Several sacks of potatoes placed outside the Baute House came to say that things were serious. With the price that this tuber has reached, its exhibition in the historic center of Arona announced that the municipality had decided to show the best of itself to neighbors and strangers. Like Saint Thomas, you had to get closer and then discover that it was a decorative item for an accomplished, and annual, trip through time. To the potato what belongs to the potato.
Asset of Cultural Interest as a Historical Site since 2006, the Casco is a small jewel that, every year, returns decades ago and transforms into what it was, or something similar to what it is believed to have been, in the mid-twentieth century, a time of telephone operators and sales in which to buy potatoes; time of salt mines and packaging of tomatoes. In which tourism was a chimera and in which there was not even a southern highway to get stuck on.
That day is the Day of Traditions, which takes place coinciding with the major festivals of Arona in honor of the Holy Christ of Health and Our Lady of the Rosary. Yesterday’s event was organized by the Tourist Board, dependent on the Arona City Council, and was celebrated together with the Seniors’ Day, which is held from this area.
Premiere of the House of the Baute
The municipality took advantage of the occasion to open to the public, for the first time since it was acquired in 2019, the Casa de los Baute, a property built and modified between the 18th and 19th centuries and that belonged to a prosperous family that bore the surname that name, one of the few surviving aborigines who arrived in Arona in 1871, according to data made public by the magistrate, researcher and popularizer Nelson Díaz Frías. Some Baute, by the way, which are the same as those of the Venezuelan singer with Canarian roots.
The corporation assured yesterday that during the day attendance records were broken compared to previous editions. To enjoy folklore, dances, crafts, workshops, exhibitions such as a complete packaging of tomatoes in the Casa de la Bodega, period clothing, household goods or furniture.
The grinding of gofio, sewing work and opening of rosettes marked a day in which the Music Band paid tribute to the Brisas de Arona orchestra and in which, in addition to the now classic Pepe Benavente, Los Sabandeños, Gustavo Cabrera, Achamán, the Parranda del Ron, the Percuteras de Garaldea, Chaveña, Venxamar, Pieles and the folk groups Chaveta, Verodal, Punta Rasca, I’Gara, Aldea Blanca and Herederos de Chasna.
The second deputy mayor and Councilor for Tourism, Dácil León, “in this edition of Arona Traditions Day the attendance record has been broken. From the first hour, the streets of the historic center were filled with visitors, both residents and tourists. Furthermore, it has been a success to combine this event with the celebration of Seniors’ Day, since for its attendees it has been a gift to recreate the Arona of their childhood. In addition, they enriched the experience of those attending Traditions Day with their explanations of how people lived and how the belongings and tools on display worked.”
“It is a pride to see how grandparents, children and grandchildren stand before the different representations and recreations that fill the corners of the historic center to share experiences and anecdotes of times past, which, with this interaction between generations, become present and, Furthermore, they guarantee a future. These evocations are proof that this event is a success. It really helps keep our traditions alive. The good reception of the tourists who have attended the event is also appreciated. “Enjoying the essence of our past helps them know and value this destination better,” he stressed.
Major festivities program
The major festivals of Arona began on September 22 and will end on October 3. Under the invocation of the Holy Christ of Health and Our Lady of the Rosary, it is the celebration, not only of the Casco aronero, but of the municipality as a whole, an objective that has been worked on for years due to the strong implementation they have the parties of each of the nuclei for these.
Throughout today, children’s activities are scheduled to be held, such as water castles and a foam party, as well as the domino, stake and sangha tournament. Starting at 10:00 p.m., dancing in the Plaza del Cristo de la Salud. As for religious events, the big day will be Monday, when the solemn mass takes place in honor of the Christ of Health and the Virgin of the Rosary, entertained by the group Al Sur in the Plaza del Cristo. All this at 6:30 p.m.
Later there will be the grand procession accompanied by the Arona Music Band. During the procession, as every year, the singing of the Ave María is planned by Chago Melián and malagueñas de Verodal, Javier Hernández and Montse Pérez, in addition to the display of fireworks.
