Witches transform into donkeys in Tenerife

Las Burras de Güímar Photo: By Mataparda

It’s Tenerife, it’s carnival and so the fun continues with yet more curious festivals that would make a night at your local BDSM fetish club seem a little dull. In Güímar, for instance, witches will once more turn into donkeys at their carnival closing festivities known as Las Burras de Güímar (The Donkeys of Güímar). 

Legend has it that during a funeral, strange donkeys suddenly began to appear and accompany the funeral procession. Upon arrival in the town square, the local people thought they weren't really donkeys, because there was something very "fishy" about them. Local farmers then came up with the [quite possibly stupid] idea of poking them with a knife and, when pierced, the alleged donkeys become terrible and disgusting witches who begin to invoke Satan. The witches start dancing until the bishop arrives and holds an exorcism, calling upon the Archangel Michael for help, who comes down from heaven to fight with the Devil.

When San Miguel (that's the Archangel Michael or Saint Michael, not the beer) manages to kill the Devil after a gruelling fight, the Bishop also mandates that the donkeys be burned at the stake to restore tranquillity to the town.

This piece of street theatre dates all the way back to 1992, when it was born with the objective of making the Burial of the Sardine celebrations more popular, drawing upon various local beliefs related to witchcraft, including the belief that witches were able to transform themselves into donkeys in order to gain entry into the homes of the country folk, to cast their spells.

It begins with the appearance of strange women in various balconies and windows. Once the sardine has passed them, they transform into donkeys. They make their way together to the square, where they scare the living daylights out of some peasants, who work out that they are these famous Burras.

So they turn back into witches and form a coven, invoking a demon, who appears as a large figure with a skull for a head, accompanied by numerous imps. The witches dance with the demons, filling the plaza with noise, until the sound of religious music is heard, which indicates the presence of the Inquisition. At that moment, a group of friars, accompanied by a Bishop arrive, who begins an exorcism, calling upon the Archangel Michael for help. The latter appears in the sky, accompanied by various angels and fight against the big demon. Once the demon lies defeated on the ground, the Bishop orders the burning of the witches on the bonfire along with the sardine. (And everyone lives happily ever after.)

It usually takes place on the Friday after Shrove Tuesday, in the Plaza de San Pedro in Güímar, starting at 9 p.m. And of course it’s free. Just think how much you’d have to pay for the drugs to have an equivalent experience anywhere else!

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival Queen 2011

Carnaval Queen in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 2011, Naomi Cabrera Pulido

Carnaval Queen in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 2011, was Naomi Cabrera Pulido, with "Cien años de historia" (One Hundred Years of History), designed by Leo Martínez and representing newspaper El Día, who won for the 3rd consecutive year.

In 2011, the court consisted:

1. 1st Maid of Honour: Fabiana Milena Vera Martínez, with "Cabaret", representing Tranvía de Tenerife (Tenerife Tram), designed by Santi Castro.
2. 2nd Maid of Honour: Sonia Hernández Fumero, with "Freyja", representing Centro Comercial Meridiano, by Saliarca Creativos.
3. 3rd Maid of Honour: Carmen Idaira González Díaz, with "Felicidad" (Happiness), for Redetel Telefonía S. A., by Juan Carlos Armas.
4. 4th Maid of Honour: Naomi Cordobez Hernández, with a costume entitled "Canaima", representing Floristería Tin, designed by Juan Carlos Armas.

The theme of Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival in 2011 was "Enrique González and the murgas of the Canary Islands", honouring, Enrique González Bethencourt, the father of the murgas, founder of several carnival events, including the Burial of the Sardine and of murga, Afilarmónica Ni Fú-Ni Fá, who died in 2010. The stage at the International Trade and Congress Centre was dedicated to Don Enrique with portraits formed like a great clown costume. To the sides, trumpets and instruments characteristic of the murgas. The gala for the election of the Carnival Queen was directed by Sergio García. The murga contest final was held, for the first time, at the Heliodoro Rodríguez López Stadium with an audience of 20,000 people.

VIDEO: Carnival Queen in Santa Cruz de Tenerife 2011 Naomi Cabrera Pulido

Sorry Jesus, no sandals …

Basílica de Candelaria

Shortly, a sign will be put up at the doors of the Basílica de Candelaria, it is reported, prohibiting entry to persons who are not dressed in a “dignified and respectful” manner. The objective is to keep out those people who would attempt to enter the church wearing only bikinis, swimsuits, beach wraps, sandals or merely wrapped in beach towels, says the report. The Vatican recently made a proclamation upgrading the status of the basilica, which is the reason for strengthening controls over the dress code to visit the islands’ Patroness. Among the restrictions: men are not permitted to enter wearing shorts and sandals. OK, we get the respect thing, but what did Jesus himself apparently wear?

Via: GomeraVerde. Image of the Basilica by Mataparda

Puchero Canario (Canarian Stew)

Plato de puchero canario Image by J Toledo Some rights reserved

Andy Montgomery mentioned that all the vegetable ingredients for puchero were laid out for sale on a special display at her local supermarket yesterday.

In my opinion, puchero is by far the best dish in Canarian Cuisine.

It’s a wonderfully warming stew of meat, vegetables and legumes, which is a perfect dish for a party or family gathering. Indeed one of my recipe books has a version that was used for weddings in the 19th Century. However, it’s also perfectly suited to everyday eating, so here’s a translation of the most typical version used in Canarian home cooking.

Ingredients:

200 grs dry chick-peas (garbanzo beans)

500 grs beef 

500 grs pork or chicken (cheap cuts are best) 

1 kg cabbage

200 grs pumpkin

200 grs French beans

1 fresh corncob

1 sweet potato

1 kg potatoes

30 grs vegetable marrow

1 or 2 carrots

1 leek

1 head of garlic

1 onion

1 tomato

saffron, thyme and salt.

Method:

Soak the chickpeas overnight in cold water, drain well and put in a large saucepan with the meat and cover with water. Add chopped leek, onion and tomato to the pan. Crush the garlic, and mix with the thyme, saffron and salt, preferably in a pestle and mortar, then add these to the pot also. When the meat is cooked add all the other vegetables, cut into large pieces, and then continue at a simmer until all the vegetables are tender but still whole.

To serve, remove the meat and vegetables from the pot with a slotted spoon and arrange on serving dishes. Provide plenty of typical Canarian bread (crusty), local wine by the carafe and you have a very pleasant and relaxed meal for your guests to help themselves to. Buen provecho!

Puchero Canario

Tenerife Carnival Dates for 2011

Carnival 2011 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife

After the Election of the Carnival Queen on Wednesday, 2 March, the main events of Carnival in the streets of Santa Cruz de Tenerife 2011 are:

• Friday, March 4th: Santa Cruz Carnaval takes to the streets, with the Cabalgata Anunciadora (Opening Parade) from 7 p.m.
• Saturday, March 5th: Ministry of Sound. 11 p.m. – 6 a.m.
• Tuesday, March 8th: (Carnaval Tuesday): The Coso Apoteosis (Main Parade) along the front at Santa Cruz (Avenidas de Francisco La Roche and Marítima), from around 4 p.m. 
• Ash Wednesday, March 9th: Burial of the Sardine. Where it’s essential for men to dress up as "Widows" to mourn the poor old defunct sardine and generally have a blasphemous night of it. The funeral procession is along the following streets; Juan Pablo II, Méndez Núñez, Pilar, Villalba Hervás, La Marina ending in the Avenida Francisco La Roche, where the sardine is then cremated.
• Saturday, March 12th: Carnaval de Día (Daytime Carnaval) is a new phenomenon to Santa Cruz in recent years, featuring live music and dancing around the city’s squares; Plaza de la Candelaria, Plaza del Príncipe, Plaza de Europa & Plaza Weyler, plus an ear-splittingly noisy tracas/mascletas of firework explosions, in the style of the Fallas de Valencia. The Coso Infantil (Junior Parade) takes place at 6 p.m., with the route as follows: Francisco La Roche, Avenida Marítima ending in Alameda del Duque de Santa Elena.
• Sunday, March 13th: Sunday morning, 10 a.m. begins an exhibition of Automóviles Antiguos (Vintage Cars) which is when these beautiful vehicles gather at the Parque García Sanabria and then parade around the city from mid-day. End of carnival parties.

Public Holidays in Tenerife 2011

2011

The Government of the Canary Islands has approved the following list of the Public Holidays in the Canary Islands for 2011:

• 1 January, Año Nuevo / New Year
• 6 January, Epifanía del Señor / Epiphany
• 2 February, Virgen de la Candelaria / Candlemas
• 21 April, Jueves Santo / Holy Thursday
• 22 April, Viernes Santo / Good Friday
• 30 May, Día de Canarias / Canaries Day
• 15 August, Asunción de la Virgen / Assumption
• 12 October, Fiesta Nacional de España / Spanish National Holiday
• 1 November, Todos los Santos / All Saints
• 6 December, Día de la Constitución Española / Constitution Day
• 8 December, Inmaculada Concepción / Immaculate Conception
• 26 December, Natividad del Señor / Day in lieu of Christmas Day

The two peculiarities in this list are that because Fiesta del Trabajo / Labour Day, May 1st falls on a Sunday, the day in lieu, rather than the next day, has been given as May 30th, for Día de Canarias / Canaries Day instead. Likewise, as Christmas Day in 2011 will also fall on a Sunday, December 26th has been given as a day in lieu. (Boxing Day isn’t a holiday in Spain.) There’s a legal right to days off on public holidays in Spain (there's no such right in Britain), however, you should note that 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 that are specific to each municipal council area.

More information: Public holidays in the Canary Islands

Husband by the hour in Tenerife

We’ve a feeling that there may be a few restrictions to the type of duties that are available for hire (or not), but nevertheless, we applaud the resourcefulness of one unemployed man in the south of Tenerife.

José Antonio Martín is a lorry driver, who, back in July, became unemployed, at which time he started to advertise himself as a “husband by the hour”, an original idea that has allowed him to make enough money to get by. He advertises his services in various shops in his neighbourhood, which is how his neighbours get to know about his services when they need to do some small repairs around the house.

At economical prices and on any day of the week, José Antonio has ensured that the crisis hasn’t been an impediment for him by carrying out whatever domestic labours that present a difficulty for others because of lack of time, etc.

We’d usually call him a handyman, but “husband by the hour” is a much more fun and memorable description to market himself with. Via RTVC.