The San Andrés Festival of Tenerife
Death-defying sled and cart rides and a noisy 'cacharro' festival are a modern take on age-old traditions and a celebration of the harvests' new wines.
This week we’re moseying on over to warmer climes where bananas and grapes grow out of black volcanic soil, and Mount Teide casts its triangular shadow as far as 40km as the sun rises and sets over Atlantic waters. The largest island of the Canary archipelago is also home to a festival that traces its origins to early wine-making traditions and a legend involving its patron saint, Saint Andrew.
Andrew, brother of Peter, fisherman of Galilee, and one of Jesus’ disciples according to the New Testament, is the patron saint of many places around the world, including Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Barbados, and Scotland, with which Tenerife shares an identical flag – a white cross on a blue background, symbolising the x-shaped cross the apostle was said to be crucified upon.
The Teide volcano in the centre of the island has the highest elevation in Spain and the Teide National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This, as well as its diverse landscapes, warm weather, world famous Carnival, and acclaimed wines, makes the island a popular tourist destination. And, of course, being part of Spain means there is no shortage of bizarre traditions with interesting origin stories.
Every 28-30 November during the Fiestas de San Andrés, the villages nestled around the island’s rugged rocky terrain with their extremely steep streets vibrate to the whoosh of hundreds of daredevils hurtling themselves at breakneck speed downhill on wooden boards and carts.
The festival also conveniently coincides with the launch of the new wine produced from the year’s harvest. Tenerife is the largest wine producer of the Canary Islands with about 7200 hectares of vineyards and five D.O’s (denominated regions). Many of the 300-year-old braided vines are tied together with dried banana peels, and the volcanic soils and Atlantic climate give the wines their special character. A hundred wineries specialising in whites, red, rosés, or Malvasias around the island offer the chance to enjoy a glass of wine on site or at restaurants where their wines are served.
Legend has it that St Andrew’s arrival on the island was timed nicely with the new wine’s production and he was happy to take part in the celebrations. Sufficiently inebriated, he fell asleep and the local children, either in an attempt to wake him, or to play a practical joke on him, decided to tie pots and pans to his clothes. The resulting clatter is the excuse local children have today for the Cacharro Festival (29th November) in Puerto de la Cruz in the north of the island.
It's probably more likely that the tradition comes from the sound the wine barrels made as they were dragged along the cobbled streets – the metallic rims resounding through the villages. Whatever the origins, each year the children go to great lengths to create elaborate (and noisy) works of art using soft drink cans, empty tins, even kitchen utensils and wheel hubs to drag along the streets on strings.
The sound of wine barrels being driven down the steep roads is also the reason for the Festival of Las Tablas – greased boards or trays which are ridden like toboggans. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the hilly inclines required a creative way to transport wood, wine barrels, and other heavy loads from the villages and vineyards to the coast where they would be stored or shipped for trade. Carts and carriages couldn’t do the job, so sleds were pulled by bullocks with a helmsman on the back steering the sled with a wooden oar. It took a lot of skill to navigate the steep rocky paths and avoid losing control and ending up in the ocean.
The sound of the sleds signalled that the wine was ready and it was time for celebration. Over the years the sleds were adapted and used by tourists who enjoyed the adrenaline rush and today, in Icod de los Vinos, gravity continues to propel young and old alike down the long streets. With few protective measures in place aside from gloved hands which the riders use to steer and brake, it’s a health and safety nightmare. On the 28th and 29th November, the greased boards fly down the streets to the end at which point the riders (usually the older ones who have previously enjoyed a few bottles of new wine) somersault through the air and land in a mountain of old tyres.
On the western side of the island in Guia de Isora, the boards are replaced by handmade carts that speed down streets turned racetracks, from 5pm on the 25th, 26th, and 30th of November. Prizes for the fastest and most original designs are handed out on the last day of the Festival of Los Carros. Carts made from wood, metal, fibre, cloth, old toys, skateboards or bikes - some even decorated with lights and music – compete in imagination and engineering skills.
The original use of the sleds as a means to transport wine and other goods may have disappeared as modern transportation methods have taken their place, but the historic importance of the island’s cultural heritage is as strong as ever. Every year the festival draws thousands of tourists who participate in wine tastings and enjoy the many activities the island offers such as climbing to Teide’s crater, admiring a 1000-year-old Dragon Tree, visiting banana plantations, or paragliding over crystalline waters…to name a few.
For those who head to Tenerife for the wine, don’t forget to check out the Malvasia Museum – a family-run winery where you can learn about and experience the different traditional wines of the island, including the acclaimed and pricey Malvasia wine.
All over the island there are wine and tapas tastings, music, fireworks, and stalls set up on the streets and beaches with roasted chestnuts, sardines, pincho moruños (spiced meat on skewers) and sweet potatoes.
While Europe gets chillier, there are few more welcoming places to be than Tenerife this November. Food, wine, noise, and historic traditions – so….Spain.