The Flower Carpets of Tenerife

Sweet Smelling Fiesta – La Orotava's Corpus Christi Floral Paintings

May 25, 2009 Jack Montgomery

The town of La Orotava in the Canary Islands may not have streets paved with gold, but during Corpus Christi every year they do have streets paved with flowers.

The Canary Island of Tenerife off the coast of Africa may be better known for the fun in the sun reputation of its southern tourist resorts. However, anyone looking for more than just a suntan should head north, especially to the historic and noble township of La Orotava where in June the streets are decorated with elaborate flower carpets during the Corpus Christi celebrations.

Historic Town of La Orotava

La Orotava nestles into the valley of the same name overlooking Tenerife’s original tourist resort, Puerto de la Cruz. It was here that the great and the good settled following the conquest of the island in 1496 and its location was considered so beautiful that famous explorers like Sir Richard Burton and the German naturalist Alexander Von Humboldt were moved to wax lyrical about it.

The streets of its old town remain perfectly preserved; beautiful 17th and 18th century town houses with exquisitely carved wooden balconies border narrow cobbled streets. It’s a feast for the eyes at the best of times, but during Corpus Christi, when the cobbles are covered with evocative images created from rose and geranium petals, the town literally blooms.

Corpus Christi in La Orotava

The tradition of covering the streets with floral paintings dates back to 1847 when Leonor del Castillo y Monteverde decided to add her mark to the Corpus Christi procession by decorating the pavement outside her front door with an Italian inspired design made from flower petals. Her floral display captured the imagination and nowadays the streets around the town hall and the Iglesia de la Concepción are decorated with the most beautiful and imaginative displays.

The Flower Carpets of La Orotava

The best way to experience the flower carpets of La Orotava is to arrive in the town during early morning. Stroll along the floral route pausing to watch as whole families, from grandparents to children barely out of nappies, work together to snip petals from crates filled with flowers before painstakingly arranging them on the ground. As the morning progresses images begin to take shape and life; a shepherd tending his flock, Jesus at the last supper, a white dove spreading its wings. Some are so incredibly detailed that it’s difficult to believe they were fashioned from petals and moss.

La Orotava in the Guinness Book of Records

The showpiece of the day is an enormous tapestry, usually a biblical scene, which covers the plaza in front of the town hall. Technically this isn’t a flower carpet at all; it’s entirely made from volcanic sand taken from Las Cañadas del Teide in the Mount Teide crater, which makes the subtle skin tones and lifelike expressions on the faces of the people depicted in the tapestry all the more astounding. The 2007 the sand tapestry deservedly achieved worldwide recognition when it was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest sand painting in the world. The best way to see the tapestry in its entirety and to fully appreciate the amount of skill and dedication which went in to creating this mammoth masterpiece is from the vantage point of one of the town hall’s balconies overlooking the plaza.

Corpus Christi Procession

La Orotava’s flower carpets are without question labours of love. Alfombristas (carpet makers) spend months planning and preparing their beautiful sand and floral offerings knowing that their creations will be short lived. At around nine o’clock on Corpus Christi evening, a candlelit procession leaves La Orotava town hall and makes its way to the Iglesia de la Concepción destroying the sand tapestry and each lovingly created floral image with every step .

The Corpus Christi flower carpets of La Orotava will be laid on 18th June 2009

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