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The Magic of Tenerife - issue #7 June 1st, 2011 Hi This is your genial webmaster John with the latest Tenerife Information Centre Newsletter!
- The important celebrations of Corpus Christi -------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a major religious festival in Spain (and, consequently, Tenerife), with dates that vary. Its position in the calendar is decided by the date of Trinity Sunday, which is the one after Pentacost, around two months after Easter. Corpus Christi (meaning "body of Christ"), falls on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday and, this year, will be June 23rd. By far the best place to be in Tenerife for this festival is La Orotava. As is outlined in my website, this town has its own inimitable (and famous) way of celebrating the event, with the laying of flower and sand carpets. The tradition originates around the mid 19th century, when one sole householder in the town decided to lay a carpet of flowers outside his residence, to celebrate the procession as it went past. It caught on over the years and now is a major communal event for the town, with men, women and children all participating. These days, the simple flower carpet concept has developed into intricate paintings, using both flowers and multi-coloured volcanic sand, collected from the slopes of the mountains. There is now even an Asociación de Alfombristas, or "Association of Carpet Makers"! Many of the images represent scenes from the bible. The one judged best is displayed in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento. This may use nearly three tons of building material! The Procession, headed by the Bishop of La Laguna, consists of various clergy and government officials, all accompanied by a marching band. Thereafter, there is a huge party, with people in traditional dress, plus live bands. Every year, this event attracts thousands of tourists, as well as locals.
The island has always enjoyed a good reputation as a venue for this sport, with eight excellent courses (plus a ninth on neighbouring La Gomera) and, in June, it is being used to stage the Tenerife Ladies' Match Play - a sort of "Tenerife Open". Taking place on the superb course at Golf Las Americas in Adeje, it will encompass four days, from June the 9th till the 12th. Many top women players from throughout Europe will be descending on the island for this event and play begins with a separate "Pro-Am" competition. The next two days see the elimination rounds, then, on the final day, the remaining eight players will compete over 18 holes to decide the winner.
Mid June sees the annual sporting event that has been taking place since 2004. Known as Carrera del Atlantico, it takes place from the 11th till the 17th. It is broken up into four different stages, all designed to make the most of the island's beautiful scenery. Athletes are accommodated in the hotel La Siesta and the first two days are concerned with checking in and general briefing. The first stage occurs on Wednesday the 13th, when runners are transfered to the Teide Visitors' Centre, way up the mountain. The run sets off at 10am and is a route of about 10.5 miles, all along the south-west of the crater. It is a difficult run, with an average altitude of nearly 7,000 feet. The following day, there is the next stage, a relatively easy, flat run of about 6.5 miles. Starting from and ending in Los Silos, it takes in quite a bit of the coastline. After a day of rest and recuperation, Saturday the 16th sees the actual Tenerife Half Marathon. Beginning at Las Raices and, after reaching Las Laguentas returning to the starting point, this is a difficult 13 mile run that takes you through the Teide National Park. Finally, the fourth run occurs on the Sunday, quite an easy run of 5.6 miles, beginning at Igueste de San Andres, initially taking a cliff-top route. It culminates in a descent to Santa Cruz's beautiful beach, Las Teresitas. The races are open to anyone of sound health over 18 years old. For all four stages, the entrance fee is 80 euros for non-residents, 50 euros for residents. If you want to restrict your participation to the half marathon stage only, the fee is 25 euros for all entrants.
If a friend forwarded this ezine to you and you like what you read, please subscribe by visiting The Tenerife Information Centre. Comments? Ideas? Feedback? I'd love to hear from you. Just reply to this ezine and tell me what you think! This is John signing off. See you next month! New! CommentsHave your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below. |
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