Santa Cruz organized a Carnival show in May 2010 on the occasion of the convention of the European Federation of Carnival Cities (FECC) that brought together 180 representatives from 25 countries. At the next call for the festival of the mask, the murga Los Bambones did not miss the opportunity and made reference in their lyrics Aire de Cádiz, when they sang: «Carnivals in May, I almost fainted dressed as an Eskimo».
No one imagined then that a pandemic was going to force Santa Cruz to move contests and galas from February to June, at the gates of summer, as this edition will happen in an unprecedented way, if the covid finally allows it.
But Fiestas, which has been in dry dock for two years due to the limitations of health regulations – with a low, administrative profile and without programming doors outside the office – have the challenge of organizing in four months, from April to July, the May festivities, the June Carnival, the habaneras of the first fortnight of July and the 225th of La Gesta, which celebrates the victory of the local troops over Nelson. And without respite, it must resolve the claims for breach of contract by the companies, which will request financial compensation for the change of date and the damage caused and, in addition, face the second payment to the groups, at the same time that it is armed the file to disburse the first of the contract corresponding to Carnival 2023, after the opening of the registration.
festive frenzy
This frenzy of parties will also directly affect the Carnival groups, which, as the representative of the murga La Sonora, Carlos Estévanez, said in the meeting with the councilor last Friday, is one of the largest participatory movements in the Canary Islands. The six thousand components directly linked to the adult and children’s murgas, comparsas, rondallas and musical, choreographic and adult groups are the same ones that perform the May Festivals, the Municipal Games and the Habaneras.
And, as if that were not enough, everything is conditioned to the evolution of sanitary conditions, which forces the organization to double, or triple, efforts to prepare different alternatives in case events cannot be held.
April, May gala
Taking the weight of custom as a reference, when the covid allowed it, Fiestas organized the election gala for the queen of the Fiestas de Mayo in the last week of April, in which designers and candidates from the Carnival participated; It is worth remembering the cases of Ángelita González Ledezma or Ángel Ramos, among the referents of magician costumes; the first, from the children’s murga El Cabito; her nephew, from Carricitos.
They are not isolated cases. The musical groups themselves, Sabor Isleño, by Pedro Ortega, or Chaxiraxi, by Texenery Moreno, party in May or in the typical food contest. Another of the main references, Juanjo Coello and his wife, Carolina, who compete in May in typical gastronomic specialties and in Carnival, lead the Guachipanduzy children’s murga and support the Funkyguachi choreographic group. And so, hundreds of components, such as Valkyries, El Cabo, the Coral Mass, Peña del Lunes… folk groups in May, rondallas in Carnival and habaneras on the eve of the Day of Carmen.
The most difficult one is still: House of Fear, an institution chaired by Manolo Peña, which has the children’s murga Mamelones, the adult Mamelucos, La Rondalla Mamel’s, the Song of Laughter I don’t have the Chichi P’a Farolillos and, in addition, it is the headquarters of Old Havana. And all linked to the Carnival, in June, and the Fiestas del Carmen, in July. Together with the administrative procedure, the staging of the scenarios for the May and Carnival festivities will take place simultaneously.
If the covid allows it, at the end of April the gala will be held to elect the queen of the May festivities; On the 3rd, the assembly of the crosses will take place and throughout that month, a typical food contest.
On Monday, May 30, Canary Islands Day, for Wednesday, June 1, forty-eight hours later, celebrate the inaugural act of the Carnival, where the candidates will be presented and linked to the contests, on Saturday, June 4 with the rondallas contest, at the Guimerá theater, collectives in which a large part of its components are active in folkloric groups, and that even without saying goodbye to May, will go out to sing lyrical music in June and habaneras in July.
During the four weeks of June, six thousand components will parade across the stage. When the extraordinary call for Carnival ends, some will continue to be linked to the Havana women and others, as soon as July begins, preparations for the designs and lyrics will begin. to have the entire operation ready to resume rehearsals at the end of August or the first week of September.
But this horribilis calendar facing Fiestas from April will not have ended. In July, in addition to La Gesta, the mayor of Santa Cruz had announced his desire to organize a commission to highlight the 225th anniversary of Horacio Nelson’s defeat, which is commemorated on July 25.
For that date, Fiestas will be immersed in the resolution of the extrajudicial claims of companies and designers to alleviate the expenses caused by the postponement of the Carnival to June.
As soon as Carnival 2022 ends, on June 26, the period of 45 Díaz that has been given by the Fiestas begins to run to pay the second payment for the contracting of the acts that will take place at the gates of summer, while at the same time prepare the procedures for the first income of the party of 2023.
duplicate efforts
The most difficult yet. The companies that have already won the contract specifications will have to double their efforts to mount the May festivities or the Havana festivals with the June Carnival in the middle, and without taking into consideration that they have commitments in other municipalities, something typical in the summer calendar. with the patron saint festivities of the towns.
A hectic pace of work is imposed, to the point that Fiestas must simultaneously install the stage for the Fiestas de Mayo with the assembly for the Carnival, which will make good the maxim of the councilor who says that, given the incidence of covid, for comfort, it was best to do nothing. But Santa Cruz assumes the rest of leading the cultural offer in order to support merchants and restaurants.
Cabello explained that “aware of the interest that this space arouses, we have proceeded to install and configure audiovisual elements that allude to the winning costumes.”
The queens of the House of Carnival
The Casa del Carnaval has reopened the space dedicated to the costume of the Adult Queen with a new concept aimed at showing its color and innovation through technology. This is reported by the director of the Development Society, Alfonso Cabello, who explained that “the Hall of the Queen is, without a doubt, one of the most iconic points of the House of Carnival, which is why we wanted to innovate to cover a space that is occasionally orphaned.” “Under normal circumstances, this space houses and exhibits the winning dress and its court of bridesmaids for a year,” said the mayor, who added that “traditionally, once that period ends, the suits are returned to their designers to be partially recycled for the next edition of the party».
