From the banks of the Ganges in India to the banks of the Atlantic here in Tenerife, the Hindu ceremony of peace and illumination brought together several cultures as lanterns and candles heralded sunset.

For Hindus the Ganga (Ganges as we know it) was brought to earth from heaven to make the land fertile and to wash away our sins. It is also known as the divine mother, which is why the Tenerife Hindu Association chose Spanish mothers day to hold their ceremony on Playa La Enramada in La Caleta.

I was very impressed at the efforts they had made to reach out to all communities in Tenerife, with open invites via newspapers and posters, and the whole event was conducted in Spanish and English. Mayor Fraga of Arona was an honoured guest but the main man was H.H Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatsi, one of the most revered religious leaders from India.

Maybe that all sounds a bit formal, but it was very much a celebration, with music and dance telling the story of the Ganga, and children chatting and playing in the sand. Speakers kept their contribution light and humourous as those seated in front of the stage were joined by hundreds more milling around the edges and skirting the shore as the sun sunk lower.

The candles were actually wicks in ghee, a form of purified butter,and as well as being held, some were placed in small hollows in the sand just beyond the reach of the tide. For the climax, the aarti, the Swami led the dignitaries from the stage down to the waters edge and he held aloft his burning lantern from a smaller stage looking out to sea. This was the signal for a forest of flames to flicker brightly as prayers were said for future peace and healing.

It was great to see such a diverse range of cultures and ages all come together, Tenerife is quite a melting pot of nationalities and beliefs, and these open events will certainly bring us just that bit closer.

They are all big games now but this 1-1 draw at Real Zaragoza could be one of the biggest as it preserves the 4 point gap between CDT and their hosts in the 3rd promotion slot.

It was the worst possible start as Real attacked and Louis Gracia could only parry a shot instead of saving it, leaving Ander to crash the ball into the net after just 2 minutes. No time for recriminations, much better to attack the game, and CDT grew stronger as it went on. Garcia made a great stand up save after 10 minutes and Zaragoza were on the back foot. Alfaro and Kome (below) had Real running scared, every time either of them went down the flanks the home defence looked like they were facing a Mexican with a pig under each arm.

Nino headed wide and Garcia did well to tip over a rare effort from Arizmenda before the equaliser came. It was another piece of Nino brilliance in the box, as he turned and fired in one smooth movement, just before half time.

Into the second half and Zaragoza brought on their Brazilian top scorer, Ewerthon, back from injury, and he looked a handful. On 66 minutes the big forward had the ball in the Tenerife net only to see it ruled out for offside – a very close call. This was Real’s best spell and Cafa curled a shot over after Garcia flapped from a corner.

Tenerife brought on Angel and he also had a goal ruled out, but his looked a pretty clear offside. The home team were desperate for the points and launched a late assault, both Bertran and Luna made superb clearing tackles in the dying minutes to protect a vital draw.

Next weekend Murcia are the visitors to Santa Cruz, and once again Canal Plus have picked the match for live showing at Noon on Sunday. The Armada Sur will be there as always, even if it means an early start – I must remember to change out of my Thomas the Tank Engine PJ’s.

Las Palmas only drew, 1-1, at home to Huesca and remain in danger.Well done to CDT’s B team for winning the Copa Heliodoro on Thurday on penalties after a 0-0 draw with Las Zocas. They are also clear top in the Tercera division so may end up playing a relegated Las Palmas next season in Segunda B – my how we will laugh at that one.

Leather trousers, that’s the first thing that springs to my mind when thinking of The Pretenders. It’s great to see they are coming to the Santa Cruz Auditorium in Tenerife in Monday 6 July, one of many highlights of the Auditoriums programme for the rest of 2009.

What a fantastic rock band The Pretenders are, and as for lead singer Chrissie Hynde, what can I say except mmmmmmmmmmm. It didn’t help when I read that she never used to wear anything under those famous trousers - but maybe she had Bras In Pocket. Anyway back to the plot, I still think of them as being around only a few years ago, but I was shocked to find that their last big hit “I’ll Stand By You” was in 1994. I also noticed that they were formed in Hereford, they probably don’t shout about that, not very rock n roll is it.

Also on the Auditorium line up are Russian ballet legend Mikhail Baryshnikov on June 29 and ABBA stage musical Mama Mia will be in town from December 28 to January 4. I’m going for a cold shower and trying not to think about those animal skin lower garments.