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’…
This weekend will see the biggest livestock fair on the island, in Garafía. 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…
This weekend they’re holding the second biggest livestock fair on the island, at San Isidro, in Breña Alta. (The biggest is San Antonio del Monte, in June). It starts off with a procession which brings the statue of the saint from the church to the fairground at 9 am on Saturday. People bring their animals, and there are prizes for the best milk cow, best bull, best goat, etc. Most…
In the east of La Palma, Holy Cross Day (fiesta de la Cruz) is the biggest festival in spring. They only celebrate it in Santa Cruz, Breña Alta and Breña Baja, and as the name suggests, they decorate the roadside crosses – beautifully. As often happens, the main party is the night before the public holiday. Since most crosses are hung with gold jewelry (among other things) people stay beside…