Colors of Puerto del Carmen - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

If you are going to Lanzarote, do not forget that simplicity and lack of formalism are the hallmarks of communication here, as well as on the territory of continental Spain. If you have learned Spanish, you know that the polite address is "usted", and the closer one is "Tu". However, it will be better not to use the word "usted" in Puerto del Carmen, as it is throughout the island. It is appropriate only when addressing an elderly lady or some very important person. The fact is that Spaniards begin to use the word “Tu” immediately after getting to know each other. The word "usted" can be taken as an affront in this case. Therefore, if a police officer stops you, introduces himself, and asks for documents, then it will be a direct way to extra fines for some small reason to contact him on "usted" in the hope of avoiding trouble in the future. Another addressing, "don", implies either an aristocratic origin of the interlocutor, or that he works as a doctor, lawyer, or has a Professor's degree and implies extreme respect. Not only handshakes but also kisses on both cheeks are accepted when meeting a woman with a woman or a man with a woman. However, we cannot say that local residents pay too much attention to etiquette in general.

The locals don't expect you to apologize for anything. They are also likely to remain silent if they accidentally step on your foot, for example. Citizens are sure that both praise and apologies should be sincere and only on a significant occasion. If you sit at the same table with the locals, do not be surprised that the desire to eat delicious food prevails over the norms of table etiquette here. If there is a delicious dish on the table, then everyone sitting there will immediately begin to reach for it and put it on their plates. This can continue as long as someone does not guess to distribute the delicacy among everyone.

If you agree on something with a local resident, then be afraid to hear the word "manjana". It is very popular in Puerto del Carmen, as elsewhere in Spain. This word is unusually ambiguous and can be translated as "tomorrow", "maybe tomorrow", "that week", "maybe that week", "this month", "maybe this month", "later", "never". Spaniards cannot be called people punctual and mandatory in general. The word "manjana", in fact, is a real indulgence for the infinite postponement of any case. Most often, a citizen will shrug when saying this word. The locals love lotteries. They rarely win but they continue to play for years. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

The locals are quite sociable. However, you should not be deceived, because the locals will be willing to just talk to you but it is quite difficult to become a real friend to someone in Puerto del Carmen. There are a lot of tourists here, and therefore citizens do not mind meeting new people and learning something interesting about other countries. However, they rarely get close to visitors to the town. However, you can easily find someone with whom you can have coffee or breakfast in the morning, have dinner or a coffee at night here. But do not be surprised if, for example, someone invites you to a meeting and does not come. This is a common occurrence in Puerto del Carmen.

It is not customary to interrupt the interlocutor here, while he wants to tell something. Therefore, it is not surprising that local residents are constantly late. A half-hour meeting easily turns into a two-hour meeting. This is quite normal when everyone who made an appointment is late or does not come to dinner at all. Sometimes locals joke that they can be sure of the fidelity of the boyfriend or girlfriend. The fact is that it's not easy to invite someone to date with this schedule. However, it is worth remembering that foreign women are easy and desirable prey for Spaniards. The art of "piropo", flirting, is common here. Both the older and younger generation likes to make exquisite compliments and to seek the favor of any woman they like in every possible way.

Fiesta de Carmen in honor of the patron Saint of the town is celebrated here in July. The statue of Carmen is carried through the cities at this time. The sound of music is everywhere. Citizens sing, dance, and participate in festive processions. Much attention is also paid to the culture of the indigenous islanders, especially traditional music and dancing during the Fiesta. You can see athletes from all over Europe in the town in the second half of May. They came here to take part in the Ironman Lanzarote triathlon competition. A fun and colorful Carnival takes place in the town in February. All citizens take part in it. All major Catholic holidays are also celebrated on a large scale here. However, this is not surprising, because the vast majority of local residents belong to this faith.