A fascinating new exhibition titled Memento Mori: The Customs and Culture of Death in the Canary Islands was launched at the Casa Amarilla on Arrecife’s main shopping street, Calle Real, yesterday.
The exhibition addresses the traditional ways in which death has been dealt with in the Canaries, from the burial practices of the original Maho and Guanche inhabitants of the islands to the modern day.
The exhibition, which has informative panels in English and Spanish, covers customs such as traditional mourning dress; the “Little Angel’s Wake” that was observed for deceased children in La Gomera; childrens rhymes and songs, and the way deaths were announced.
Lanzarote’s Rancho de Pascua, the still-existing folk group which plays songs for the dead on the Day of the Faithful Departed and at Christmas, is also featured.
The exhibition was commissioned by Lanzarote’s famous timple player Benito Cabrera. It will be open every weekday from 10 am to 6pm and on Saturdays from 10 am to 2 pm, Entrance is free.
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