Carnival

Carnival programme for Monday and Tuesday: Santa Cruz and Los Llanos

Monday 7th March Santa Cruz de la Palma Los Indianos For most people, this is the big event. Many poor Palmerans emigrated to Cuba and Venezuela. This fiesta celebrates the ones who came home rich. Everybody dresses in white, some have suitcases full of monopoly money, and it’s a giant talc-throwing fight. You can see the timetable at http://www.transporteslapalma.com/transportes/Mapas/Indianos2011.pdf 10:00 h. Waiting for the return of the emigrants in the…

March 6, 2011
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Carnival on La Palma

Carnival is a big deal in La Palma. By now we’re all fed up with the (relatively) cold, wet weather and ready for some fun. Carnival is just what we need: an explosion of colour and music with a dash of lunacy before 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…

March 4, 2011
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Sopas de miel

Sopas de miel
February 22, 2011
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This is a traditional recipe for Carnival in the Canary Islands. A literal translation would be “honey soup” but as you can see, this isn’t soup. It can be rather soggy, though. I believe in some places they use honey, but on La Palma, it’s always “miel de cana”, which is like black treacle or molasses, but a little runnier. Ingredients Molasses (one small jar) 1 tsp cinnamon anis 1…

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The Octopus’s Funeral, Los Cancajos

The octopus’s funeral procession Most places in Spain end Carnival with a mock funeral for a sardine. Los Cancajos decided to have a few carnival events this year, ending in an Octopus’s funeral (just for a change). Close up of the octopus But the weather was terrible, and they postponed it for two weeks. And when the new date came around, there weather was terrible again, and they had to…

March 13, 2010
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I Don’t Believe It!

(said in my best Victor Meldrew impersonation.) We’re on orange alert again, because there’s yet another storm headed our way. This one is small and intense and due to hit tonight with wind gusts up to 160 km/h on the peaks and possible heavy rain. The only good bit is that it’s zipping along so fast that it should be over by lunchtime Saturday. The observatory has been evacuated, the…

February 26, 2010
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Weather Forecast

Well the storm’s gone, thank goodness, but there’s more rain due on Saturday and Sunday. Enjoy Friday, quick! We’ve had a lot more bad weather than usual this winter. On a happier note, there’s a children’s carnival party at La Polvacera Sports Ground, with dancing, games, art workshops and murgas. Come in fancy dress if you can, at 5 pm.

February 18, 2010
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