Santa Cruz de Tenerife celebrates today the 529th anniversary of its foundation, with a full program of activities, which will begin at nine in the morning with the Natural Flower Cross Contest. At that time, the jury will travel to the location of each of the 18 works participating this year on behalf of the different neighborhood and cultural associations of the city. The work of the associations, including last year’s winner, the San Gerardo Neighborhood Association, the first year in which it won an award, will be judged by the window dresser and interior designer Elena González Ramírez; the Crafts technician of the Island Council of Tenerife and maker of traditional crosses from La Palma, Juan Carlos Camacho González; and the florist teacher and manager of the Rincón Floral de La Orotava company, Montserrat Domínguez Álvarez.
In addition to San Gerardo, the following neighborhood associations also participate: Ábora, Ágora de San Andrés, San Roque, Los Lavaderos, Los Campitos, El Chapatal, Mayores del 2000, La Santa Cruz, La Era and El Trigo. The Real Club Náutico, the parish of San Fernando Rey, the Regional House of La Palma, the Estrellita de David Association, the Tamaragua Cultural Center, and the Rebotados Cultural Association are also added. Individually, Ernesto Llebry and Guillermo Martínez participate.
In the Paseo de Las Tinajas you can admire the different flower crosses, up to 14, made by as many entities based in Santa Cruz. A sample from which the Public Recognition award will come, for the best of the crosses presented by private entities. Voting will be open through the Fiestas de Santa Cruz Facebook profile, from today until next Friday, May 5. In addition, the Rambla will host the 28 crosses that the different educational centers have made for the XV Contest-Exhibition of School Crosses made with recycled materials. This year the schools have turned to this contest that recovers participation figures similar to those prior to the pandemic.
The specialists in charge of awarding the school crosses prizes this year are the higher technician in Applied Arts and window dresser Moisés Norberto Pérez Carrillo, the professor of Graphic Design at the School of Art and Superior Design Fernando Estévez Bárbara Chávez Méndez, and the graduate in Fine Arts and Graphic Designer Esther Rufino García.
The scheduled acts also include the celebration of the religious function that commemorates the 529th anniversary of the founding of the city in a solemn Eucharist presided over by Bishop Bernardo Álvarez and concelebrated by the city’s parish priests, in the Matriz de Nuestra Señora Parish de la Concepción, in which ULM El Cabo will participate.
As usual, at its conclusion, the procession with the Holy Cross will be held, which will be attended by the President of the Government, Ángel Víctor Torres, as representative of His Majesty the King, together with the civil and military authorities, in a route that will cross the streets of Santo Domingo, Calzada La Noria and Padre Moore.
In addition, the XLVI Regional Exhibition of Flowers, Plants and Crafts remains open to the public, in the García Sanabria Park. The program includes a double function of Gorgoritos, at 12:00 and 18:00; in addition to 11 plant exhibitors; another 42 tents for the exhibition and sale of traditional and contemporary craft products, as well as 17 stands corresponding to the gastronomic exhibition and the Book Fair. Children’s workshops, inflatables and food trucks complete the show’s agenda. The stage at the Fuente de la Fecundidad will host the performance of the Tajaraste collective at 12:00.
The May Festival celebrates 131 years of history in this edition
The first civic procession of the Cruz Fundacional took place in 1867. But the first May Festivals of Santa Cruz were not celebrated until 1892, now 131 years ago. Chronicler José Manuel Ledesma tells that “they lasted three days and the animation was extraordinary. At night there was a military retreat that toured the main streets. In addition, a dance was held in the Casino, a literary-musical evening in the Instructional Cabinet and a procession of allegorical figures, carried out by ladies from the Circle of Friendship who dressed whimsical costumes. The palm colony also wanted to contribute to the brilliance of the festivities and they celebrated the dance of the dwarfs”. Two years later, the most brilliant ones to date were organized, according to Ledesma, “since the Fourth Centenary of the City Foundation was commemorated. The streets and squares were decorated with artistic arches and magnificent lighting. All the acts had great solemnity. The cross toured the center of the town for the first time, accompanied by the army. The palm colony repeated the dance of the dwarfs”.
