Festivals La Palma

Each municipality of La Palma has its patron saint festival, even having separate parties in some neighborhoods, such as Argual in the town of Los Llanos.  Moreover, every five years is the Bajada de la Virgen de Las Nieves.  This is the most famous feast on the island and is held at the capital.  Part of the celebration is a pilgrimage in which people accompany the patron from the sanctuary to Santa Cruz and vice versa.

As representations of the conquest of the island, simulations of Guanche rituals take place, as does the Dance of the Dwarfs.  During this part of the feast, people dress in nineteenth-dwarf costumes and parade through the streets of the capital practicing a dance feature.

Another important representation is the dance of Minu, which mimics a nineteenth century dance.  The folklore of La Palma is similar to that of the rest of The Canary Islands, with the exception of the dance sirinoque who hails from the island.

Carnival is one of the most celebrated festivals. Despite having all the features of the Canarian carnival (carnival queen, walkers, street musicians, etc.) Carnival in La Palma is not about a celebration of the Indians.

The festival, which takes place Monday Gras, is a mockery of the Indians and celebrates the return of La Palma to the Americas.  For the occasion, everyone dresses in costumes and lacy white shirts, unpolluted in the same way as if the affluent emigrants were returning.  Following is a representation of a time that a ship comes to port full of Indians, with their parrots, maids (known as La Negra Tomasa) and other features.  A talcum powder battle begins on the streets of the capital, set to Cuban rhythms.

On May 3 the traditional Day of the Cross is celebrated in the villages of the east region of the island.  This festival commemorates the founding of the double city of Santa Cruz de la Palma, which occurred on May 3, 1492.  Also known as the Feast of the Cross, the people wear jewelry with crosses, representing the many crosses that dotted every town and neighborhood, and it is customary to visit the different crosses in the previous night.

Festival Internacional de Cine de Canarias Chico
Festivalito, the better known name of the International Film Festival Chico Canary Island of La Palma, is a digital film festival which has been held on the island every summer since 2002.  It was the first international event in the mainstream to create films during its programming and through the use of new technologies.

The Festivalito, since its first edition, includes the points found in traditional film festivals, such as the official briefing sections, retrospectives, and panel discussions.  But it also is a contest that challenges participants to write, shoot and premiere a short film in the context of the virtues of the festival, taking advantage of digital technology and the natural area of the island.  The contest is called La Palma Rueda and draws filmmakers from five different continents.  Since 2002, there have been over 120 short films with the seal of La Palma Rueda and two experimental films.  The works should be inspired by a slogan that is made public in the inaugural gala, and are premiered at the closing ceremony of the contest.