One of the important moments of the festival is the delivery of the Silver Almond Blossom Festival. In each edition, a person or institution is designated that, due to their relevance and their contribution to the cultural sphere at a local, regional or national level, deserve this recognition. In this act, the municipality does not stand as a judge of the performance of individuals or entities, but rather becomes a participant and thus appreciates the work that they carry out for the sake of culture and traditions, whose conservation was the driving force behind the Almond Blossom Festival of Tejeda and that today continues to be its meaning and reason for being.
The Fiestas always take place on the first weekend of February, something that greatly favors the «loyalty» of the visitors. The general structure is always the same, it varies every year in everything related to the groups that attend, artisans and some other small detail.
Almond Blossom Festival School Gala
The first day in the morning is fundamentally dedicated to the boys and girls from the municipal school and some from the area who come as a guest. It is celebrated in the same town and various activities are carried out around the almond and Canarian customs and traditions. Among the most outstanding, of course, is that of traditional games, where boys and girls can recall those games that were once the usual entertainment but that over time have been losing their total presence to the detriment of others. In it, it is also used to deliver the winners in the children’s drawing contest, promoted by the City Council. One is chosen from among the winners of each stage and placed on the program for the coming year’s party.
School meeting, children doing sack race
Crier of the Almond Blossom Festival 2019
Costumbrist Theater Contest Francis Suárez Rodríguez
Its fundamental objective is the promotion and maintenance of theater based on the most traditional experiences and stories of our islands. Groups of amateurs participate in it, both from the island of Gran Canaria and guests from some other island. The contest is held at the Alfredo Krauss Cultural Center, its name is in memory of Francis Rodríguez Suárez, a young man from the municipality who loved this discipline and died in 199
Encounter of typical folklore groups
Once the previous act is over, and in the Plaza de Ntra. Sra. del Socorro, this meeting takes place in which the town’s rondallas and parrandas participate along with another coming from one of the other islands of the archipelago, which is a plus of quality and variety to the act.
Saturday is «Tourist Day»
The festival is especially dedicated to tourists, both those who spend the night in the municipality itself and those who come from the tourist areas in the south of the island. Thousands of people come from these areas, mainly in scheduled excursion buses that dedicate this day exclusively to the Almendro Festival. To this end, the City Council has been promoting intensely for months before, with the aim that tour operators and smaller excursion companies offer it well in advance. In addition to all this, the program for that day is translated into both English and German.
Tourist Day program of the latest edition in English and German
In addition to all this, in the streets and squares where the party takes place, the different acts that are going to begin are announced by public address system, in addition to Spanish, English and German. As previously stated, the festival is a sample in a reduced space and time of the many and varied Canarian customs in many areas.
From very early the activity begins in the town, the neighborhood associations, artisans and food and drink stalls begin their assembly. During the entire week prior to the party, the municipal workers are in charge of installing the tents in which they are located, prior to this there is work from months ago, in which the period for applications to participate is opened, in such a way that so that approximately one month in advance, the distribution of each position is already available.
From 10 o’clock everything is ready for the transfer of visitors to begin, as you walk you can perceive the aromas of the different dishes and products in full preparation, something that undoubtedly arouses the appetite of anyone who walks through the streets. .
The following list serves as an example, showing what each neighborhood association offered to visitors:
- El Juncal: Chicharrones y vino de la tierra.
- La Higuerilla: Caldo de pollo, garbanzada y tortillas de calabaza.
- Ayacata: Potaje de berros y garbanzada.
- El Carrizal: Asadero de sardinas, papas arrugadas y mojo de almendras.
- Timagada: Papas arrugadas y carne de cochino.
- El Toscón: Tortillas de carnaval, queque, bollos caseros y chocolate.
- Comisión de fiestas El Toscón: Garbanzada, huevos sancochados, carne estofada y vino tinto.
- Lomo los Santos y La Crucita: Licor de almendras, truchas de batata y cabello con almendras, bienmesabe, tarta de almendras y bollitos.
- Cuevas Caídas: Bocadillos de queso tierno y membrillo, picho de tortilla española y de millo, queque casero y chocolate caliente.
- La Solana: Garbanzada, papas arrugadas y vino de la tierra.
- Comisión de fiestas de La Solana: Tortillas de calabaza y vino.
- Club de pensionistas Texeda: Papas arrugadas, chicharrones y queso.
None of the visitors who come to the party leave Tejeda hungry and without trying several of the above dishes and products, which delight all of them.
As far as the rest of the stalls are concerned, you can find a great variety of them, with the artisans as the main protagonists: pieces carved in wood, garments spun with wool, typical costumes, cutlery, fretwork… Regarding food and drink, offers artisan bread, local cheeses, wine, olives from the country or rich almond sweets made in Tejeda.
Along with all this there is much more activity, such as the live music played by the rondallas, parrandas and folkloric groups along the streets and corners, some of them even come with dance groups, something that attracts a lot of attention from tourists. and visitors for the showiness of the costumes and the dance itself.
Parallel to all of the above, there are demonstrations of indigenous games and sports, such as Canarian wrestling, club wrestling or the shepherd’s jump, all of which are very showy in their practice and execution.
Around 12:30 in the Plaza del Socorro there is a performance by a group or artist of traditional Canarian music or reminiscent of it.
In the afternoon, around 5:00 p.m., and to end the day, there is a parade and a new performance in the Plaza del Socorro, this time with lighter and more lively music by an artist from the islands, on that time begins the collection also of the stalls, many of which return again the next day.
On Saturday night, the most solemn act of the festival takes place, in which the proclamation is read, generally by a person of special relevance to the municipality, either because of his professional activity or because of his personal attachment to Tejeda. Subsequently, the Silver Almond Blossom Festival is awarded, the highest distinction awarded by the Tejeda City Council to that person, group of people or institution that has carried out important work, not exclusively in the municipality, but also at the insular, regional or even national level. .
All this concludes with the performance of some artist or group for all the attendees.
Around 11:00 p.m. the night has just begun for those who want to party and have fun with a verbena that lasts until the wee hours of the morning.
Sunday is the traditional day of the Almond Blossom Festival par excellence, on this day the vast majority of people who come to the festival come from the rest of the municipalities of Gran Canaria, with an average of around 8,000 people every year. .
The structure of the party is the same on Saturday as on Sunday, only the folk groups and exhibitions change. As a general rule, the stalls, both from neighborhood associations, artisans and food or drink products, repeat both days.
THE ALMOND FESTIVAL, A PLEASURE FOR THE FIVE SENSES
During the weekend it is normal for several stalls to run out of what they had prepared, to taste or to sell. The general trend is that visitors buy at one of the stalls and, above all, taste various dishes offered by neighborhood associations.
Without a doubt, music and dance fill the streets with joy and color, both on Saturday and Sunday there are eight parrandas and folkloric groups who bring animation to the party, delighting those who visit us with the most traditional sounds of the Canary Islands.
The exhibitions of traditional Canarian games and sports attract a lot of attention, especially from tourists, since it is something that can only be seen on our islands and at the festival they can find samples of them condensed in a short tour.
The streets and corners of Tejeda welcome more than 15,000 people during the weekend, who enjoy one or two days of the purest traditions of the Canary Islands in one of the most beautiful towns in Spain.