La Palma celebrates St Michael's day

Whirling Fufo horses dance in Tazacorte for the fiesta of St Michael

Tazacorte celebrates its main annual fiesta this month, since its patron saint is St Michael the Archangel, who is also the patron saint of La Palma. There's something happening most days, but the famous bit is the dance of the Fufo horses on Wednesday 28th at 9:30 pm.

While you're there, you might want to visit the exhibition in a restored mansion called Casa Massieu, which is open from Mondays to Fridays, 10.00-13.30. Unfortunately the web site doesn't say what the exhibition's about.

And if you missed the devil dancing in Tijarafe, he'll turn up at the smaller fiesta in the hamlet of San Miguelin Breña Alta.

The devil, spouting fire at San Miguel, Brena Alta

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Imposing Gateways

Imposing portal in Breña Alta

In the 17th century, landowners in La Palma got rich on sugar cane. These rich families used to leave the heat of Santa Cruz de la Palma and spend the summer on their country estates, particularly in Breña Baja and Breña Alta. The houses are still private, but in some cases the gateway is clearly visible from the road.

It's a social symbol of wealth and power. These old families looked after their wealth and power by arranged marriages and passing on the entire estate to the oldest son. Only the nobility were allowed to have battlements on their gateways, and five battlements (like the picture above) were the highest possible number. This was part of the Fierro Vandewalle estate, and they were seriously posh.

Smaller portal in Breña Alta

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Blood red moon over La Palma

A Blood red eclipse of the moon from Llano de la Venta viewpoint

Last night, La Palma saw a total eclipse of the moon. Well, a large part of planet Earth saw it, of course, but since La Palma has beautiful dark skies, we saw it better than most places. In fact La Palma has a set of viewpoints upgraded for astronomy. In practice, this means parking space, level ground suitable for tripods, a signpost pointing to the pole star, and an information panel.

How far to the Pole Star?

I went up to Llano de la Venta viewpoint, where Astrotour was offering free stargazing, courtesy of the island government. These viewpoints can be pretty cold in winter - this one is at 1,300 m - but last night it was quite balmy. We got a splendid view of the moon, followed by a splendid view of the International Space Station zooming overhead. (Every time they add more solar panels, the ISS gets brighter and brighter). And to round things off nicely, Astrotour pointed their 10" telescope at Saturn, so we could all see the rings.

You could say it was a heavenly evening.

The International Space Station passing over Breña Baja

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San Isidro Livestock Fair, 2011

Statue of Saint Isidore the Laborer


This weekend they're holding the second biggest livestock fair on the island, at San Isidro, in Breña Alta. (The biggest is San Antonio del Monte, in June).

It starts off with a procession which brings the statue of the saint from the church to the fairground at 9 am on Saturday.


Cattle at the fair of St. Isidore, Breña Alta

People bring their animals, and there are prizes for the best milk cow, best bull, best goat, etc. Most of the animals are tied up in big field while they wait for the judging, and you can go around admiring them. (I hope someone brings them water later.) The priest blesses the animals at noon, and they have a competition to see which bulls can drag a heavy load the fastest at 4 pm. During the day there's a drawing competition and Wii games for the children. Later on Saturday night they'll be a dance.

On Sunday, there's a cycle race during the day and a horse race at 7pm. And later, a procession takes the statue of the saint back to the church.

Calf at San Isidro far, Breña Alta

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Photos of this year's crosses

Cruz de la Piedad, Breña Alta, 2011

Cruz Chica, Breña Alta, 2011

Cruz Centro de Acogida, Breña Alta, 2011, including two mayos

Detail from the Cruz Centro de Acogida, Breña Alta, 2011. The petals are pistachio shells, and behind them, pasta spirals

The Cruz de la Breveritas,, Breña Baja, 2011, with the shelter for locals at the left

The Cruz de El Monte, Breña Baja, 2011

The circle at the left of the Cruz de El Monte

Detail of the apple on the Cruz de El Monte, made of coloured drinking straws, end on


The hand-embroidered heron at the bottom of the Cruz de El Monte

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Fiesta de la Cruz tonight

Cross decorated for Fiesta de la Cruz, in Breña Alta, 2009

In the east of La Palma, Holy Cross Day (fiesta de la Cruz) is the biggest festival in spring. They only celebrate it in Santa Cruz, Breña Alta and Breña Baja, and as the name suggests, they decorate the roadside crosses – beautifully. As often happens, the main party is the night before the public holiday. Since most crosses are hung with gold jewelry (among other things) people stay beside them in shifts all night, and all the next day. Most holidaymakers go and admire the crosses on the morning of the 3rd (Monday), but the locals go see the crosses starting at about 11 pm the night before, when it’s cooler and more atmospheric.

Detail of a cross, showing the jewelry.

For the last few years, it’s been fairly common to have a few mayos or machangos beside the cross. These are giant rag dolls, almost life sized,something like scarecrows or the guys I used to make for bonfire night. In 2008, Last year, Santa Cruz had a whole street full of them.

Spiderman, protecting the Cruz del Rosal, Breña Alta, 2010

If you’ve got a hire car, the best plan is to go up to San Isidro and follow the crowd down the hill. There are crosses all the way along a very steep lane, which used to be a donkey track. Tonight it’ll be one-way — downhill. (You go up the much newer, asphalted road.) As you approach each cross, you’ll find a small traffic jam. You go past the cross slowly (usually saying, “Oh wow!”) and drive on to the next.

If you haven’t got a car, I recommend a stroll around Santa Cruz, particularly up the older bits. From 10 pm Sunday night until 2 am Monday morning, there will be a public dance (verbena) in the Plaza España at the north end of Santa Cruz, near the concrete ship. And there will be fireworks at midnight at the Castillo de la Virgen in Santa Cruz.

San José cross, Breña Baja, 2010

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Twin Dragon Trees in Breña Alta

Twin dragon trees (Dracaena draco), Breña Alta

These trees stand in Breña Alta, just off the minor road which winds over the central ridge to El Paso. They grow so close together that it's hard to tell where on trunk ends and the other begins.



Of course there's a legend associated with the trees. Two brothers lived nearby, and were very close, but they fell in love with the same gorgeous girl.

Oh dear. You can already tell that this doesn't have a happy ending, can't you?

The girl was fond of them both, but she had the sense not to keep them dangling. She chose one, and they were married, but as they walked to their new home in the dark, the spurned brother attacked. He killed the new bridegroom, and tried to rape his sister-in-law. She got to the kitchen knife first, so that was the end of him.

The new widow honoured them both by planting these two dragon trees. As the cuttings grew, she watered them and they grew tall from the fertile soil and her warm memories. They say that the brothers' blood still flows within their trunks and gives them life.


Dragon trees are odd plants (see Dragon trees). Like most mature dragon trees, these are so full of nooks and crannies that they're more a micro-climate than a plant.

To see the trees, take the LP 123 between San Pedro and Monte de la Breña, and then the LP 301 up the hill. The trees are on the left, about 400 m from the junction. There's a tiny car park.

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The Cistercian Convent in Breña Alta

The Convent of the Holy Trinity, Brena Alta

The Cistercian convent of the Holy Trinity at Buenavista in Breña Alta is surprisingly new. It was founded in 1946, and it’s the only closed order on the island. I was surprised to find out that there are only ten nuns who live there.

The convent has a small shop. I first went there about ten years ago, in search of a rosary made of dragon-tree seeds, for a Catholic friend who was losing her eyesight. The seeds are big enough that you can feel your way through the prayers, and she was delighted. At the time, the shop was still in the older part of the building, and to my eyes, very exotic. The room was rather dark, and seemed darker because of the wooden panelling. The nun who came to serve me stayed behind a tiny barred window, as though she were in jail – until she saw that I had a toddler with me. Then she disappeared, and came round to my side for a good coochi-coo.

The shop of the Convent of the Holy Trinity, Brena Alta

The new shop is much airier, as you can see. They still sell rosaries and religious medals, but they’re best known for their biscuits, pastries and fruit liquors. Since they’re handmade, they’re a bit on the expensive side (these were €4.50), but they’re delicious. My mother-in-law always used to say, “God knows what they put in them, but they taste divine.”
Biscuits from the Convent of the Holy Trinity, Brena Alta

The shop’s open from 9:30 – 2 pm, from 3 pm – 6pm and 7 pm – 8pm. Take the road from Conception towards Velhoco, and then drive up the narrow lane almost opposite the La Graja restaurant. It’s signposted “Monasterio el cister”. After about 300 m you’ll find the entrance on your right. It’s signposted again, but much less prominently.

View Larger Map

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Where's the Village Gone?

Tourists sometimes go nuts trying to find the village of Breña Baja, or Fuencaliente.

There's a really simple reason why they can't find them. They don't exist. Breña Baja and Fuencaliente are municipalities, and their town halls are in the villages of San Jose and Los Canarios, respectively. It like driving all over the south east of England, looking for the town of Sussex.

The map shows the 14 municipalities (in blue) , with their administrative seats (in pink). Where
there's no name in pink, the municipalities are named after their chief villages, which makes things simpler. Just to keep things interesting, one, San Andrés y Sauces, is named after the two biggest villages. The town hall is in Los Sauces, which is much bigger and on the main road.

That's easy to find.

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Los Cancajos market

Local market at Los Cancajos, Breña Baja, La Palma


La Palma has a new weekly market, this time at the popular tourist resort of Los Cancajos. It's open on Saturdays from 9 am to 2 pm, at the south end of the sea front, near the Las Olas hotel.


Local market at Los Cancajos, Breña Baja, La Palma

There's another fairly new market that takes place on Fridays from 4-9 pm at Finca La Principal, just off the old airport in Breña Alta. And of course, Santa Cruz de la Palma holds a big market on the first Sunday of every month. They're all good places to pick up local crafts.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450" caption="Flea Market, Santa Cruz de la Palma"][/caption]
Flea Market, Santa Cruz de la Palma

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Tobacco in La Palma

Tobacco growing in Breña Alta, La Palma

I don't smoke, so everything I know about Palmeran cigars is from hearsay. But they seem to have a very good reputation. Certainly Winston Churchill was known to be a fan, and certainly they get shipped off to the Spanish royal family.

Most of the tobacco farms on the island are in Santa Cruz, Breña Baja, and especially Breña Alta. Typically, the crop is grown in tiny fields and given tender, loving care. For example, you have to prevent the plant from flowering in order to produce big leaves. Large-scale farms usually do this with chemicals, but Palmeran growers nip the buds out by hand. The leaves are harvested and dried by hand, too.

And then the leaves go off to be rolled into cigars. This is mostly done in tiny little workshops, scattered around the island. The finished cigars are much cheaper than Cuban ones, and I'm told some people think they're better.

Don't ask me. I don't smoke.

Cigars from the island of La Palma

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What's On

Well I wellied. I thought Tazacorte would have its procession of Fufo horses tonight, but it was last night. Sorry. Tonight they have a special mass at 7:30 pm, followed by a procession and fireworks. On Friday there's a concert in Casa Massieu (an old manor house) at 9:30 pm, and on Saturday the pop group "Pereza" will give a concert in the sports centre at 10 pm.

San Miguel in Breña Alta has the same patron saint (St. Michael the archangel) so they've been having fiestas too. The good bit with the fireworks was on Saturday (oops.)

Meanwhile we also have a general strike, in protest at the government's austerity measures. I have no idea how many people will actually strike.

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A grotto in Breña Alta

The grotto in Breña Alta

La Palma has a network of marked hiking trails. The LP 19, in Breña Alta runs up from San Pedro, past a series of springs, into the lower end of San Isidro, and back down to the main road. Like most of these paths, the scenery is beautiful and keeps changing. And this path included bonuses.

Several of the springs feed laundry bowls. Since it's easier to carry clothes than water, women brought the family laundry to the springs. I don't know when the ones here fell into disuse, but the one at Isora, in El Hierro, was still being used in the 1960s.

But my favourite bit is near La Sociedad, in San Isidro. The path climbs steeply up the side of the ravine, and passes several small, natural caves. And somebody has been very busy. They're full of pot plants and religious statuettes, with a sprinkling of religious medals and rosaries.

Well I'm not religious, but it's absolutely lovely. The biggest cave has tree trunks to sit on, and it would be a wonderful place to come when you're feeling troubled.


The grotto in Breña Alta

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Divine Biscuits from the Cistercian Convent

The Cistercian convent at Buenavista in Breña Alta, La Palma

The Cistercian convent of the Holy Trinity at Buenavista in Breña Alta is surprisingly new. It was founded in 1946, and it's the only closed order on the island. I was surprised to find out that there are only ten nuns who live there.

The convent has a small shop. I first went there about eleven years ago, in search of a rosary made of dragon-tree seeds, for a Catholic friend who was losing her eyesight. The seeds are big enough that you can feel your way through the prayers, and she was delighted. At the time, the shop was still in the older part of the building, and to my eyes, very exotic. The room was rather dark, and seemed darker because of the wooden paneling. The nun who came to serve me stayed behind a tiny barred window, as though she were in jail - until she saw that I had a toddler with me. Then she disappeared, and came round to my side for a good coochi-coo.
A nun in the convent shop

The new shop is much airier, as you can see. They still sell rosaries and religious medals, but they're best known for their biscuits, pastries and fruit liquors. Since they're handmade, they're a bit on the expensive side (these were €4.50), but they're delicious. My mother-in-law always used to say, "God knows what they put in them, but they taste divine."

Biscuits from the convent at Buenavista in Breña Alta, La Palma

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A Craft Shop with a Difference

La Distiladera in Breña Alta sells a variety of crafts from La Palma. The big difference is that most of the products are made by mentally handicapped adults in the special Employment Centre in the same building. This gives them the dignity of supporting themselves, and you a chance to buy good quality souvenirs at a fair price.




They stock a good variety of crafts, from papiere mache wall decorations to beaded keyrings to embroidery and mojo (a Canarian sauce, something like ketchup). I liked the jewelry, but they're best known for fruit liquors (€10 a bottle) and cigars.




They open from 8 am to 3 pm. To find them, take the road from the centre of San Pedro towards La Grama, and turn uphill just below the health centre.

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Meeting the Devil

The devil arriving at the fiesta, San Miguel, Breña Alta

La Palma has several fiestas where the devil appears. On Saturday night I went to one in San Miguel, a little village in Breña Alta. It started off like most fiestas - a band playing in the village square, with a couple of kiosks selling drinks and snacks, and a stall selling cheap kid's toys. Then, a little after 1 am, a group of special characters arrived: giants and "big heads" (cabezudos). They're a staple of Palmeran fiestas. The "big heads" are people in costumes including an outsize, moulded head. This lot included a couple of Snow White's dwarves, a wizard, Bart Simpson, and two witches, which is traditional. As usual, the witches had soft plastic sticks to whack people with, which is the bit the older kids love best. The giants are extra tall costumes, maybe twelve feet tall, which must be rather difficult to steer.



The devil, spouting fire at San Miguel, Brena Alta

The whole procession works its way down the hill, until it's below the square with the dancing. Then the devil appears with them. It's a man in a costume including a "big head", with fireworks on his trident and the head. He works his way up the hill again, to just above the church.

Then the cross lights up with fireworks, and the devil promptly scarpers.

And then they light more fireworks, set up to spin like catherine wheels.



Catherine Wheels

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