Traditional games Fuerteventura
Canarian wrestling
Fuerteventura has a proud history of keeping alive old traditional Canary Island games – adult versions of hop scotch which still survive today.
Some of the ancient sports and games survive in their original format others have evolved over the years.
The Canarian government is committed to keeping alive these old sports and
games and over the past ten years, more than 100,000 students have studied
the history of these traditions as part of a sponsored awareness programme
to keep alive the island's old traditions.
Ofcourse, many Canarians enjoy the popular sports like
football,
windsurfing and
surfing and basket ball but more are also taking part in the old
traditional games which have survived centuries.
Canarian wrestling (la lucha Canaria) is still extremely popular and there
are several clubs around the island - la Union Antigua which competes in the
first division is based at the municipal wrestling facilities in Antigua.
Some villages on Fuerteventura still have a public Canarian wrestling arena which you will signposted as you drive around the island.
But even older sports and games still exist and are far from just a dying
tradition.
Fuerteventura hosted the second International Congress of Traditional Sports
and Games which was founded the in 1996.
In Spain there is four types of wrestling
and two of these are found in the Canaries – la lucha Canaria and El Palo
Canaria which resembles fencing. Two opponents face each other and launch
into various attacking and defending movements “marcar” (marking). Speed and
precision is what this sport is all about and a master of the palo can knock
you out in seconds. As with
many
traditional games, it is thought to have originated among the Guanches and
tales exist about how they used the palo to repel invading foreign armies.
Over the years, it became a method of resolving disputes between neighbours
– anything from the ownership of an animal to property disputes!
El Arrastre (dragging) can still be seen on local Canarian television
stations. A team of cows and bulls have to drag a weight over a certain
distance.
Stone lifting (levantamiento y pulseo) involves lifting a huge boulder as
high as possible without touching any other part of their body – a bit like
the stone lifting competitions seen on TV’s Strongest Man series.
The Shepherd’s Leap came from the Guanches needing to cross the rugged
terrain quickly. They used to run with a long pole which they used to pole
vault the countless ravines, gaps and crevices.
El Garrote derived from this long pole. Two contestants take either end and
use a series of attacking and defending movements to score points
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