After more than 20 years, posts here will now only be occasional ( |
| The character of La Negra Tomasa whose arrival triggers the celebration of the Los Indianos. Ayuntamiento de Santa Cruz de La Palma / CC BY-SA |
The biggest event of the carnival in Santa Cruz de La Palma is Los Indianos, normally held on Carnival Monday, the day before Shrove Tuesday. The figure of La Negra Tomasa, the most emblematic character of this festival, is certain to offend some people, being a character who is blacked up and in drag, so a little context and history is required to attempt to explain this unique tradition.
Los Indianos is a traditional festival on the island of La Palma that attempts to poke fun at the islanders who had emigrated to Las Indias, that is the West Indies, more specifically to Cuba, and who, on their return, flaunted the wealth they had obtained in those lands. These islanders who had emigrated and returned were labelled "Indianos" (those from the [West] Indies).
In the middle of the afternoon, a parade begins from the Avenida de los Indianos, next to the city's port, and travels to the Plaza de La Alameda, where the party will continue until the early hours of the morning. The Indianos carry luggage; leather suitcases and trunks, maybe filled with Monopoly money, cages with tropical animals and some even accompanied by a retinue of black servants, all to the sound of Cuban music, with tastings of sugar cane, molasses and mojitos.
Traditional dress for this festival consists of a guayabera (a.k.a. Beach wedding shirts) traditionally associated with Cuba and white pants or a linen suit, as well as an indispensable Panamanian hat. Women also dress in all white costumes, wearing period dresses and carrying lace parasols. The festival has a strong Cuban flavour. This is so because it was one of the main sources of emigration for many people of La Palma, so the two islands became strongly linked.
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| Tons of talc are used in the battle Ayuntamiento de Santa Cruz de La Palma / CC BY-SA |
The battle of talcum powder, according to popular belief, had its origin during the 19th century, when a ship left a cargo of flour in poor condition in port, becoming an element of fun at the carnival that was being celebrated at that time. That belief was discarded because 17th century documents have been found that speak of "powdering" on Carnival Monday. It is believed to be a custom inherited from Cuban rituals of bleaching the skin. At the beginning of the 20th century, this tradition was repressed, as "it disturbed public order too much", but from the second half of the century it began to recover, replacing the flour with talc.
