Metroguagua’s construction at Santa Catalina park has led this year’s Los Carnavales del Mundo organization to set up the festivity in La Isleta, the neighbourhood that revived the carnival for the city after 40 years banned by Franco’s regime. Regardless of the pros and cons arising from its relocation, the return of the Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to its place of origin is well worth a retrospective look to find out how those first celebrations were cooked.
[–>
It had been barely two months since Franco’s death -20th November 1975- when the newspaper Eco de Canarias reported on 23rd January 1976 the creation of Caribe comparsa among youths from the neighbourhood of La Isleta in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The group, consisting of 70 members including men and women, rehearsed at La Luz Castle, although they had already made their debut at the Kings’ Parade. The group, comprised of students and workers, had the support of the La Isleta Neighbourhood Association for its formation and was led by Juan Carmelo Mortell and Juan Domínguez Ganda. The idea was to perform in clubs and casinos in the city, which was then crowded with nightspots due to the international tourism flocking to the city in search of sun and beach. They even had two public relations for this – Mario Henríquez and Ginés Betancor – but reading the journalist Olga C.V.’s quoted statements, it is discernible that something was brewing in La Isleta.
“This is a first attempt here in Las Palmas to create a carnival-like comparsa. We want to be recognized, to perform in clubs and casinos, all in line with the carnival spirit. Ours, of course, are the tropical vibes. We have already had some initial contacts and they have been promising, they have accepted us very well”, states someone from the group, who later confessed that “The basic idea is to promote the carnivals in Las Palmas with this comparsa: we want to be the pioneers. Why can’t there be good Winter Festivities in Las Palmas? Maybe with the Caribe comparsa in action, the others will be encouraged.”
Caribe Comparsa. / LPACARNAVAL
The Carnival as such was still prohibited, but it had managed to camouflage itself during the Franco era in many places in the Peninsula and in the Canary Islands, where they had a great tradition, such as Winter Festivities. Of course, without masks, except behind closed doors in the privacy of homes and in some recreational societies.
Indeed, something was brewing in La Isleta because on 12th February of the same year, that newspaper, which can be consulted in the Jable archive of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, echoed the first parade that the Caribe comparsa would carry out on Sunday, 15th February 1976 through the city, from La Luz Castle to Las Canteras Avenue.
Journalist José Febles, in his book ‘Four Decades of Carnival in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria‘, points out that the first moves to celebrate the event began a few days after Franco’s death on 20th November 1975, on the occasion of the Naval festivities, whose commission was chaired by Manuel García Sánchez, a prominent figure of the time. Although other neighbours such as Miguel Padrón, Manuel Rodríguez Costa, and others also played a part in the conspiracy to hold the celebrations.
Manolo García would be the one to meet with the then civil governor – Salvador Escandell Cortés- in January to request authorization, although he, seeing what was happening in Tenerife, allowed some Winter Festivities, with the provision that the organization and surveillance of the events be in the hands of the neighbourhood association. But Manolo García was determined. After the meeting with Escandell, he went to the press of the time to announce that the Carnival was underway in the city. And for the first time, the word appeared associated with Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
[–>
The prelude to what would be the first carnivals of the city after the Franco era, whose programme had not been announced yet, began on the very 15th of February with the parade held by the Caribe comparsa in the area of the Port and Las Canteras. The anticipation it generated was such that when it reached Las Canteras beach, they had to turn around and return toFrom Albareda Street to the Castle of La Luz, from where the group had departed, as reported on Tuesday, February 17, 1976 in said newspaper.
Manolo García, pioneer
On February 27, 1976, the Neighbourhood Association of La Isleta called the media to the castle of La Luz to announce what would be the Carnivals of La Isleta, as already stated in the headline of the article, without any signature in the Eco de Canarias. Also present was the Councillor of Culture of the City Council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Blanco Torrent, supporting the festival on behalf of the city.
The acting president of the neighborhood association, Manolo García, declared that “after a long series of years, we have proposed that the Carnival, so called and not with subterfuges of the nickname of Winter Festivals or others, come out again to the streets, the only protagonist of these parties rooted in our island to such an extent that it was impossible to reduce them to nothingness. Although they could not be celebrated on the street, the people continued to celebrate in the societies and in the clubs, and now the time has come to bring the Carnival celebrations back to the street.” A real declaration of principles, which would continue with not “emulating the most brilliant achievements reached in Tenerife” given its years of experience and tradition, since on the opposite island, they continued as Winter Festivals; to involve all the carnival groups of the island of Gran Canaria and to start a task with a future projection so that “those who succeed us have already acquired experience and so that the people of this Puerto de La Luz and the city of Las Palmas can manifest themselves in the street, as other towns and cities do”. And, of course, “providing a motive of tourist attraction to the city, which is so much in need of it.”
Manolo made an appeal for citizen collaboration so that with “their presence, participation and enthusiasm” typical of the festivals, they would make the success of the same possible, but also a plea to the citizens to maintain “a civic behavior in order not to detract from the brilliance of the festivals” and so that being the first, after the prohibition, they would not give reasons to the authorities to censor them again.
The festivities were supported by the City Council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, but also by the Cabildo de Gran Canaria and other public and private institutions. The Carnivals were held in the first week of March 1976. The succinct programme was limited to performances by the Caribe group, the murgas ‘Los pobres reunidos S.A.’ -from La Isleta- ‘Eso es lo de menos’ and ‘Los Isleños S.L.’ and the bagpipers of the Casa de Galicia at the Castle of La Luz. And on a Saturday parade, from Muelle Grande to Santa Catalina Park and back via the Muelle de Rivera.
The queen’s competition was not even included in the programme, although the choice of the Carnival Queen took place at the Castle of La Luz among five young people from the neighbourhood during that week.
The first queen was Rosa Delia González Santana, 16 years old, wearing a dress of Marie Antoinette made by her own mother. She received a broomstick and a bouquet of flowers; things of the time.
The Tenerife band Ni fu ni fa in the parade
The most crowded event was the parade on Saturday, March 6, which featured 17 floats, several groups of people in costume, the Casa de Galicia, murgas, and comparsas from different parts of the island such as Los Chivichangas, Los Tupios, Amnistía and Los Maniceros, from Telde; Los Palmatorias, Chambos and Los Astemios from Gáldar, and Los Bullangueros, Los Atrevidos, and Los Maracas from Agete.
From Tenerife, the Afilarmónica Ni Fu ni Fa arrived; the first lady of honour of Tenerife, Los Federales de Abona, the comparsa Los Brasileiros and Charlot, as well as the children’s murga Ni pico ni corto.
The parade took place without incident except for the appearance of “subversive-type leaflets”, as reported by the Eco de Canarias on March 7, 1976. Everything was party and fun, and this was how the most crowded festivities in the city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria began, today declared of International Tourist Interest.
