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Corpus Christi in San Jose

San Jose main street at Corpus Christi Corpus Christi in San Jose isn’t nearly as spectacular as it is in Mazo, but it’s still very nice. 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. This year, many of the carpets are made from seeds and petals, like in Mazo.This carpet is…

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Dancing at San Antonio del Monte, Garafía

San Antonio del Monte

  Yesterday was the biggest livestock fair on the island. San Antonio del Monte used to be a village, but the villagers moved away. About the only thing that’s left is the church of St. Anthony and the feast day, with it’s massive fair. Apart from the animals, there’s a craft fair, and of course lots of stalls selling cheap toys, food and drink. It’s a pretty enough little church,…

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Corpus in Mazo – Photos of this year

Corpus Christi (the body of Christ) is a big festival in Mazo. They decorate the streets with spectacular archways and carpets covered with flowers, seeds and leaves. People collect the materials and work on intensively the pieces a couple of weeks in advance, but the archways are erected a Wednesday night. But they had a problem with the crane, and they were still putting up the last of them when…

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Corpus Christi in Mazo

If you’re on La Palma, be sure to get to Mazo tomorrow, or at least on Friday. It’s the Catholic festival of Corpus Christi (the body of Christ) and they celebrate by making these spectacular archways and carpets, all decorated with petals, leaves and seeds. They stay up until Sunday, but between the weather and the crowds, they do tend to suffer as the days go by.

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Puntallana Farmer’s Market

Puntallana now has a Farmer’s market, too. They hold it on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month, from 10 am to 2 pm. It’s smaller than the market at Puntagorda or Mazo, but it’s plenty big enough to get fresh veg for a week’s self-catering. And it’s right beside St John’s church, which is beautiful and well worth a visit.

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Wanna be a Writer?

I’ve just finished enjoying “Wannabe a Writer?” by Jane Wenham-Jones. Most books on writing give the same (good) advice. Like go very easy on the adverbs; pick a better verb in the first place. And, show, don’t tell. In other words, don’t say, “John was cruel.” Say, “As John opened the door, he found a half-starved kitten meowing outside. He kicked it.” This book is different. It give no advice…

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