The Great Fiesta

The religious fiestas in the Canaries are too numerous to mention, and peak during the summer months.
Here in Valle Gran Rey on La Gomera it is no different, but a special fiesta of our local saint 'Nuestra Señora de Los Reyes' is starting today and will continue until the 7th of January 2013 ! 'Los Reyes' (Epiphany) also is the celebration of Christmas in the Canaries and X-mas  presents are given on that day, Jan. 6th. 
This year It is the 'bajada' which is celebrated only every 5 years and means that the statue of the saint is going to be taken from the church to be processed through every hamlet and part of the parish and staying temporarily in many different locations. The processions are noisy affairs with loud firecrackers being shot into the air along the way. A traditional dance is being performed by many worshippers during the processions, accompanied by 'chacarras y tambores', the former being a locally made very large type of castanets, of which there is a 'male' and a 'female', the 'female' having a slightly higher pitch. 

Procession passing Las Orijamas,Valle Gran Rey, 2008

The 'tambores' are homemade goatskin drums with a muted snare sound.The percussion beats a steady, restrained rhythm that could put you almost into a trance.To all this the participants chant a repetitive song that has a distinctly North African feel and probably originates in pre-Christian times. So the processions go from place to place, stopping here and there for prayers, followed by shouts of 'VIVA...'

The 'ramo'

 Ahead of the processions, and even ahead of the statue of the saint, the 'ramo' is being carried which is an artfully bound bouquet of fruit and vegetables of considerable weight,and even the fabrication of this offering is celebrated with music, food and drink by the volunteers and onlookers. 

'Chacarras y tambores'

Culture aside, the fiesta is a perfect occasion for just having a good time. The secular parts of the proceedings usually begin after mass and mostly start with Canarian folk music followed on stage by salsa and merengue bands  who play for the dancers and revellers until the early hours of the morning through professional (and loud) sound equipment, often even until the sun has risen. Stalls serve food and drink throughout the proceedings and young and old are having a party.
The main program for the 'bajada' 2012/13 can be found on this page (look for 'descargar programa'): http://www.vallegranrey.es/es/component/eventlist/details/480-vi-bajada-de-la-virgen-de-los-reyes.html

Bangers going off in the valley

Church 'Ermita de los Reyes'

Idyllic setting, but mind your step coming
 down the steep path after a night's  dr...ancing.

Worship

Note: All photos in this post
        were taken during the
      last 'bajada' in 2007/8

Gold for La Gomera firefighters

A prestigious national Spanish jury (APAS) has awarded this year's gold medal for firefighting to a brigade from La Gomera who heroically battled the forest fires for many weeks in the national park and finally succeeded in extinguishing a three miles long front that was  extremely difficult to reach on the ground and could not even be tackled from the air. This fire-front also spread to thickly forested cliffs in a ravine and was even burning underground through roots and other organic matter. Had this fire not been put out it would have posed a grave danger to valley and town of Vallehermoso.
The jury also commended the work by all the many other brigades and organisations involved in battling this year's fires. The 'Batefuegos' Gold award is an initiative that intends to reduce the number of forest fires that are caused each year in Spain.
For a video of another brigade in action on La Gomera this summer click: http://vimeo.com/47707399
See also new page 'Fire on La Gomera 2012' (tab beside 'Home')

The front mentioned above is seen in the top left of the picture (August 2012)  © acfi press

Weather better today in Canaries

As I write there's a howling gale blowing with blustery showers occasionally pelting the roof. Don't despair, however, as today should bring more sunny spells than yesterday and the winds should ease for a while. For the forecast see yesterdays post  Weather remaining unsettled  and don't trust the forecast being put out by the electronic gadgets (some of them on this blog). Just for a laugh I'll give you a GOOGLE translation of the official AEMET forecast for today :

"CLOUD mostly cloudy, with light rain LOCALLY MODERATE IN NORTHERN ISLANDS most striking and possibility of rainWEAK IN THE REST, more likely, in Lanzarote and FUERTEVENTURA. Falling temperatures, BEING LIGHT IN COSTS And moderate in mediocrity. NORTHEAST WINDS moderate to strong,More intense in southeast and northwest COASTS AND mediocrities."

A bit on the mediocre side, isn't it - but light in costs as regards central heating bills, I suppose. Here's the surface analysis just published by OWS ( left) and the HIRLAM model for precipitation by AEMET  right):
                                                        
Yesterday there was heavy rain in the eastern Canary Islands . Arrecife, the capital of Lanzarote, was  particularly hard-hit with flooding. 

No weather alerts  have been issued for today.                                                                

Weather remaining unsettled

UPDATE 7.30 pm:

Beginning of sunset 27/11/12

End of sunset 27/11/12

Loads of light showers today in Valle Gran Rey, La Gomera. The mountains in the north had heavier rain and the near-gale winds from the north blew the rain as drops-to-drizzle light rain into the valley, while the sun was shining from the sea in the south, illuminating the scene. Great day for rainbow spotters. All in all it was a more interesting 'soft day' than expected and very windy for the Canaries. The weather in Britain and in the Republic of Ireland is just sooo bad these days that here in the Canary Islands we really seem to be in 'The Fortunate Islands', never mind the economy. 

Today 8:30am:      The low pressure system has passed over the Canary Islands and is now slowly  filling and dissipating over Morocco. A trough will form to the NE of the Canaries. For today, Tuesday, there still is a warning of strong winds and heavy seas in effect, particularly for the second half of the day.
The forecast for the next few days is for longer sunny periods with scattered showers, some heavy but of short duration and more frequent in the northern parts of the islands. Winds will be moderate to strong northeasterly, stronger on high ground. Temperature will be normal for this time of the year with average values of 18-23ºC. Sea water temperature is still high with around 22ºC.

Windgenerators

The wind will in future be of more use here on La Gomera, as two huge wind turbines of 44 metre diameter (130ft) and 77m (230ft) total height are being planned to be be built in a remote area that now only houses the island's new landfill rubbish dump. The generators' combined power output will be up to 1,8 megawatts and will be fed into the grid. The project is awaiting an environmental impact study, as there  are ravens breeding in the area. Well, they would, wouldn't they - the dump being better than a convenience store nearby...

Weather update Nov. 26th, 2012

 Warnings in effect
The minor storm system has not quite followed the forecasts ! It is beginning to fill and will soon be just a gale with scattered squally showers. It will be tracking SE, passing directly over the Canary Islands, towards the western Sahara, and it will begin to dissipate later today. The altered track is responsible for the now mainly easterly gale force winds, which should later ease and become cyclonic variable, before strengthening again from westerly directions. The winds will be gusty and and may be locally stronger, especially in or near mountainous areas. Precipitation over the Canaries has become less organised, but scattered blustery showers and isolated thunderstorms could turn up anywhere. However, longer sunny spells are expected as well.

Taken this morning

Personally, this is a feast for me as we didn't have this kind of 'Irish weather' for more than a year and I was getting homesick  ;-). It's another story when you arrive here hoping for a precious week of pure sunshine after the miserable weather in Britain and Ireland. As a consolation the gales and the showers are WARM here  -  and they don't last long.
Gale warning remains in effect, and a warning of a heavy Atlantic swell.
Walking and hiking in exposed areas and on high ground is not recommended.
Take extra care when driving.

Above: Arrow showing centre of depression at 9am
Below: Latest isobaric chart (OPC)

Weather warnings in Canary Islands Nov. 25th+26th

Morning shower ! (taken at 9am) It did brighten up after that.

For more information on the weather situation go to previous post or click:

Weather warnings in Canary Islands Nov. 25th+26th

Chart for today

UPDATE 3:30 pm:
The rain this morning wasn't too bad and the wind  is still moderate, but meteorologists
here say that the low pressure system is only a little bit slower than expected in its development and that there is more to come. All warnings remain in effect until Tuesday morning or until further notice. I'll keep you informed.
UPDATE 9:30 pm:
No new developments to report. In the west of Ireland the day would have been called 'a soft day'...
Warnings for tonight and tomorrow remain, though.

Stormy skies, but the next sunny spell is coming in from the west... (taken at 3:30 pm)

Weather warnings in Canary Islands Nov. 25th+26th

Storm expected

A rapidly developing system of low pressure just to the northwest of the Canary Islands  will affect our weather from later tonight. This minor storm is expected to track southerly very close to the archipelago and strong to storm force winds can be expected on Sunday and Monday, with locally severe gusts. Heavy showers of rain, some prolonged, have also been predicted and isolated thunderstorms are possible. 
Weather warnings for all of the Canaries have been issued: 
Showers, at times heavy and prolonged, are expected from Saturday night until and including Monday.
Winds to reach gale force to strong gale force at times will develop on Sunday, and may reach 60-65 mp/h (90-100 km/h) in gusts on exposed higher ground on Monday. Winds will be initially from the SW, then veering W and later from northerly directions.
Waves in coastal areas are expected to rise to 4m (12ft)  later on Sunday and may be higher in exposed coastal areas and on the open sea on Monday with a heavy swell.
It will feel cooler with the temperature dropping a couple of degrees.
The storm system should dissipate on Tuesday/Wednesday.
For those who speak Spanish here is the special storm bulletin by AEMET:http://www.aemet.es/documentos_d/enportada/p53tesp1.pdf

The isobaric chart for Sunday

New page added: Fire on La Gomera 2012

Due to the continuing strong interest in the fires that affected La Gomera this summer and the many anxious questions from many parts of the world, I have added a separate page with the title: 'Fire on La Gomera 2012' to this blog. If you click that on the tabs bar above (below the title) you will find the page that contains a summary of the events, a list of previous posts relevant to the subject and additional images. The page will be further expanded and updated when needed.
The new page will hopefully help to promote La Gomera and correct some of the impressions that various exaggerated media reports left after the fire.
La Gomera was injured, but is recovering fast !

Rebellion on La Gomera

Tomorrow, 21st of November, is the 524th anniversary of the the last great rebellion of the original inhabitants of La Gomera, the Guanches, against the Castilian conquerors of the island and their governor Hernan Peraza the Younger in 1488. Perazas grandfather, Hernan the Elder, had previously sealed a pact of peace with with the original inhabitants and their chieftains in a ceremony of brotherhood that involved the drinking of milk from a traditional earthenware pot. This pact set down rules and laws for both parties and later was repeatedly broken by Hernan the Younger, who despite having ratified the agreement began treating the population with great brutality and selling many as slaves abroad. The local chieftains subsequently held court and condemned Peraza to die, and to symbolise the end of the pact the earthenware pot was broken. His assassination by a local warrior, Hautacuperche, took place as he was caught in the act of breaking the pact yet again, and this was the start of a full-scale uprising of the local population who besieged the stronghold of the ruling Spaniards, the 'Torre del Conde' (which still stands in San Sebastian de La Gomera and is open to the public) and Peraza's wife, Beatriz de Bobadilla (who is said to have had an affair with Christopher Columbus later), had great difficulties in defending it. She called for reinforcements from the governor of Gran Canaria, who sent 400 veteran solders to La Gomera. The rebellion was put down with awesome brutality and in the end local males over the age of 15 were cruelly executed and the remaining youngsters were sold into slavery. Part of this barbarity was blamed on the vindictiveness of Peraza's widowed wife, whose excessive brutality even came to the attention of the rulers of Spain, and a committee of enquiry was established that held lengthy deliberations centred on the question whether Guanches had souls. Finally the governor of Gran Canaria as well as Beatriz de Bobadilla were admonished and most of the enslaved Gomeros were released - in Spain - from where they had to find their own way home without any means, to arrive on their now totally subdued native island.

Last Saturday a commemoration ceremony was held at a place called today 'Degollada de Peraza' (Execution of Peraza), and as a symbolic act an earthenware pot was broken again.

Monument in Valle Gran Rey: Hautacuperche holding the
 broken bowl and carrying the weapon to kill  Hernan Peraza

To see a video of a re-enactment of the historic events click here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NgdxP9Z0RQ

'SKAZZ' live on La Gomera

Just around a street corner I came across an amazing live act, the likes of which haven't  been seen around here lately. The legislation for (or more precisely,against) live music events in Spain has been enforced more strictly in Valle Gran Rey than anywhere else in the Canaries or in the Spanish Peninsula. All about that in another post another day (long, sad story...). So we were all the more delighted to see a great band live, and about 200 locals and tourists dancing and ALL having a good time...  (Special thanks to Manolo).
 For now I just want to share a video of a most entertaining band: SKAZZ (1 Brit, 2 Irish,
1 Canario + Peter, a German/adopted Irish trumpet player). The lighting is poor, the crowd hasn't arrived yet (and there was a huge crowd dancing a bit later), so this is just a taste of things to come, as the band will be around playing for a good while more with better equipment, doing gigs whenever/wherever 'licensed' in Valle Gran Rey (plus a few spontaneous ones), and also in other towns on La Gomera - so keep an eye out for SKAZZ, if you're holidaying on La Gomera. 
... and NO, I'm not their manager, just lovin' a bit of music - by the way.

<Skazz live

17-11-12 

And here's a press quote on SKAZZ:

'This five piece are the embodiment of the ska movement starting out as a swing and jazz outfit and converting in early 2007 to pure ska vibes. In keeping with their jazz roots, Skazz have chosen the original Jamaican scene Ska of the 1960’s - when Caribbean mento and calypso first met American jazz and rhythm and blues. Fans of the 2 Tone sound of the late 1970’s will feel at home on this dance floor with the added bonus of an education in pre-reggae/rocksteady tempos and cross rhythms. Having already shared stages with the likes of The Skatalites, Prince Buster, The Pioneers, Syramip, Dennis Alcapone, Winston Francis and Delroy Williams, and with dates this year including the Cork Jazz Festival, Electric Picnic and Waterford Spraoi and Bray Jazz Festival, this promises to be a very special event."
Getting everyone into the skanival mood, Skazz will be skanking the weekend away in style. This lively Clare band have appeared at venues all over Ireland, and with rave reviews everywhere have acquired a huge following.'

Caution when driving in Spain !

The police officers association AUGC have complained today that their members are being pressurised into dishing out more traffic fines in the Canary Islands. Last year saw a sharp drop in fines and the association reckons this is due to a significant reduction in traffic on the roads and more cautious drivers - all due due to the economic crisis and high unemployment rates of up to 33% in the Canaries. They say that after a recent visit of the general commander of the Guardia Civil traffic section to these islands, members of the force received letters stating that they have to 'increase productivity' (i.e. more fines) or face a deduction of 240 Euros of complementary payments from their salaries. The police association complains that through this 'disgraceful practice' their officers will become 'mere tax collectors instead of guarantors of road safety in the archipelago' ...and on the Spanish Peninsula the same applies, I presume. Considering that the traffic police already have a reputation for nit-picking and handing out fines at will, this latest 'initiative from above' will surely cause a fair amount of head shaking in these parts.
You have been warned !

Demonstration supporting general strike in La Gomera

Last night just after 6pm in San Sebastian de La Gomera a demonstration in support of the Spanish general strike and against the cutbacks proposed and implemented by the Rajoy/Madrid government marched through the streets of the island's capital. The organisers counted 1000 participants who called for an end to austerity measures.
You can find a short video of the event by clicking this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9ie8dnCxr8&feature=player_embedded

General Strike tomorrow, Nov. 14th 2012

The second general strike to confront the Rajoy government in less than a year will take place tomorrow, November 14th. The strike was called by Spanish trade unions with the support of the European confederation of trade unions as a 'day of social action' to coincide with the parliamentary budget debate beginning in Spain today. It is the first time ever that two general strikes of 24 hours duration happen in one year. Strike action is also expected in various other European countries.

In Spain and in the Canary Islands this strike is expected to be widely supported, so be prepared to expect severe disruption, particularly in public transport. Ferry companies for example have announced that there may only be one sailing each way between islands. Make sure to check all your   travel arrangements with the relevant companies or operators  before you travel tomorrow, Wednesday 14th Nov.   

Above + 3 above left: 4 posters of different organisations calling for a general strike in the Canary Islands

4th Valle Luna Festival

      UPDATES here: 
      4th Valle Luna Festival Program(s) 2013

•       Valle Luna Festival 2013 Art Event
•      Valle Luna Festival 2013 Poster
•      Valle Luna Festival 2013 - 'Light' Edition
•      Valle Luna Festival '13 at the Sunday Market yest...
•      Let's SKAZZ Again

The 4th edition of the popular Valle Luna Festival will take place from the 17th to the 27th of January 2013 in Valle Gran Rey. The festival that started as an ambitious arts festival has been getting somewhat smaller every year due to the crisis, cutbacks in public spending and less sponsorship. It nearly didn't happen at all last year, but was saved at the last minute, when the town hall coughed up some money for the staging of events, but due to the serious fire this summer there is no money available at all. The forthcoming edition will be a 'light' version, according to the organisers, without the larger outdoor stages  to save on costs.  However, there will be lots of street entertainment, pub gigs, and a large full moon party again. If you're interested in taking part, see https://www.facebook.com/valleluna.gomera.
With a bit of luck there might even be some Irish traditional music sessions again, like the one during the Valle Luna festival a couple of years ago described in the 'Irish Examiner' by writer Damien Enright:
'For the last two weeks, a music festival, initiated and paid for by the local ‘town-hall’, has been an enjoyable feature of life in the Valle Gran Rey. A few nights ago we enjoyed a session in a bar, led by Christy Barry, from Doolin, Co Clare. Playing a flute or spoons and giving voice to song, he and the largely voluntary ensemble tooted and fluted and carried the crowd away. 
It was a sesiún in the best sense, an impromptu celebration, with two more flautists fluting — both from west Cork — two bodhráns banging, a banjo twanging, an accordion according, two guitars strumming and the vocal contributions of a-man-from-God-knows-where who had lived on Sherkin Island for seven years (where his wife ran an English language school) then in Tasmania (where he saw the old Courtmacsherry lifeboat moored in St. Helen’s and still bearing the name) and now in La Gomera. 
It was a humdinger of a session: they set the hands clapping and the feet stamping. I think I have never seen or heard a better hooley, even in hooley-land.'
Below a photo and a short video of some of the action of the benefit gig for the Haiti earthquake victims during the first Valle Luna Festival in 2010:

'Red Gap' on stage during Valle Luna Festival 2010 (above)
Below from left to right: Will Bevan, Christy Barry, Willie Kirkham and Michael Nagle,

with visual artist Pero painting the musicians live.

Demonstration in Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Tomorrow at 12 midday a demonstration is taking place in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, starting from Plaza Weyler (location here:https://maps.google.es/)
The demonstration, which is being organized by the local eco-pressure group 'La Gomera Se Mueve' (= La Gomera on the move), and supported by by various other groups, will call for the investigation of the fires that affected the islands of Tenerife, La Palma and La Gomera. Particularly the blunder made by downgrading the fire on La Gomera in the face of a heat-wave, which subsequently caused the fire to spread and destroy 10%
of La Gomera and 18% of its national park needs to be investigated, according to the organisers. The political 'blame game' that happened between the regional government of La Gomera, the Canary Island's government and the central Spanish administration only made matters worse and will be an issue tomorrow, with 
the motto: 'Mas Nunca', which means 'Never Again' !

The fires on La Gomera were finally declared as extinguished only two weeks ago, after the first rainfalls of the winter. They had started almost three months ago on the 4th of August, eventually spread over a wide area and culminated in a wall of fire that came down the valley here in Valle Gran Rey, damaging/destroying about 100 houses (see previous posts). The fires became more and more difficult to control and even propagated underground through roots and organic material.
The recent rains will speed up recovery and many areas are showing fresh green shoots, but the overall damage to the ecosystem is still considerable, as is the economic damage.

One of the worst affected areas after the fire

Fresh green shoots and new hope in Valle Gran Rey (taken even before the rains)

La Gomera now UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve

Yesterday the whole island of La Gomera was awarded the certification as UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. To quote UNESCO:
'La Gomera, Spain, is part of the Canary archipelago, situated in a central location surrounded by the Tenerife, La Palma and El Hierro islands. The Garajonay National Park is located in the central part of the island. It maximum height is 1,487 m (Alto de Garajonay). However the central plateau (1,000 meters of altitude) and the formation of radial and deep ravines is the result of intense erosion. It provides an exceptional landscape. The humidity and the cloud from the sea is often stopped on this plateau and produces a “sea of clouds” effect. The park is also a UNESCO World Heritage site and is noted for its laurisilva rainforest ecosystem.  The landscape is also modelled by agricultural terraces that have strong cultural significance.'

Congratulations and truly deserved !

Weather in Canaries getting back to normal

While there still are warnings in effect for possibly heavy rainfalls and isolated thunderstorms in the north of Tenerife and on the islands of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura

the general situation has improved a lot and by the end of the day the weather in the Canary Islands should be back to normal.

Valle Gran Rey this morning 9 am

... and yesterday at 11:30am. A thunderstorm is moving in
that lasted half an hour with heavy rain. After that we
 had a beautiful sunny day.

UPDATE 4:30pm

There was a lot of heavy rain in some parts of the Canaries this morning, especially in the North of Tenerife and Gran Canaria, and some stations there registered more than 100 litres/m2.

Lighter showers could still turn turn up anywhere in the Canaries, but will become gradually less frequent.

(As it happens, today is the 186th anniversary of the worst storm on record ever to strike the Canary Islands. On November 7th, 1826 the barometer was recorded as low as 943mb (!) and a violent storm with torrential rain struck these islands, doing major damage, and 253 lives were lost.) 

The rains that came down in the Canaries during the first 7 days of November 2012 brought approximateley the the same amount of rain as was registered over the whole previous (very dry) year, but thankfully it fell without doing any significant damage and brought a welcome end to the drought.

Another weather warning

Today colder air of polar origin will meet the tropical air that has been dominating our weather in the Canary Islands for the past days. At the same time the low pressure system that has been in the west for over a week will start to move away to the NE and finally dissipate. The clash between the two air masses will set off scattered thunderstorms and heavy showers of relatively short duration and warnings have been issued for La Palma, La Gomera and Tenerife.
During tomorrow the weather should improve substantially at last.

Isobaric chart for today

Weather much improved in Canary Islands

Taken 30 minutes ago (10:25 am)

Today the sun is shining, the sky is blue and there is hardly any wind. That's the situation on La Gomera right now.
However there still is a risk of occasional showers and strong winds on the islands of La Palma and El Hierro and on higher ground in the north of Tenerife today.
A few well scattered showers are still about and could turn up anywhere in the Canary Islands, but most places will stay dry.
For tomorrow, Tuesday there is another warning of possibly heavier rainfalls and the odd thunderstorm for all of the western Canaries, but the risk is much lower than before.
For the following days the weather should get back to normal with lots of sunshine.

Advice for trekking and walking in the mountains: Avoid cliffs, steep mountainsides, ravines, and abrupt terrain even when the weather turns sunny after substantial rainfalls. The rain has washed material and debris into crevices and gaps in the rocks and when the sun shines this will heat up and dry. The resulting expansion can dislodge rocks and soil, causing rockfalls and landslides. Just apply common sense and don't risk anything. There are plenty of beautiful paths that do not pass dangerous terrain.

Sunny spells, but unsettled weather continues

Even though here in Valle Gran Rey there was no more rain since the downpour on Friday and no significant precipitation elsewhere in the Canary Islands, the weather warnings remain.
There is calm with only a thin layer of broken cloud and the sun coming through at the moment, but the weather situation is dominated by warm and unstable masses of air originating from an area of inter-tropical convergence while the low pressure system in the west is slowly filling and moving very gradually closer to the Canary Islands. It should dissipate within the next three days, and a very large high becomes established over the central north Atlantic which should end the present unsettled spell.
The forecast for today until Tuesday, however is for more unsettled weather with scattered, sometimes heavy showers,  occasionally strong and gusty winds (more on high ground) and a few sunny spells.
Warnings are in effect for the western islands of El Hierro, La Gomera and Tenerife, with La Palma at the highest risk.

This morning's analysis with satellite overlay (OPC/NOAA)