Romería de San Marcos – Tenerife’s Version of Pamplona’s Bull Run

Food Missile Attack

Admittedly there’s a bit of poetic licence in the title. The way to escape the big horny bovines in Tegueste is to simply step out of their way as they lumber through the streets pulling imaginatively decorated carts.

Yesterday was our second visit to the Romería de San Marcos in Tegueste and it’s rapidly becoming my favourite romería on Tenerife. As romerías go, Tegueste’s offers something a little bit different. Although every member of the family, from tottering abuelas to tiny tots and the pet dog, is kitted out in traditional cossie, the overwhelming atmosphere at Tegueste’s fiesta is a young and vibrant one. It’s almost part trad fiesta and part carnaval.

This was my favourite float design.

Another difference with this fiesta is the design of the processional carts. In most romerías these are beautifully decorated, but in Tegueste they also reflect traditional life in these parts.

We’re experienced enough Tenerife fiesta goers to know that although we illegally parked when we arrived, half on half off the pavement, within 20 yards of a couple of Guardia Civil officers, we wouldn’t return to the car to find a parking ticket – we hoped. Normal rules go out of the window on fiesta days.

We’re also experienced enough to know that there’s no point finding the perfect spot for an uninterrupted view of the procession, because as soon as it starts, Canarios in their droves swamp your position. I used to devise strategies to try to outmanoeuvre them, but in the end have had to admit defeat and now we stand back and let my 150 mm camera lens get me closer to the action.

Even that’s not foolproof. In a crowd of people who make me look as though I could be a basketball player, the tallest Canario in the world will always stand in front of me. And so it was yesterday. This guy was also inexplicably linked to my lens so that no matter what direction I pointed (left, right, down, up etc), he moved to block my shot even though he wasn’t aware of my existence.

I wasn’t bothered. After the first circuit of the procession and the bulk of the boiled eggs, papas, popcorn, chunks of bread spread with chorizo paste and pork steaks were distributed to the excited crowd, I knew it came around again. By the second time most people have headed to the main plaza so I could click away at will whilst Andy had her pick of the last of the food goodies being handed out by the carts’ occupants.

Drowning in a sea of fun...

After the procession, the party moved to Tegueste’s pretty church and square where the rear of the plaza is lined with kiosks selling beer, rum and pinchos – three essential fiesta ingredients. There’s a real juxtaposition here. At the church in the front of the plaza, a statue of San Marcos is carried thorough the crowd to the sound of church bells. At the back, thousands of young fiesta goers, most wearing their particular traditional costumes (representing different islands) with style and pride, bump and grind to thumping dance music.

We opted to hang with the younger homechicos at the back of the church. We made our way through the dancing masses, squeezed in at the bar at one of the kiosks and ordered a beer and a couple of pork pinchos. For once the music was dance we recognised and chicos and chicas gyrated energetically in the hot sunshine (Tegueste is often hot and humid, despite being a hop, skip and a jump from La Laguna and its ‘cooler’ weather).

Almost at the same time Andy and I turned to each other and said:

“Fantastic – actual dance music for a change,” and by doing so clearly jinxed the DJ’s choice of music.
Within another couple of tracks, dance was replaced by the usual electro salsa, sending the crowd into a bigger frenzy

However, despite me moaning about the music at fiestas on Tenerife always being salsa, salsa and more salsa, the atmosphere in Tegueste was so infectious that it was impossible not to be completely seduced by it.

By the time we left at 5pm, the party was in full swing and it was tempting to stay, but we had the car…and I was desperate to see if we really had escaped the wrath of the Guardia Civil.

Click Here For More Photos of the Fiesta

Oh My God. Is That Really a…?

If you’re an animal lover, don’t look too closely at this picture.

A bit insensitive considering there were actually goats at the fiesta

When I first saw it, I did a double take. I mean, there’s one thing being able to recognise the animal on your plate, but the animal that you’re wearing…I suppose though it’s not that much different from those old fox stoles, except that in this case it is actually more practical than ornamental.

Back to the Real Tenerife

Look at that lot...following her like a flock of sheep

I suppose one of the reasons that I experienced such a culture shock in ‘Little Britain in the Sun’ was that a couple of days previously we’d been to the Romería de San Marcos in Tegueste; an experience which you could say lay at the complete opposite end of the spectrum.

Whereas the streets of the tourist resort we’d visited were unnaturally quiet, the streets leading to the centre of this great little town, which only sees a tourist if they’ve taking a wrong turning, were packed to capacity.

We’d been to Romerías in various places before; thinking we’d seen the biggest in Garachico and La Orotava, but Tegueste’s was something else. Although this didn’t have as many carts, the ones that were being dragged by oxen through the streets were the most elaborately decorated of any we’d seen to date…and of course other towns don’t have ox drawn ships. But it was the number of people which took us by surprise; there were thousands, maybe tens of thousands, and most were kitted out in traditional Canarian costumes. There was a real party atmosphere in town and the bright sunshine made the colours on the girls’ rainbow patterned traditional skirts even more vibrant than usual.

Smiley Happy People

In the streets around the plaza movement was almost impossible; it was like taking a hedonistic magical mystery tour where the crowd took you along on a slo-mo rollercoaster ride which involved avoiding herds of goats, lumbering oxen and boats on wheels whilst happy smiley people tried to ply you with wine and force you to eat papas arrugadas and chunks of carne fiesta. There’s such an incredible buzz at these celebrations and your senses come under full scale assault. I love them; these sorts of things are part of the reason I live here.

This is what Tenerife is really all about.

REEEEE – SPECT

It was a little thing; one short moment in time, but it revealed volumes about the Canarian character.

We were in Tegueste a couple of days before the ‘Librea’ celebrations, which only take place once every three years. The plaza in the town centre was in the final stages of having a makeover to make it look as though the town had time travelled back to the 18th century. The town hall had disappeared and in its place was a full size castle with three small galleons parked in front of it. I know that should read moored, but as Tegueste is situated some miles inland, these galleons were parked.

As we nosied around, the bells of the plaza’s church starting tolling solemnly and a funeral procession made its way up the street towards the church, passing a group of chav lads (gold chains, shell suits, shaven heads and tattoos) who seem to be hanging around the plaza every time we visit.

As the coffin drew level with them, another chav arrived in a souped up Seat Ibiza. Its windows were rolled down and it was blasting out music; the sound of Daddee Yankee shattered the silence in the plaza. And this is when one of the chavs did something completely unexpected. He span around to the new arrival in the car, put a finger to his lips, then made a downward motion with his hands, signalling for his mate to cut the music immediately, which he duly did. Then all of them stood quietly as the procession passed them and entered the church.

Like I said, it was nothing; a simple mark of respect. I tried to imagine the same scenario involving a group of British chavs; somehow I’m not sure it would play out the same way.