Santa Cruz de La PalmaMonday, 23rd February LOS INDIANOS – the main event for most people. At one time many Palmerans left the island in search of a better life in the Caribean. Los Indianos celebratesthose who came home again stinking rich. Basically, almost everyone wears white, usually “Gone with the Wind” style dresses for the women, and suits and Panama hats for the men. Some people carry cardboard suitcases,…
Los Llanos Carnival Program for the weekend
FRIDAY, February 20Festival of Comparsas (Comparsas perform musical dance numbers)> 8 p.m. Carnival Stage SATURDAY, February 21Comparsas performance> 11.30 a.m. Plaza de España Big Talcum-Powder throwing party (NB, there’s a really good talc-throwing party in Santa Cruz on Monday)Music and Dancing with La Retranca, Libertad and Salsaludando orchestras> 1 p.m. Carnival stage More Music and Dancingwith the orchestras: Bolero, Libertad and Ricaband> 10 p.m. Carnival Scene SUNDAY, February 22 THIRD…
Santa Cruz Carnival Programme for the weekend
Spain celebrates Carnival in the week before the season of Lent. I always say people are making sure they have something really juicy to repent, but these days most people just regard it as a darn good excuse for a party. The funfair’s already here, and the main programme starts on Friday. Friday, 20th February 6 pm. Opening ParadeChildren from the schools and nurseries will parade from the Plaza de…
Carnival Murgas
What are murgas when they’re at home? Well, they’re not murgas. They have to go out to do that. And they usually go out during Carnival. A murga is a large, costumed choir singing a medley of popular tunes with their own lyrics. The costumes can be quite elaborate, and run from clowns, demons, big, hairy blokes dressed as schoolgirls, Arabian princes, or fairies (usually the big, hairy blokes again.)…
Surprise!
I set up Google alerts to let me know when my name appears on the web. Mostly I get to hear about other Sheila Crosbys, but occasionally I find reviews of my stories that I didn’t know about, and just once, someone who’d reprinted a whole story, including the “Original fiction exclusive to Cosmos Online” bit at the top. (They took it down when I asked). I was very surprised…
Knickers to them!
On January 24th, a group of women were having a peaceful drink in a bar in Mangalore, and they were attacked by a group of 40 men for being “unIndian”. See http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7852837.stm. Big heroes NOT! They’re members of a group called Sri Ram Sena, who see themselves as self-appointed guardians, “preserving Indian culture and moral values.” Their leader, Pramod Mutalik, said, “What my men did was right. The media is…