Tenerife Carnival's Gypsy Costume: Born from Defiance
The iconic gypsy costume at the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival, now a humorous tradition, began in the late 1960s as a defiant act by the murga NiFú-NiFá, protesting the Franco dictatorship by encouraging workers to skip work on Carnival Monday.
The gypsy costume is a common sight at the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival. Every year, many men dress up in it, often adding a mustache, wig, and an over-the-top attitude. This makes it one of the festival's most famous and funny outfits. However, most people don't know that this costume didn't start as a joke. Instead, it began as a rebellious act during a dictatorship.
To understand where it came from, we need to go back to the late 1960s. At that time, the Carnival was called "Winter Festivals" because of the Franco dictatorship. In 1968, some members of the murga (a type of carnival group) NiFú-NiFá, based near Plaza Weyler, decided to do something that would change the festival's history. They dressed as gypsies and went out in broad daylight to visit banks and cafes in central Santa Cruz.
Their goal was simple: to get their friends and colleagues out of work on Carnival Monday. Journalist and researcher Zenaido Hernández says Enrique González led this effort, which went against the unspoken rules of the time. Hernández remembers, "They would burst in making noise, jump queues, tell bosses off for making people work that day... it was wild."
Often, their plan worked. If a boss agreed to give a worker the day off, that worker had to join the group – also dressed as a gypsy. So, as they moved from place to place, their procession grew, becoming more and more noticeable. This was during the era of famous Carnival figures like Enrique González, Navarrito, and Nicolás Mingorance.
Eventually, other murgas started doing the same thing. Los Mamelucos even wore gypsy costumes on Carnival Monday, skipping their official costume for that year. Los Diablos Locos followed suit, making the outfit a strong symbol of defiance and carnival fun.
Today, the gypsy costume is still very popular at the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival. However, its original meaning has slowly been forgotten. It's no longer a form of protest, but its story remains a key part of a festival that has always embraced self-deprecating humor.