Discover, why the Corpus Christi La Orotava event 2009 is about more than art and religion...
Corpus Christi La Orotava was a miracle packaged in surprises in 2009, again. Every year, streets in the town's old quarters show their best holiday gear for the event. when dressed up with carpets made of flowers. But, there is something, we may only guess...
About 4 weeks before the Spanish celebrations Corpus Christi in La Orotava, a few selected artists (seldom more than 10) start producing a sandy religious symphony of perfection. This time is not ideal to take photos of it, as a huge protecting canvas covers it and casts shades. The La Orotava send carpet always has a center image. It shows Christ painted by sand. Flanking images may be innovative painted human faces and the figure of an apostle like in 2009. Symbolic details always balance out the composition. The unusual material used for the artwork comes from the Cañadas del Teide. Tenerife Teide has Spain's highest summit. It may be mixed with marble sand. Admire its many shades in the most beautiful large sand carpet, spread out in front of La Orotava's town hall.La Orotava's sandcarpet 2007 entered the Guinness Book of records for its size of almost 860 square meters. Motives of different world sand carpets are also usually only of ornamental abstract nature, such as in Islamic design. La Orotava's custom means portraying Corpus Christy in sand with realism.
On the day of the Corpus Christi Tenerife event the wide protective canopy above it is removed.
The date may vary, when art and beauty hungry people flog into the town of sand and flower carpets. It's Corpus Christi celebrations are always on the first Saturday of June, while the day after is for one of the town's big Tenerife fiestas (holidays), the Romeria of La Orotava.
The overall picture of the whole sand carpet may be best contemplated from one of the town hall's 3 center balconies above it. This section is only open to all public on the holiday in honor of the body of Christ La Orotava..
A row of people is still busy by mid afternoon of the flower carpets event of La Orotava.Street art is not easy to do, as you have to bend down, unless you paint on walls. You couldn't lye on your belly while doing flower carpets on top of streets. Just figure how tiresome this is for the artists.
Click the street art image to enlarge. See, what it takes to make flower carpets... 3 men and one woman are hurrying up to place the last petals from small boxes to accomplish their carpet art. They seem to be one of many groups which look like they are related.. Often friends or relatives are close by, like in this photo. Indeed, Corpus Christi is a day which unites a whole town. It's a time for comradeship and socializing, when the celebration's work is done. Just figure, how many fun family activities must have preceded the final project. Wonder about much art planning and excited discussions, long time before.. How much family joy it must have been!
By the way, there was a religious flower carpet near the town hall. A group of about 12 men were all lined up in its back . Obviously., its artists... They were all dressed equally in blue. They enjoyed it, when tourists took a photo of them together with their flower art. They were portraying immense happiness of a combined work well done.
Later, you may click the photo of the result of one of best family fun activities... This flower carpet is different to many, you may have found in 2009 in the town above Puerto de la Cruz. This composition made of blooms is symbolic. The combined image of 3 women, one of which is Caucasian, one African and one Asian represents uniting nations. They are brought together by their faith. The body of Christ, as a symbol, is a unifying medium of our world.
The flower carpets keep artists with family and friends busy, while you will get very thirsty on a steep street like the one called La Carretera by locals, which was captured, beside.Nearby, tables of the elegant La Orotava Hotel Victoria may be crowded with people in its entrance patio and dining room. It could have come so handy for us for a nice meal as well. Casa Lercaro, which invites you with festive Tenderete music (folk music( by the band Sabandeños may not have one free seat left to sit down. A mixture of perfume by freshly cut grass and green moss is predominant but, it will not cut your thirst. Discover an arched decoration when enlarging this photo. The decor draws to another high light of this street with open doors of la Casa de los Balcones (the balcony house) and souvenirs to buy. No more flower carpets are there.
Most of the artists of the Orotava carpets are perfectionists, indeed.
The religious art Tenerife flower carpet portrays Corpus Christi 2009 of la La Orotava. It shows a perfect result. Mixed light blue and dark red blooms render its robe the typical religious purple touch. A golden semi-circular crown compliments the figure's head. Its facial expression is very good. Black plant material makes up the shades of the dress folds. Amazing is, that skin tones are often done with light pink or Apricot colored bloom petals.
Astounding was also a carpet with bell type bright blue flower motives. Agapanthus blooms seemed to have been used. This flower carpet reminded the indigenous rare Violet of Tenerife.
The Tenerife flower carpets have inscriptions made with blooms, very often. Then, you may read Mi cuerpo(my body) which is out of the context of a holy Catholic text, such as in this carpet. Notice the words La Orotava 09 written in this predominantly green and brown flower art. Perhaps, peat was used to achieve the black letters and shades. This carpet is also in honor of the town of the carpets. On the top left of this piece of art, made with secret natural products, is the round tower of church Iglesia de la Inmaculata Concepción in yellow and red. Another clerical building flanks the focal point. The latter center piece is a spiritual symbol of Jesus Christ in white, beige and brown tones. Much green moss was used for the base of this carpet...
A delicate design is the result of this flower carpet of the holiday of Corpus Christi. Pastel, red, white and brownish petals and plants were taken for this cut flower picture. It portrays abstract art. It is one of favorite styles of this holy day of La Orotava.
The result of it is the most incredible photo. Enlarge it to see those Spanish girls and boys at the top of Calle Témas Pérez., where it faces the town hall. The way they walk and look seems to come from a stage setting. The girl in the middle who paused is the only one facing and admiring a Corpus Christi flower carpet. The whole scene looks unbelievable. To see something as natural as this is astounding. This snapshot gave such an unexpected result. .. Enlarge this photo to enjoy seeing this...
Walk down Calle Tómas Pérez and reach the Plaza Concepcion... The Plaza (town square) of Iglesia de la Inmaculata Concepción (church of immaculate conception) is in an ideal subtropical parklike section to celebrate Corpus Christi with flower carpets. Admire the outside of the church ... Red carpets or sheets swing in a breeze on its facades like on most buildings in the old cobble street quarters of this town.
Look out in this spot in 2010 to find an equally outstanding carpet made with petals and blooms like the one beside...As so often, an artist was still adding on to it by 6 p.m. Its shape was that of a flower bloom. Its design portrayed abstract art. Its fine borders where made with white flower petals as if nature was representing a lace. This flower art made lovely contrast with the gray color it rounded off. Admire its different symmetrical forms... They create perfect harmony with different flowery shades. Not all is symmetry in this trophy of modern art. Many onlookers were proof of its intriguing design. The artist seems too absorbed with his artistic skills. Although, he was an actor on this holiday, he didn't seem to notice the spectators. This was the last carpet we saw. After that we passed the building of La Orotava Police. A few steps further down from it we found an open restaurant in Calle (street) Viera with people sitting and having meals on its porch. It's name? Tasca Marquesa... It is recommendable. Eat there when hungry during the fiesta of Corpus Christi. The food we had there was delicious and cheap. Be welcome to copy photos of this page, as they are, for your blog or web, except for commercial purpose...Do this by selecting the HTML code below by right clicking on it...Then copy and paste it...
Christmas photos, many of which are from La Orotava. Look at many many more of my flickr photos event Corpus Christi 2009...
Go from Corpus Christie to an intriguing, antique townhouse in La Orotava, which friends of ours bought...
Hear about an other religious event at Tigaiga San Vincente, whose Spain traditions are as deeply rooted as the one celebrating Jesus Christ at La Orotava.
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Notice men working for the Corpus Christi festival by a steep street junction... They look stressed. Perhaps, they had been delayed by their normal work and could not leave for their flower art creation in time. Let's be grateful to people like that. It's the spirit behind the making of the celebrations of Corpus Christi la Orotava which must be all the more appreciated. Notice how the men keep forms of their abstract art carpet straight... They use wooden rulers.
After having seen so many different designs of flower carpets we passed the main town square again. Now, this place of Corpus Christi 09 was bathed in warm 
