South America is honored with bunches of beautiful tourism centres that pulls in global sightseers to the continent. One such nations that gloats of excellent spots is Colombia. Nonetheless, one of the countries most well known celebrations is the Carnival of Barranquilla, which was named as a Cultural Masterpiece of the Nation by Colombia’s National Congress in 2002.
With the motto: ‘Those who live it are those who enjoy it (Quien lo vive, es quien lo goza)’, you ought to anticipate only the most elite in Colombia, during this time.
The Carnival of Barranquilla is one of Colombia’s most significant folkloric festivities, and one of the biggest carnivals in the world.
The festival has customs that go back to the nineteenth century. Four days before their Holy Week, Barranquilla decks itself out to get national and foreign vacationers and consolidates with the city’s occupants to enjoy four days of exceptional merriments.
During the Barranquilla carnival, all other activities are required to be postponed in light of the fact that, the city gets occupied with street dances, musical and masquerade marches. Barranquilla’s Carnival includes dances like the Spanish paloteo, African Congo, and native mico y micas.
Numerous styles of Colombian music are additionally performed, most noticeably cumbia, and instruments including drums and wind troupes. Due to the magnanimity of the jamboree, UNESCO, in Paris in November 2003, proclaimed it one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, and it was during Olga Lucia Rodriquez Carnival Queen year.
Latin America and the Caribbean get ‘crazy’ and occupied with tons of people during this occasion. A huge number of visitors both in Colombia, and its environs in addition to international visitors all crowd to the Barranquilla’s Carnival to observe the magnificence and vivid nature of the occasion. The midriff moves, the catchy colours, the crowd, the walk, the music and other fascinating stuffs happen here.
When Does It Start?
The Carnival begins the Saturday before the Ash Wednesday with the Battle of the Flowers (La Batalla de Flores), which is viewed as one of the principle activities. At that point, The Great Parade (La Gran Parada) on Sunday and Monday is set apart by an Orchestra Festival with Caribbean and Latin groups. Tuesday flags the finish of the jamboree, announced by the internment of Joselito Carnaval, who is grieved by everybody.
The sole of dancing shoes are exhausted since there are assortment of music to dance to. The music comprises of a combination of cumbia, porro, mapale, gaita, chandé, puya, fandango, and fabulous merecumbés. These are some of the numerous styles of Colombian music. It is a gathering that gets together culture dependent on the creativity of the Colombian people, being communicated by a ton of types of dancing, music, and by wearing various costumes.
This variety gives it a character of special, unparalleled gathering, where the people are the primary heroes. Each dance, each folkloric gathering, and each costume assumes various roles to make it the best show on earth.
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The Barranquilla Carnival is multicultural, diverse, and rich in different cultural expressions. There are traditional dances, choreographic dances; Comparsas (a form of live music), with which the choreography and creativity of dances are expressed; Comedies, like litany are traditional and folkloric popular theater, these are traditional groups that sing in groups ; These can be individual, or collectives, structural, and dramatic.
Among the Costumes or Attire worn at the jamboree, the Marimondas, which are hooded figures with long noses, floppy ears and splendid pants and vests, are the most well known costumes.
Other customary outfits are El Garabato, El Africano, Drácula, El Torito, El Congo, El Monocuco, Los Cabezones, Las Muñeconas, and El Tigrillo. Each outfit represents something, and were originated with authenticity, some are based on other costumes around the globe. Generally, they all have Colombian roots and have a significance for the barranquilleros exceptionally.
The Carnival’s dances are: La Cumbia, El Garabato, El Son de Negro, El Congo, El Mapalé, El Caiman, El Paloteo, El Gusano, Las Farotas, De Relacion and Las Pilanderas.
The ‘cumbia’, a good example of the fusion of Indian, Black and White elements that simulates a couple courting and is characterized by the elegance and subtle movements of the woman’s hips to the rhythm of a drum and flute. Another of the main dances is the Garabato, which represents a mystical battle between life and death. The Congo represents African tradition in its movement and also the memory of slavery in America.
