Easter in Tenerife

One of the pleasures of spending time on Tenerife is the chance to dip a toe into the fascinating culture.  One of the best times of the year to do this is Easter week, which is known as Semana Santa.

Easter Week starts with Domingo de Ramos, or Palm Sunday and finishes with Easter day, the Domingo de Resurrección.  Tenerife does not get a public holiday on Easter Monday, but rather the Thursday and Friday before are the ‘Fiesta’ days.

There are many processions around the island through the week, recreating the biblical stories.  Fortunately there are lots of donkeys and palm trees in Tenerife, so all the props are close to hand!  But the main day for events is Viernes Santo, or Good Friday.  One of the best places to enjoy this is in the town of Adeje, not far from Playa de las Americas. 

This annual event has become extraordinarily popular over recent years, and is now a televised spectacular.  It is a recreation of the last days of Jesus Christ, with a cast of some 300 actors taking over the main square and surrounding streets of the town. 

You can see many different interpretations throughout the island, although perhaps not on such a grand scale!