.
  • Onza (Ounce): Weight that consists of 16 adarmes and is equivalent to 287 decigrams. Therefore, in this recipe, the filling of the donuts is made with 57.4 grs. peeled almonds.
  • Cuartillo (Quart): Measurement of liquids, a quarter of a gallon, equivalent to 504 milliliters. Therefore, in this recipe the syrup is made with ¼ liter of water.
  • Polvo (Powder): Powder is understood as that which is only taken with the fingertips of the thumb and index finger [.i.e. a pinch].
El Mercado de La Laguna con las recetas tradicionales: Rosquetes rellenos (Receta del siglo XIX)

The video below shows a more usual recipe for Rosquetes canarios (Canarian donuts), in which the unfilled donuts are fried and then bathed in sugar syrup.

Recetas de cocina fácil - Rosquetes canarios

La Laguna to remember the victims of the Los Rodeos plane crash in the San Juan cemetery

Cementerio de San Juan Bautista, La Laguna Mataparda / CC BY

The City Council will place a monolith and a plaque in the place where those people who died in the worst accident in the history of aviation rest and who could not be identified. The Department of Cemeteries of the City Council of La Laguna, led by Cristina Ledesma, has started the process to place a monolith and a plaque in the Cementerio de San Juan Bautista in tribute to the 583 people who lost their lives in the largest plane crash in history, which occurred 43 years ago at the Los Rodeos airport. These recognitions will be located in the place where the remains of many of the victims are located, who also have a sculpture in their memory in the municipality on the Mesa Mota mountain.

“It is an act of justice to preserve the memory of the victims of that accident who were buried in a grave in the San Juan cemetery, without being able to be identified, with the future monument and the plaque, but also by sprucing up the plot where these remains can be found”. "All of them are part of history for this terrible event and we want to carry out this initiative out of respect for them and their families, who lost their loved ones without having the opportunity to say goodbye in an appropriate way," she adds.

The event took place on March 27, 1977 and was caused by the collision between two Boeing 747 aircraft. The accident has the highest number of fatalities in aviation history, with 583 passengers losing their lives and just 61 surviving.

La Laguna recordará a las víctimas del accidente aéreo de Los Rodeos en el cementerio de San Juan (Via)

Cementerio de San Juan La Laguna Tenerife

The other epidemic that changed the history of the conquest of the Canary Islands

Depiction of the First Battle of Acentejo by Gumersindo Robayna / Public domain

That coronavirus is not the only epidemic that the Canary Islands have suffered is evident, but few know which was the first. At the end of the 15th Century, in the midst of the the conquest of the island of Tenerife by the Castilians, the Guanches suffered a terrible epidemic similar to the flu, referred to as "drowsiness" that killed, 25% of the aboriginal population, facilitating the taking of the island.

With rudimentary means - wooden-tipped spears and stones - compared to their rival's weapons, the knowledge of the terrain allowed the Guanches to defeat the Castilian troops in the first of the Acentejo battles in the spring of 1494. 

But the joy would not last long, as nature had prepared a setback for them: the spread of an epidemic that struck from the autumn of 1494 to the winter of 1495, especially to the menceyatos of Taoro, Tegueste, Tacoronte and Anaga, although it also came to other more isolated areas of the island. The historian José de Viera y Clavijo referred to this epidemic in the 18th century as that "from which so many Guanches died", explaining that it consisted of "malignant fevers or acute pleurisy that ended in a poisonous dream that we call drowsiness."

Several centuries later, thanks to the director of the Archaeological Museum of Tenerife, Conrado Rodríguez-Maffiotte, we know that this pathology was presented by very acute respiratory symptoms in "virgin terrain", that is territory whose population has no defence against the virus or bacteria, that, without a vaccine, compares with the defencelessness today against Covid-19.

The epidemic arrived with the conquerors and it was precisely this contact, not only between the Guanches and the Castilians, but between the Aborigines themselves which favoured the spread of the epidemic, ending the lives of five thousand of the twenty thousand Guanches who lived in Tenerife.

Most historians agree that "the drowsiness" was one of the final determinants of the conquest of the island - and as the last, therefore, the conquest of the Canary Islands - by the Spanish, who saw in this epidemic "a miraculous act sent by God, who had put himself on his side to defeat the aborigines."

La modorra: La gripe que mató al 25% de guanches en la conquista de Tenerife
La otra epidemia que cambió la historia de la conquista de Canarias
What became of the Guanches?

Six unknown squares in the north of Tenerife

Plaza Juan Gonzalez de la Torre, Garachico

Tenerife is an island rich in squares; Even in the smallest and most hidden town we can find a square that speaks of its history and customs. Each one with its own particularities, its architecture, its monuments, its style ... Taking a tour of each and every one of them in a single article is impossible. Many are well known, such as the Plaza de España in Santa Cruz or the Plaza del Charco in Puerto de la Cruz. And then there are lesser-known squares, those that you discover by chance or are more hidden in less touristy places; these are our protagonists this time, little unknown [until now] and charming squares in Tenerife.

West façade of the church of the former Augustinian convent in Tacoronte Koppchen / CC BY

Plaza Óscar Domínguez (Tacoronte)

Although the Tenerife artist, Óscar Domínguez, was born in La Laguna, when he was very young he moved to live in a beautiful house that is still preserved in Tacoronte. The town, in honour of its famous resident, built this square with surrealist overtones that bears his name, in 2006, to celebrate the centenary of the surrealist painter's birth. In it, a drago tree appears canned in a metal structure, while a key tries to restore it to freedom and, on one side of the square we also find a door in the shape of a tin can.

Plaza de la Libertad, Garachico

Plaza de la Libertad (Garachico)

The now Plaza de la Libertad, also previously called Plaza de Santa Ana, Plaza de la Constitución or Plaza del General Franco is the epicenter of Garachico.

Around this square are some of the most important buildings of the town de Garachico: the Town Hall, the Church of Santa Ana, the house of the Marqueses de la Quinta Roja (now Hotel La Quina Roja), the House of Culture (former Convent of San Francisco, the Museum of History and Natural Sciences and the Palacio de los Condes de la Gomera. Also in the square is a monument to Simón Bolivar (1783-1830), the South American liberator.

The square has a rectangular plan and in the center its characteristic bandstand. A bar that every day sets up a beautiful terrace in the middle of the square gives it even more life; and is usually the scene of fairs and cultural and leisure events.

[Don't miss the even lesser known Plaza Juan Gonzalez de la Torre.]

Plaza de la Pila, Icod de los Vinos

Plaza de la Pila (Icod de los Vinos)

The Plaza de la Pila de Icod de los Vinos, is located in the town's historic centre and has also had several names throughout its history: Plaza de Lorenzo Cáceres, Plaza de Calvo Sotelo ... However, it has been commonly known as the Plaza de la Pila, because of the ornamental fountain that stands in the centre of the square and dating from the 18th century. It's an ideal corner to enjoy the typical Canarian architecture through the noble houses and palaces that surround it.

Lugares con encanto: 3 plazas desconocidas en el norte de Tenerife

Plaza de la Iglesia, Puerto de la Cruz

Plaza de la Iglesia (Puerto de la Cruz)

Less well-known than the aforementioned Plaza del Charco, is the Plaza de la Iglesia in Puerto de la Cruz. The gardens are beautiful and peaceful, despite being in a busy part of town. Here you will find the church of Nuestra Señora de la Peña de Francia, the Hotel Monopol (highly recommended) and adjacent Hotel Marquesa; the magnificent swan fountain and a statue of Agustín de Betancourt y Molina (1758 - 1824), father of modern engineering. The cafes on the south side of the square are some of the best you will find in the town.

A tranquil corner of the Plaza de la Consolación in El Palmar, Buenavista del Norte

Plaza de la Consolación (El Palmar)

It would be impossible to cover every square in Tenerife, but the Plaza de la Consolación in El Palmar (Buenavista del Norte) is a representative of all of those that are hidden among the towns and villages of the island. Seek them out.

Tenerife in September 2020

Sunset in Tenerife

Puerto de La Cruz council and its department of fiestas, together with carnival groups and designers, it's reported, are preparing the 2020 Summer Carnival that will include, as a highlight, the election of the King of the Carnival and will be held from September 3 to 6, as planned.

Tourists staying in various hotels in the city will be able to enjoy the performances of the Carnival groups that will show the beauty, rhythm and colour of this festival.

A documentary "Puerto de la Cruz, an International Carnival" will premiere on Sunday at 9:00 p.m. - via the Facebook page of Puerto de la Cruz' Department of Festivities, recalling the main events from previous editions, such as the gala for the election of the first King of Carnival 2019. While an exhibition of costumes will last until September 13, with the costumes of the Queen and the first infant King of last year, at the Martiánez Shopping Centre.

El Puerto de la Cruz celebra su Carnaval de Verano “más singular”

This year, there's a Tenerife-specific public holiday on 7 September 2020 for the Bajada de la Virgen del Socorro. This holiday normally coincides with Candlemas on February 2, but the date was swapped as that fell on a Sunday. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, the Romería will not now take place.

The largest celebrations in September, any other year, would be the Fiestas del Cristo in La Laguna, the main day being the 14th, but which normally includes a month long array of events, both religious and popular, with parades, fireworks and more. Again, we imagine there will be an adjusted program this year.

The annual Pinolere Craft Fair, normally held in August / September, is to be fused with the Feria del Queso (Cheese Fair) and held in November.

Events on the Rally Calendar are scheduled to restart.

The following are holidays in individual municipalities:
  • 8 September: Festivity of Nuestra Señora del Socorro in Güímar
  • 8 September: Festivity of Nuestra Señora de Abona in Arico
  • 8 September: Festivity of Nuestra Señora de la Luz in Los Silos
  • 8 September: Nuestra Señora de los Remedios in Tegueste
  • 14 September: Festivity of the Santísimo Cristo de La Laguna
  • 14 September: Festivity of San José in San Juan de la Rambla
  • 21 September: Santísimo Cristo de la Dulce Muerte in Guía de Isora
  • 29 September: San Miguel Arcángel in San Miguel de Abona

Tenerife Land of Eternal Christmas

Sunbathing SantaDesert Island ChristmasScuba Diving SantaTropical Santa
Santa's Having a Whale of a TimeSurfing SantaWaterski SantaCamel Rodeo Santa
With a wide range of products in each design, click the pics (above) to see the full selections.