Friday 3 June 2011

Canary Day!


May 30th was Canary Day here on the Island and if you ventured into the shops and restaurants you saw the staff dressed in traditional costume. Local produce was laid out on tables for customer to taste and enjoy. In one shop we went into in Tias they had a miniature barrel on a trestle filled with wine...you simply helped yourself. Sadly, I did not have my camera with me, but I managed to capture  a couple of ladies dressed in Canary finery who work in one of the shops along the glorious seafront in Puerto del Carmen.

The local people are proud to be Cannarian and celebrate with many cultural activities; dancing, singing, talking about there heritage. Schools make a special point to teach the young ones about the rich history and culture of the Islands. The Canary Islands consists of seven inhabited islands off the coast of West Africa and although very close to the Moroccan coastline , the Islands form part of the community of Spain. Up until 1402 the islands were independent, then as the Spanish invaded they became part of the Kingdom of Castile 1495.

9 comments:

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

This sounds like fun and it's great that everyone takes part,especially as you can taste all the local produce free, what fun.

I've been to Tenerife and Gran Canaria, but not Lanzarote, so love hearing about it.

Unknown said...

You helped yourself to wine??? Oh my! I'm on the next flight. :)

Pauline Barclay said...

Hello Debs, you will have to come one of these days!

Hi Shirley, I knew you'd be on the plane once I mentioned free wine...laugh!

Talli Roland said...

Great photos! I love the thought of a Canary Day!

Pauline Barclay said...

Hi Talli, but the heat we have down here, phew they must have been pretty warm!

Diane said...

What a pity we in the UK do not do something more to celebrate and learn more about "our" heritage as in St. Gerorges Day - "we" have an awful lot ot learn !!!

Pauline Barclay said...

Hello Diane, thank you for calling by, and yes, we British should be more proud of our heritage. Have a great weekend.

Rosalind Adam said...

Reading this has reminded me of how little I know about our world. I know nothing about the Canary Islands. Has the name got anything to do with the birds? (Excuse my ignorance!) I'd love to hear more about the culture there. It's fascinating and I do hope you had a lovely Canary Day

Pauline Barclay said...

Hello Rosalind, I will Blog more about the Canary's over the next few months. And no it was not named after birds! Will tell more soon! x