The showcase of Canarian creativity

The contest brings together 132 stalls in the 12,000 square meters of the Central Hall of the Fairgrounds that expose a wide range of traditional trades. Of these, 72 correspond to artisans from Tenerife and 60 to those arriving from the rest of the islands. ORn data: 58% belong to women.

The morning begins somewhat soulless with little audience in such a large space. A musical group occupies the enabled stage with the sax putting the accent. As Sunday morning progresses, people are encouraged little by little to enter among strict health security measures that mark everything.

Fabrics.

María José de Armas is a textile artisan and works the Almazuelas, a technique to obtain the piece with fragments of other fabrics. He emphasizes: «I face this type of event with optimism but I understand that people are reluctant about the Covid-19 data. However, here there are guarantees with hygienic measures, spaciousness and ventilation. I hope they are encouraged to see our work and that of our colleagues from other islands ». He is concerned “the possibility that the Three Kings Fair will not be held in Santa Cruz (Plaza del Príncipe) and La Laguna (Plaza del Adelantado) from January 2 to 5. It is key for us. De Armas remembers 2020 as “a year of zero craftsman, without fairs due to the pandemic. We have recovered something this and I put hope in the next one.” He considers that the protests of the group a few months ago “have worked.” It links them to new aids such as the insular subsidy of 3,000 euros per artisan. To the self-employed, who are only a hundred among the 607 registered ».

Needle.

Dulce María Castellano comes from La Laguna. Ganchillera “since I was three years old and I started with my grandmother.” But the commercialization is recent. From 2012 under the name Dulcemanía Ganchillo. He considers that attracting people corresponds to others because “what I have to do is put on my best face.” Rate the stand “which has been very good.” He is concerned about the evolution of the pandemic. Personally because “I have my years” and in the workplace because of that threat to the Reyes fairs. He acknowledges that 2020 was a bad year but “on a particular level it was very useful to me.” By 2022 he expects “institutional support and that the people value our work as a result of an entrepreneurial culture.”

Fashion.

Sary Santana comes from Gran Canaria along with 21 other colleagues. Dressmaker specialized in Doll Shop considers that the sector “has gone through a very complicated stage”, although “there have been more fairs there than in Tenerife”. There are more than 1,000 registered artisans but only a hundred are active. As on this island, he is concerned about the hypothetical suspension of the Three Kings Fair, with the San Telmo de Las Palmas Park as the setting. It is considered “positive” and hopes that 2022 will be good for crafts.

Chandlery.

Pedro Martín is also president. Not from the Cabildo as its namesake but from the Professional Association of Creative Artisans of Tenerife (Crearte). He is very critical of the administrations for their “zero” aid to the sector. He complains that “they consider the craftsman second-class and he is a freelancer just like another.” From the chicharrero neighborhood of El Cabo he rejects «the coincidence of events such as the Full Moon with this fair. It has hurt us a lot. He underlines: «We must have a voice and vote in everything that concerns us and now it is not happening. We have submitted thirty proposals and they have ignored it.

Tatting ‘palm tree.

Silvia Abrante is a palm tree, from Santa Cruz although she lives in Mazo. Like everything else, the volcano has also affected crafts. In his case, “there were unfinished workshops in El Paso and they can’t pay me until I finish them, but I can’t restart them with the volcano.” Silvia is dedicated to tatting, a technique similar to macramé made by hand and a very fine variety of lace. It is not exclusive to La Palma but it has had a great development there. Silvia comments that “the Cabildo has given the money from the suspended island fair to the towns where there has been activity.” He concludes: “I am lucky to keep my job because I have to eat and for that I have to sell.”

Curious visitors.

Unique creativity and the fact of being a Canarian product. Those who attend El Día agree on these two attractions to justify their interest. Above all they come “to look and if there is something interesting, well we’ll see.” They were called by Alberto and his wife, Montse, from the capital, who value the work of the artisans of the land. Another middle-aged couple, the one made up of Rita and Juan, come from the north and have come “by chance” because he came to get vaccinated. They like what they see. From Fuerteventura come Mari Carmen and Elena, mother and daughter. They hope to visit a handicraft stall in Antigua, the most important in Maxorata. They value the quality of an exclusive product and expect to buy something.

The Fair will remain open in the large hall of the Fairgrounds until Wednesday and can be visited continuously from 11:00 to 21:00. The afternoon is reserved for the workshops before the public. From 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. they will be held for those who want to have a first experience with crafts. They may take a completely finished object of their own authorship. The workshops to be taught, one each day, are Footwear Manufacturing, Natural Dyes, Jewelry, Leaded Glass and Paper and Cardboard Modeling. Every day, morning and afternoon, there will be a musical performance.