Barranquilla’s Carnival

Barranquilla’s carnival is the biggest celebration of folklore in all Colombia and one

of the world’s largest carnivals, with more than a hundred years of tradition. The festivities

run for four days and Colombians and visitors alike party in the streets in a colorful

celebration of Colombian culture. Its slogan is “Quien lo vive es quien lo goza (He who

lives it, enjoys it).

Very little is known about exactly how and why this carnival began. There are many

theories; the most popular belief is that the carnival is the welcoming of spring and a

celebration of birth and renewal. The carnival originates from a combination of pagan

ceremonies, catholic beliefs and ethnic diversity and is a mixture of the European, African

and Indian traditions, dances and music. It was at first a holiday for slaves, and grew to be a

celebration of the region.

Local beliefs date it back seven centuries and it is known that a great deal of the

traditions were brought to America by the Spanish and Portuguese. The first notable date in

the Carnival's history is 1888, when a figure known as King Momo appeared in the

documented history of the Carnival. In 1903, the first known battle of the flowers was

recorded, apparently to recover a long lost carnival tradition and, fifteen years later, the first

Barranquilla's Carnival's queen was chosen to preside over the festivities of the carnival,

which was later institutionalised in 1923. In the years that followed the carnival grew and

so did the traditions, including the integration of the great parade.

 The streets of Barranquilla are filled with music, dancing and fun during the

carnival with street parties, masked parades and celebrations of traditional music.

Colombian rhythms such as cumbia, porro, gaita and puya and dances including the

Spanish paloteo, African congo and the indigenous mico y micas are heart and soul of the

party, along with vigorous drumming and wind instrument performances and, of course, the

good citizens of Barranquilla can’t resist dousing one another with flour and foam.

As a citizen of the Caribbean zone of Colombia, I would say that this celebration is

the most anticipated and desired date of the year for the majority of people that lives here

(including me) and even anticipated for many foreigners and citizens from other regions.

I love this celebration because the good vibes and how exciting is to dance and be

active all day, even if you don’t like to dance you can watch the exceptional dancers and

the colorful costumes and decorations.

I would improve the festival by increasing the authorities control around the city

because many people under alcohol and drugs effects get mad, generating accidents and

fights. So, if the government increase the number of police the number of accidents would

be reduced and the people would feel more secure.