86 ~ Carnival in Canaries

A member of the female murga Las Hechizadas (The Bewitched)

It's that time again when the world celebrates carnival, or carnaval as it is written in Spanish. And next to Rio de Janiero, the Canary Islands has some of the world's most extravagant carnival celebrations.

This year the activities run from January 26 with the selection of candidates for carnival queen until February 21, ending with the traditional antique car show and final fireworks display.

Carnival photos here and above credited to the official Tenerife Carnival website.

Murga Los Bambones

The murgas are popular satirical groups which create and sing irreverent protest songs about current local issues and political personages, to the accompaniment of noisy percussion instruments. Competitions pit different murga groups against each other for the best costumes and the sharpest wit in their performances.

Los Bambas, a childrens' murga

As well as a carnival queen chosen from a selection of young women, there is also a Reina Tercera Edad, a senior queen chosen from older women.

Reina Tercera Edad (Senior Queen)

Everyone joins in the spirit of carnival here, no matter what age. There is also a children's queen, La Reina Infantil.

La Reina Infantil (Childrens'Queen)

Each of the seven Canary Islands celebrates its own carnival and there are many shows, parades and queen elections even in smaller towns. But the biggest shows are always that of the elections of Carnival Queen on Tenerife and Gran Canaria, the two largest islands, in the cities of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria respectively.

Tenerife will elect her queen tomorrow evening in a grand televised gala.

Las Palmas already has a carnival queen, elected a few days ago. Here she is, in a spectacular costume of an indian princess in white feathered and bejewelled headdress, stepping out of an enormous Native American dream catcher.

Photo credit to Las Palmas Carnival website

Here's the sound of Carnaval en Tenerife!

I will come back with more photos from Carnaval en Tenerife.
Until then, ...¡Hasta la vista!

23 ~ Carnival Time!

It's carnival time in Tenerife and after Brazil, the Canary Islands have the most spectacular carnival celebrations in the world. The events last for weeks and the preparations take a whole year. By the time one carnival is ending, the next one is already in the planning.


On Friday Feb 13th, the big celebration was in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the next island, when their carnival queen 'Reina de Carnaval' was elected in a grand gala event. Here is a link to the video of that event which lasts around 185 minutes and can be seen full screen.

Murga in Tenerife show

This evening, Santa Cruz de Tenerife elected this year's carnival queen in a show which was broadcast not only over the islands but also internationally. I like to watch the event on TV to see the queen contestants in their fantastic costumes which are now so heavy that they are supported on the floor with wheels while the girls stand inside and push them along. Gone are the days when they were supporting all the weight on their shoulders. The creations are now more sophisticated but still very heavy. Some are even equipped with twinkling lights.

Tenerife's Carnival Queen 2009

As well as the eighteen contestants of this evening, there were the dancing groups, the 'comparsas' and the singing clown groups, the 'murgas', whose purpose it is to poke stinging and satirical jabs through their songs and comedy routines at political figures and municipal situations not to their liking.

A Comparsa dancing group



One of the Queen Contestants

One of the Maids of Honour

Another Dama de Honor

Dancers in a Comparsa



Colourful Costumes of a Murga

The carnival celebrations will continue now over a couple of weeks.

Here is a link to the official carnival website with a timetable of events and photos.

And finally, here are full photos of the winning creation and the new 'Reina de Carnaval 2009' of Tenerife