It’s carnival time! People are ready to have fun with their costumes and masks. This festivity is celebrated almost all over the world, and here in Canary Islands we have one of the best carnivals in the globe. Here you have seven curiosities about Tenerife Carnival.
1- It was called Fiestas de Invierno (Winter Festival) for a long time. The carnival had to change its name during the dictatorships of Primo de Rivera (1923-1930) and Franco (1939-1975) to avoid the prohibition of that time. Only the cities of Tenerife and Cadiz kept celebrating this festivity those years, sometimes underground. After Franco’s death, the carnival got back its original name.
2- It won a Guinness Record in 1987. The show performed by the Cuban singer Celia Cruz and the Billo’s Caracas Boys gathered more than 250.000 people. It has been the bigger concert assistance in a public square since then.
3- The worst carnival gala for many people was the 2007 edition. It was called El carnaval amargo (The bitter carnival) because the show director of that year was the Spanish choreographer Rafael Amargo. The point of the negative reviews was that the show had nothing to do with carnival and it was just a bunch of TV celebrities making a fool. This gala was considered a shame for Tenerife citizens.
4- Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Rio de Janeiro are sister cities, and also Santa Cruz and Cadiz. This three towns share the carnival as an important aspect of its culture and history. Nowadays, Santa Cruz is in process to be sister city with Viena and Caracas.
5- The carnival is considered a Festivity of International Touristic Interest. It’s, along with Cadiz, the only carnival with such title in Spain. At the present time it aims to become World Heritage.
6- The poster of the carnival has been made by many artists in its history, such as Cesar Manrique or Javier Mariscal. From 2009 to 2014 was chosen in a conest. But this year, the artist from Tenerife, Alejandro Tosco, has made the poster.
7- The end of the festivity comes with El Entierro de la Sardina (Burial of the Sardine). This celebration is the last big party before Easter. A gigantic paper mache sardine is burned and people wear clerical costumes while they make jokes and critiques about the catholic church.
As you can see, the Carnival of Tenerife is a remarkable festivity. If you want to feel it and have one of the best All Inclusive in the island, stay with us in Sandos San Blas Nature Resort & Golf.