Taganana’s traditional fiestas have been part of life in this small Anaga village for more than 500 years. Now, though, there is a real concern that the celebrations could disappear.
The current Fiesta Committee has announced that, after 11 years of organising the events, it will not continue next year.
And they are now hoping that someone else will step forward.
Eleven years is enough
The current team consists of four committee members and around ten volunteers who have spent more than a decade keeping the fiestas going.
But, as committee president Ruymán Cabrera put it, they feel it is time to stop and have a rest.
Fair enough, really.
Organising a fiesta isn’t a case of turning up a few days before, putting some chairs out and ordering a sound system. The work goes on throughout the year, from raising money and organising events to dealing with everything that needs sorting once the actual celebrations arrive.
“It is a job,” Ruymán explained. “It’s not something you do in a day.”
Fewer people, fewer volunteers
One of the biggest problems is the gradual depopulation of Taganana.
Ruymán points out that when a village has 1,000 residents, there is naturally a better chance of finding people willing to get involved. When that number drops to around 200, finding volunteers becomes a lot harder.
The committee has spent the last couple of years trying to encourage younger groups, families and friends to take over, but so far nobody has fully committed.
The interest may be there. The commitment is another matter.
And that’s the difficult bit.
The current committee will still help
The good news is that the existing committee isn’t planning to simply disappear and leave the next group to work everything out for themselves.
They have offered to support and guide anyone willing to take on the challenge, sharing their experience and helping answer questions during the transition.
The aim is simple. Find a new group of people who can take over and keep a tradition that has been part of Taganana’s identity for centuries alive.
It would be a real shame to see a village with more than 500 years of fiesta history lose one of its most important traditions simply because nobody could be found to organise it.