La Orotava Revives "Noche de Finados" with Food, Film, and Music
La Orotava celebrates "Noche de Finados ¡Toma Castaña!" with movies, food, and music, aiming to revive Canarian traditions of remembrance amidst Halloween's growing popularity.
La Orotava is celebrating the traditional Canarian festival, "Noche de Finados ¡Toma Castaña!" (Night of the Deceased, Take Chestnut!) on November 1st. This special event, organized by Famtàstic, aims to keep this local custom alive, especially with the growing popularity of Halloween.
Taking place at the Liceo Taoro, the festival will be a mix of movies, food, and live music, all focused on remembering loved ones and celebrating Canarian traditions.
The goal is to bring back the original meaning of Noche de Finados. In the past, families would gather to remember those who had passed away, sharing seasonal fruits. Children would go door-to-door asking "¿hay santos?" ("are there saints?") and receive chestnuts, nuts, or figs in return.
La Orotava, which has the largest chestnut groves in Tenerife, is the perfect place for this modern take on the tradition.
The day will kick off with a DJ set by Yure RD from the 7HTP collective, called "Eternal Life Musical Selection."
After that, there will be a wine tasting featuring wines from Bodegas Arautava (Valle de La Orotava Designation of Origin) and the new Victoria Diez beer. This will lead into a series of short films called "Stories from Beyond and Here."
The films include "Día de finados" (Day of the Deceased) from the Canarian Institute of Traditions, the Mexican documentary "El Pescador" (The Fisherman), the Basque animation "Akerbeltz," and the international films "A Letter From the Galaxy in the Contactless Era" (South Korea) and "Algo Va Mal" (Something's Wrong) (Ireland).
Food will be a major highlight, with chefs Roberto Cuoto (named Best Chef of the Canary Islands 2023) and Aday Martín from Terraza Atlantis restaurant participating.
They will present the "Autumn Flavors" menu, featuring dishes made with local ingredients like chestnut Ajoblanco with Canarian shrimp, pork Terrine with smoked puree, and sweet black pudding Bonbon with cocoa.
During the tasting, wine expert Zoilo Hernández (GAR Tenerife) will talk about the history and future of chestnut groves in the area.
The day will end with a concert called "Finaos: Voces de las Ánimas" (Deceased: Voices of the Souls), created by Pedro Ageno with Ayla Rodríguez and DeReo. This performance combines traditional sounds with electronic music and will be presented for the first time in La Orotava. DJ Yure RD will close the night with more music.