Let us go back to the origins of the history of the Murgas in the Canary Islands. During the Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 1917, the ship LAYA docked in the port of the capital of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Most of the crew came from Cádiz and contributed with a chirigota to participate in the island’s festivities.
This was how the people of Santa Cruz de Tenerife witnessed the birth of the Murgas Canarias and with them a new way of living the fiesta, forming a musical group of comic accompaniment, where the lyrics of the songs were more important than their interpretation. The lyrics contained themes of current affairs on the island and other vulgar ones with “satirical and spicy” content, where humor and criticism played an indispensable role in their compositions and performances.
In short, the Murgas consists of a group of people who sing with lyrics that are generally critical of politics and society’s problems in general. They are developed with humor and irony. Their compositions are based on popular songs, where they change the lyrics and complement the Kazoo (murguero whistle) carried by each group member. They are usually a large group of more than 20 people and are only accompanied by percussion. It is a spectacle of Canarian culture, where the murgas are rewarded for their lyrics, interpretation, and costumes.
On the 7th of March, the Carnival of La Oliva began, in the village of Villaverde, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Children’s Murga “Los Garabatos. “At a party full of fun and joy, the youngest murgueros were the protagonists of the performances of their favorite murgas who wanted to collaborate and help in the beautiful act of the beginning of the Carnival.
With the performances of Murga Las Zarandajas, Murga Las Sargorias, TicTactitos, Quintillo.com and Los Gambusinos, winners of the first prize for interpretation of the Murga Competition in Gran Canaria.
Los Gambusinos, showed the whole town of Villaverde their winning song, ‘Con un queso y un membrillo asalto el Parlamento canario mejor que en Estados Unidos con el Flequillo’. Everyone was on their feet, enjoying a murga whose group has an admirable staging.
Don’t miss this marvelous spectacle in the Carnival of Carnavales, in La Oliva. An event awaited by all necessary to witness once a year and forms part of the Canarian cultural heritage.
Just as a comma changes a sentence, a simple attitude changes life.
