The town of Taucho, on the outskirts of the municipality of Adeje, moved yesterday for a few hours into the past with the staging of the traditions that their ancestors practiced. Like every last weekend in June, this small southern nucleus greeted the arrival of summer with a reunion with its roots and customs that, generation after generation, have shaped the identity of its people.
Taucho represents that essence that endures thanks to the sensitivity of its neighbours, the support of the Adeje City Council and the contribution of cultural associations such as Imoque, which was created 10 years ago with the aim of maintaining and disseminating the traditions and folklore of the Islands and that develops a fundamental role as guardian of memory in the southern region.
Yesterday, when the clock marked 11 in the morning, almost a hundred people, including neighbors and members of the aforementioned association, dressed in the characteristic clothing of the time, began their particular journey towards the middle of the last century. Thus, the washing places and dances of before returned, the ovens were prepared to make bread and the houses and canteens were opened for visitors.
Juan Desiderio Afonso, Adejero councilor for Historical, Municipal and Natural Heritage, told this newspaper that the celebration originates from Canarian emigration to Venezuela, “those countrymen who left their land behind, but never forgot about it.” The mayor stressed the importance of promoting “locality and canarianism in the South and on the Island” and valued the involvement of the residents and the festival committee, chaired by Alexander Álvarez, promoter and organizer of an event that already exceeds the 15 years.
After the staging of the Imoque cultural association and the residents of Taucho, the mass and subsequent procession in honor of Our Lady of Coromoto was celebrated. Manito’s canteen was then opened before the end-of-party dance enlivened by Grupo Relieve, which lasted until late at night. The program also included a speed painting contest.
The day before, the children’s festival took place, with the animation of Olga Turuleta, the craft show, the meeting of classic cars, the memory of customs and traditions by the Santa Ana Association and the procession in honor of Our Lady of Socorro. The day was completed with a dance by Toque Latino and Dorada Band.
The Taucho 2023 festivities and the twelfth edition of the Ethnographic Days began on Thursday with the staging of a play performed by the residents and the performance of the Santa Ana rondalla. the dances of before were recreated with Mesturao and Toque Latino. Yesterday the climax was put on with a fleeting and nostalgic trip to the past.