The Day of the Cross (Dia de La Cruz) is a religious holiday which is celebrated in many Spanish and Hispanic areas. It is believed that on the third of May, Elena, the mother of Emperor Byzontine, found the Holy Cross on which Jesus had died.
In Tenerife the holiday has an additional meaning, as the date coincides with the founding of the city Santa Cruz in 1494. In this year, on May 3, the then Governor Fernandez de Lugo erected a wooden cross during a ceremony on the beach of Santa Cruz in order to officially establish the emerging metropolis.
The Holiday is celebrated every year with representations of the Cross adorned with flowers and other decorative objects. There are also colourful, vibrant processions celebrating this day with La Cruz de Plata (Co-Patron Saint of the town, along with La Virgen de Nuestra Señora de la Peña de Francia). Other cities in the north such as Puerto de La Cruz and Los Realejos, have amazing firework displays.