Barranquillas carnival

Barranquillas carnival is most important celebration Colombian folklore, and one of the biggest carnivals in the world. The carnival is celebrated of 18th to 21th of February. The carnival has traditions that date back to the 19th century. Barranquilla receives about 1 millions national and internationals tourists, and joins together with the citys inhabitants to enjoy four days of intense festivities. The activities of the Carnival are presentation of the Carnivals queen and momo king, Carnival the opening of the Carnival with the battle of the flowers parade with dances folk, presentation of musical groups and finally the burial of Joselito carnival.

Firstly the carnivals queen is chosen at the end of the previous year and the King Momo is also chosen around this time, and who is the Queen tube had been part in the Carnival since childhood and is well known for its spirit of Carnival, at the case the king Momo is similar, the typical characters are: the marimonda,dracula, the monocuco, el torito,el tigrillo, the queen Gay, the mad and among others. but the characters more representative are the momo King and Joselito carnaval.

Afther on February 18th star the flowers battle, itsthe central and most important act. It is a great parade of floats, headed by the Queen of the Carnival, followed by folk groups, comparsa and also is made Parade of momo King.

After that on February 19th its done great stop of tradition its a parade where there are typical dances like the cumbia, the puya, the porro, the bullerengue, the bird, the mapal and the merecumb.

Then on February 20th celebrates the Festival of orchestras, at this participate in different musical categories, orchestras and groups is presented in numerous dances of Carnival. The winners in each category receive the coveted Golden Congo

Finally on February 21th is performed the burial of Joselito Carnaval, which symbolizes the end of the festivities. On this day in many places of the city are happy burials of Joselito, character that symbolizes the joy of the holidays, Joselito carnival had resurrected the Saturday of Carnival and dies on the last day tired and enguayabado, to resurrect the following year in the next Carnival.

The Barranquillas Carnival is a good option if you want to have a good time culture and parties dont think so much to packed suitcases and go to the Carnival of Barranquilla

By: Rodrigo Narvaez Narvaez

During the carnival Barranquillas normal activities are paralyzed because the city gets busy with street dances, musical and masquerade parades. Barranquillas Carnival includes dances like the Spanish paloteo, African congo and indigenous mico y micas. Many styles of Colombian music are also performed, most prominently cumbia, and instruments include drums and wind ensembles. The Carnival of Barranquilla was proclaimed Cultural Masterpiece of the Nation by Colombias National Congress on 2002. Also the UNESCO, in Paris on November 7, 2003, declared it as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanit. The Carnival starts on the Saturday before Ash Wednesday with the Battle of the Flowers, which is considered one of the main activities. Then, The Great Parade on Sunday and Monday is marked by an Orchestra Festival with Caribbean and Latin bands. Tuesday signals the end of the carnival, announced by the burial of Joselito Carnaval, who is mourned by everyone. Joselito Carnaval is the character that represents the barranquillas carnival it symbolizes joy, the feast, the revelry and disorder of this celebration of Dios Momo. Then 4 days of intense rumba dies and his body is mourned and buried symbolically by the merry widows shared with the their feast days. Barranquillas Carnival slogan is: Who lives it,is who enjoys it (Quien lo vive, es quien lo goza). As in all party there is a Queen, the carnivals queen is chosen at the end of the previous year so that she has time to prepare herself. The King Momo is also chosen around this time, and whoever is the queen or the king has taken part in the carnival since childhood and is well known for his carnival spirit. Rehearsals for the carnival start several weeks before the Carnival and every Friday of this season is Carnival Friday. The Carnival Queen presides over the different events until the symbolic burial of Joselito Carnaval (Joseph Carnival). Carnival starts off with the Pre-Carnival activities. The festival officially begins with the Lectura del Bando,

which is the traditional reading of the carnival proclamation. Here it is stated that everyone must enjoy themselves, dance and party wildly. Although the carnival officially initiates with this activity, in Barranquilla there is happiness and joy weeks before of this. The marimonda, which are hooded figures with long noses, floppy ears and bright trousers and vests, is the most popular costume because it is the only costume that originated in Barranquilla. The rest of the costumes come from European or African origin. Carnaval de Barranquilla Marimonda characters Other traditional customs are El garabato, El Africano, Dracula, El torito, EL Congo, El Monocuco, Los Cabezones, Las Mueconas, and El Tigrillo. The Carnivals dances are: La Cumbia, El Garabato, El Son de Negro, El Congo, El Mapale, 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 womans 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. All of the carnival events are often broadcasted live by regional television channels. The Carnival of Barranquilla is very important for the economy of the entire region. Tourism increases significantly these 4 days, which are holidays in Barranquilla.