The town festivals are eagerly awaited by many throughout the year. With the arrival of summer, they become an attraction for each town where its residents and others from outside prepare and organize with effort and dedication. These popular festivals also act as a safe conduct to preserve and disseminate Canarian music and culture, typical of our island identity.
Sergio Niz, who is part of the Tahíche festival commission, is one of the many examples of young people who fight every year to maintain and preserve the traditions of each town through the festivals. From a very young age, he began to perform in playbacks, in the galas of the children's queens and in almost any other show that was put in front of him.
Niz also helps in the celebration of the Los Ancones festivals which, as he says, "arose because the Tahíche festivals ended in July and we spent August and September in this town that was more of a summer town, so since we were bored we decided to hold some small festivals for the people, the first in 2004".
An interest that remains
Despite the passage of years and the change in society, the patron saint festivals continue to have great participation. "There has always been great participation in the festivals and in the long run, thanks to the younger people who are now in their thirties, more importance has been given to them and they have been consolidated," he says.
The young man explains that, with the passage of time, more value is given to the town festivals because you grow up and appreciate their relevance.
Here also comes into play the adaptation to the new times. In the case of Tahíche, Niz points out that "we have focused the festivals more on the youth side and we have, for example, an Instagram profile for the festivals and a sale of glasses and raffles has been created that we had never done before".
With the arrival of new times and the evolution of society, some of the activities of the popular festivals are no longer celebrated. This is the case of the catching of the pig that took place several years ago, in which everyone tried to catch the animal covered in oil. "Nowadays that is unthinkable because everything is evolving," he says.
The patron saint festivals as a way of preserving local culture
"The festivals create towns". This phrase by Sergio Niz defines the importance of these celebrations when it comes to keeping alive the traditions of the different localities of Lanzarote. "The greatest incentive for people to join is the festival because in the end in one way or another you are going to participate and you are going to meet people," he says.
In this sense, he explains that the festivals are also a way of bringing the culture and history of the town itself to the youngest. "For example, in the proclamations is where you learn all the history of the town because they are people who have lived the festivals in another way," he says.
Each locality of Lanzarote has a unique story to tell and preserve, traditions that are a reflection of its inhabitants. The festivals fulfill a social function, where the people of the town meet to enjoy them and preserve, which leads to an exchange of stories and good times that only those belonging to the place understand and remember.
Through these acts, the feeling of belonging and knowledge of one's origins become the protagonists of festivals that, without the support of the town, would end up dying.
