Carnival of Tenerife How to Enjoy the Carnival of Tenerife

FROM PROHIBITION TO GUINNESS

For over forty years, Carnival celebrations were prohibited in Tenerife. Yet the tradition was so deeply rooted on the island that it survived under the name Fiestas de Invierno, or Winter Festivities. With the passing of time and the return of democracy, the celebration regained its strength, and in 1980 it was declared a Festival of International Tourist Interest. A few years later, in the late 1980s, it even entered the Guinness Book of Records for hosting the world’s largest dance, with around 200,000 people taking part.

Unforgettable memories from the explosion of the new Carnaval chicharrero, as the Santa Cruz Carnival is known locally, include performances by Celia Cruz, Billos Caracas Boys, and El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, true global stars of salsa and merengue who came to Tenerife as a key stop on their international tours.

To determine the exact date, you first need to identify the Sunday after the first full moon following the start of spring. This rule comes from the Council of Nicaea, held as far back as 325 AD. Forty days before that Sunday is Ash Wednesday, the date that once marked the end of the Fiestas de Invierno, and the day before is Carnival Tuesday.

The result is almost 10 days of music, fun, and festive excess, when the city’s streets are transformed completely and become, at all hours, one great fairground of music and dancing. That is how to experience the Carnival of Tenerife: like a true chicharrero, as locals from Santa Cruz de Tenerife are known.

A MUSTACHE UNDER THE MASK

Another curiosity is the lasting presence of mascaritas, almost grotesque costumes in which hiding the face is essential. This tradition seems to have originated with the so-called tapadas, high-society women who went out concealed behind a mask or veil so they would not be recognized and could mingle in popular celebrations. From there, men increasingly adopted this style of costume, giving rise to a kind of Carnival cross-dressing in which it is common to see very elegant “ladies” with thick mustaches or very, very hairy legs, wearing fishnet stockings and almost always smoking a cigar.

QUEENS, COMPARSAS, AND CONTESTS

It is important to note that the Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife is made up of two kinds of celebrations. One is the street celebration described above, where young people and older adults, tourists and locals all take part. The other comes beforehand, when the main figures are the Carnival groups: dance, music, and lyric performers, most of them amateurs, who spend all year preparing for the festivities.

These include murgas, comparsas, rondallas, and, of course, the elections of the Carnival Queens, including a children’s queen, a senior queen, and the adult gala queen. Murgas are large satirical singing groups, comparsas are dance and percussion groups with Caribbean and Latin influences, and rondallas are lyrical musical groups often associated with more classical or traditional performance.

The gala to choose the adult Carnival Queen is a major event, a grand show featuring the Carnival groups and marking the true starting signal for the street celebration. The candidates’ costumes can weigh more than 440 pounds, and the women who wear them must train in gyms for months to parade down the runway. These colossal creations are usually supported by wheeled frames so they can move across the stage.

The Carnival groups mentioned earlier lead more than two weeks of contests and performances that draw large audiences. Perhaps the most eagerly awaited event is the Murgas final. After two preliminary rounds, each murga arrives with its own fan base, cheering on the protest and social criticism expressed through the lyrics. The murgas of the Canary Islands are choral groups of more than 50 members that adapt melodies and lyrics to mock, criticize, or complain, almost always from a sharp, critical point of view.

Murgas evolved from the chirigotas of Cádiz. Chirigotas are witty, satirical Carnival singing groups from Cádiz, in southern Spain, famous for humorous lyrics that poke fun at politics, society, and current events. All accounts suggest that the Canarian version began after a chirigota made up of sailors from a ship called the Laya took part in the 1917 Carnival. Their appearance in the city was so well-received that this comic tradition stayed on the island for good. Today, murgas are true social institutions that work all year with Carnival in mind.

In these contests, which take place in several stages, awards are given for performance, direction, costume, and more. Winning a prize is highly valued by the public, although not everyone always agrees with the results. After all, art is subjective.

THE MOST FESTIVE FUNERAL

In the past, Carnival lasted six days. It began on Friday with the opening parade, known as the cabalgata anunciadora, and ended on Ash Wednesday with the Entierro de la Sardina, or Burial of the Sardine. Over time, the celebration has changed, and the calendar has expanded, so the Burial of the Sardine is no longer the end of the festivities, even though it still represents the death of Don Carnal, the personification of Carnival, transformed into a giant sardine that is burned as a symbolic funeral. Today, the following weekend, known as the Piñata weekend, is celebrated with the same intensity and color as the rest of the festival.

That Burial deserves special mention. On Ash Wednesday in the religious calendar, Carnival dresses itself in mourning for a playful parody of grief. Thousands of people dressed in strict black parade through the city in a funeral procession that is both majestic and farcical, escorting a colossal fish to the crematorium as the embodiment of Don Carnal, the spirit of Carnival. Behind the funeral procession, filled with professional-style mourners, exaggerated cries, and theatrical displays of sorrow, the figure is burned, beginning the countdown to next year’s Carnival. Even as ashes rise from the bonfire, the celebration, music, and uproar begin again. The Entierro de la Sardina is the only Carnival tradition with a unified costume theme: everything must revolve around mourning.

CARNIVALS IN DIFFERENT MUNICIPALITIES

Still, the Carnival of Tenerife is not celebrated only in the capital. The south of the island has its own festivities, too. In addition to the famous Carnival of Santa Cruz, celebrations take place across the island, especially in southern Tenerife. For true Carnival enthusiasts, a single week of festivities is never enough. When the celebrations in Santa Cruz come to an end, the party simply moves elsewhere on the island. Fortunately, there is no shortage of opportunities to keep the spirit alive. Many municipalities celebrate Carnival in their own way, each with its own traditions and local character. One of the most popular is the Carnival of Playa de los Cristianos, which takes place a week after the festivities conclude in Tenerife’s capital.

For places to stay during the Carnival of Tenerife, the south of the island is an ideal choice. There, you will be within easy reach of some of Tenerife’s best beaches, including Las Américas, El Camisón, Los Cristianos, Costa del Silencio, and Las Galletas, as well as the picturesque municipality of San Miguel de Abona.

In short, the Carnivals of Tenerife are a vibrant, one-of-a-kind experience that brings together tradition, creativity, and fun. This festival has become one of the island’s most important celebrations, attracting people from around the world who want to immerse themselves in this festive, contagious culture. So come celebrate the Carnival of Tenerife and let it surprise you.