La Palma has a long history of silk production, going back to the 16th century. In fact, at one time, silk was made in all the Canary Islands, but since the 19th century, El Paso, in the centre of La Palma, is the only place which still produces it. They use an old fashioned, labour-intensive technique, the only place in Europe which still does so. You can see most of…
San Jose in Breña Baja is celebrating its annual fiesta. Tonight, Sunday 17th 6pm is the Old Folks’ festival, followed by a public dance in front of the town hall. Tuesday 19th 5pm – 7 pm Bouncy castles in front of the town hall. 9:30 pm . Open-air cinema “Harry Potter y Las Reliquias de la Muerte.” In the football stadium Wednesday 20th 6:30 pm PASACALLES DISNEY along the main…
San Jose in Breña Baja always celebrates Corpus Christi on the Sunday after Mazo’s celebration. Since the whole thing takes out on a flat, tarmaced street, the tradition is to make carpets of coloured salt, with the altars being much more modest. In recent years, many of the carpets are made from seeds and petals, like the ones in Mazo. Much as I love the petals, I think it’s a…
STARMUS is a unique scientific, artistic and musical event taking place mostly in Tenerife this week, with a truly stellar line-up of speakers and performers. I wanted to go, but I couldn’t afford the time or the money. I say “mostly in Tenerife” because on Thursday Jack Szostak, Brian May, Richard Dawkins, Kip Thorne, George Smoot, Jill Tarter, Alexei Leonov and Neil Armstrong are coming to the Roque de los…
One of the biggest annual fiestas in La Palma is Corpus Christi in Mazo. Catholics all over the world celebrate Corpus Christi, but here they celebrate with the most wonderful archways and carpets decorated with petals,leaves and seeds. On Wednesday evening and night, each village of the municipality makes their own archway with a carpet and a little altar, so Thursday morning is a wonderful time to see them. They’ll…
Most villages on La Palma have an annual fiesta in honour of their patron saint. (They’ve all got patron saints) Most weeks in summer see a fiesta somewhere or other, and this weekend it’ll be Puntallana, in honour of St John the Baptist. On Saturday there’s a livestock fair from 10 am to 5:50 pm, the usual farmer’s market from 10 am to 2 pm, bouncy castles and other kids’…