They say that our elders belong to the generation that has seen the most changes in the way of life. They have gone from feeding on what each family raised or cultivated at home to large supermarkets, from household clothes made on looms to mass-produced sheets, or from clay pots to plastic lunch boxes or 'tuppers' for those who prefer the English version.
Everything changes and at times it seems that all these traditions are about to be lost in the memory of our elders. Fortunately, there are still those who fight to maintain these trades. During these days, many of these manual works can be seen at the XVII Island Crafts Fair held in Mancha Blanca.
Of the typical...
For the youngest, this fair is the best opportunity to learn more about the world in which their grandparents and even their parents grew up. For the latter, seeing the handicrafts means returning to a not-so-distant past. Among the hundreds of stands located at the fair, we find Esther Romero.
She makes objects from palm. "I learned at fourteen, I'm sixty and I don't want to quit." Vitality is reflected in Esther's face, at whose stand you can buy palm and palmetto containers and the traditional Canarian and Lanzarote hats that are used today in pilgrimages.
Connoisseurs of the trade
Carmen is the only representative of El Hierro at this crafts fair. Her hands have been weaving fabrics for years to make bags and other objects. As a connoisseur of the trade, she assures that the most difficult thing is to prepare the wool because "you have to wash it, dry it, place it and put everything in the loom very carefully." The rest, as the saying goes, is sewing and singing. The result is thick fabrics that for years had many applications and that today have been replaced by other fabrics. "The problem is that you can't eat with this, but I like it and that's why I keep doing it," said this weaver.
... to the curious
Musical instruments have become objects that transmit tradition. In the Canary Islands, the timple is, without a doubt, one of these great devices. Anyone can get an idea of the shape of this instrument. However, those who come to Juan Lemes' stand will be able to see timples made with pumpkin. "You take a pumpkin, cut it in half, empty it and two timples come out," explained this Lanzarote craftsman, inventor of this curious timple that offers different sounds depending on the size of each timple. A lover of woodworking, during these days he will teach visitors to the fair how to make a boat with this material.
Whoever doesn't remember games like the spinning top or the nail can do so at Jesús Aníbal's stand. Although in his family the tradition is pastry, he is a great fan of old-fashioned games. If we add to this his interest in recycling, the result is small boats made with open cans or puppets "with the face of a tuna can, the feet of sardine can lids or the costumes of dyed sacks," explained the toymaker. Thus, this is one of the stands that attracts the most visitors "because people stop, when they see the toys they remember when they were little and they explain it to their children or grandchildren," said Jesús Aníbal.
