Monday, May 30, 2011

May 30th- Canary Islands' Day (Canary Islands)


The Canary Islands are made up of 7 inhabited islands between Europe and Africa: Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Tenerife, El Hierro, La Palma and La Gomera, and Chinijo Archipelago (which is made up of the smaller islands La Graciosa, Alegranza, Montaña Clara, Roque del Este and Roque del Oeste). The Canary Islands are an autonomous (meaning self-governing) Spanish community with their own parliament. Canary Islands Day marks the day of the Canary Islands' very first parliament session in 1983. 

Although the holiday celebrates government, it is also a celebration of the islands' rich culture. On this day, schools hold extra classes about the history of their homeland. The Canarians eat communal meals and host festivals in honor of the day. There are also domestic animals shows and exhibits of cows pulling sleighs. Another large part of the celebration consists of children singing cultural music and playing traditional games such as "watch-your-step" and "tug-of-war". This is indeed the day when the people of the Canary Islands celebrate their ancestry and exhibit their pride for bringing joy to so many. 

Map of Canary Islands


View from Canary Islands Beach
Sources: 
http://hubpages.com/hub/Canary-Islands-Day-was-when-traditional-games-returned-to-a-Garachico-school
http://www.barriemahoney.com/Twitters/files/a654a4a4ac5f3b8c7741fba4b87e5270-57.html
http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/spain/canaries-day-observed
Photos from: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/spain-photos/
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/africa/canary-islands/map_of_canary-islands.jpg


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