Captivating Cuba

Cuba comes alive at Christmas time; my colleagues have written about the season here and here; the island becomes a joyous place, and they were obviously sad not to be here. But I take a more proactive view; While my compatriots prepare for the ensuing festivals with their usual gusto, I invite you to join me in looking past this festival season, to gaze into the New Year and see the delights that Cuba has to offer you in 2009.

February - the Havana Jazz Festival

Cuba moves to a Cuban rhythm. The toes tap, the heart pumps and the people dance. The true spirit of Cuba is seen in the Havana Jazz Festival, where the legendary Jazz played in our bars and clubs expands. In February this Cuban beat lifts the roofs of all the houses in the city, and comes onto the streets with a riotous party atmosphere of music. We now have Chucho Valdes as the artistic director, and together with the best players in the country we show tourists the life's blood of Cuba and, for the length of your stay, allow you to join us in what it means to be a Cuban.

Image courtesy of Flickr under creative commons licence.

July - Havana Carnival and the Santiago de Cuba festival

Separate festivals. Separate parts of the island. The same wild, colourful and distinctly Cuban spirit. The Havana Carnival and the festival in Santiago de Cuba are vibrant and fun for everyone involved. The Carnival has 'comparsa' perform one after another in a parade, each group organised from Havana neighbourhoods. The neighbourhoods practise for months, and the rivalry adds to the brilliance of the performance of the parade. Concerts erupt on the Melecon and good food and drink are available to all.

The only excuse not to be there is that you were at Santiago de Cuba, where another festival takes place at the same time. More of a street party than an organised festival with parade, the Santiago de Cuba Festival is like one long party with short breaks for sleep. The best time to visit and see the festival is between the 24th and the 26th July.

The truly dedicated will start at one party and move to another, with the most dedicated of revellers going from one to the other and then back again.

As for the rest of the year, I shall leave you in suspense until closer the time, but I will be here for all of the festivals and holidays, eager for you to join me at all the parties.

Your man in Cuba,
Hector Gonzales

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Having read Jasna's blog post about Remedios, I thought I'd carry it further and tell you about the rest of the island!

In an effort to make up for that, I've brought together some helpful info to get you into the Christmassy mood that grabs the island at this time of year. It's funny to say, but Christmas has only really 'taken off' in recent years. Before that, celebrating Christmas was a criminal offence! However, when the Pope at the time visited in 1998, Christmas was decriminalised, and since then the country's really been making up for lost time, and it's great to see and be a part of.

Since it's almost been rediscovered in Cuba, the excitement of Christmas is even more acute than elsewhere in the world. It's like someone telling you for the first time that you have a birthday and every year you'll celebrate it. There's a really great atmosphere to the whole thing. Jasna's already written about the Remedios festival, and you can learn more about it here. But incredible as Remedios is, I want to go back for more than just that.

Revellers at Christmas, Cuba.
Image courtesy of Flickr under creative commons licence.

There are festivals in almost all the areas of Cuba at this time of year. Remedios has one, and so does Bejucal. While I like the two, I.ve always had a bias towards the Charangas de Bejucal, simply because I like the longer running festival - more fun for everyone! During the Charangas de Bejucal , singing and dancing are incorporated into parades of festival floats, brass band music and friendly rivalry born from a tradition of Christmas parades by both Christians and local religions. Today revelers can choose a side - red or blue - and join in the fun which runs from the 24th to the 26th, and also has a one off day on the 1st January.

I'm already missing the build up of advent towards celebrations over the holiday. Even if you're not Christian there's a great feeling of togetherness on Christmas eve during midnight mass in Revolution square. The bells start to ring at midnight and a great cheer goes up. It's amazing to be a part of. Christmas is still fairly taboo with the Cuban authorities, but in the face of religious pressure and tourist demand, the celebrations have started to bloom.

I can see myself now, sitting in the Casa de la Troba, kicking back, relaxing with a drink and listening to the amazing music on Christmas day, after a Christmas Eve full of reveling and joyous partying. *sigh*

Oh well. Next year is a definite.
See you al later,
Peter.

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Managing to keep up this blog posting challenge - at this rate I won't need to make it a New Year's Resolution.

Of course, as our office begins to wind down for Christmas, everyone's getting quite excited about seeing family and friends, and partaking in all the traditional festivities of the season. And while the traditions in England certainly get me in the spirit, the most amazing Christmas I remember was a few years back when I was celebrating the season in Cuba. The magic of Remedios is written into local folklore, but for those unfamiliar, here's a guide to one of the most famous Cuban festivals:

I'm sure that wherever you grew up, there was always one pair of neighbours who seemed to battle it out each year with their Christmas decorations, desperately trying to be the house with the biggest, most spectacular array of lights, tinsel and inflatable Santas. Imagine that multiplied by a thousand and you might be somewhere close to Remedios at Christmas - this small town is home to perhaps the most spectacular Christmas Eve festival in the world, a riot of lanterns, music, fireworks and all night partying.

Origins of the Festival

Like all the best traditions, there's plenty of debates and explanations about how it started. But it is generally agreed that it first began in the 19th century when a local priest, dismayed by the difficulty of summoning a good sized congregation for midnight mass on Christmas Eve, recruited teams of children to run throughout the streets playing instruments, banging tins, singing, and generally making as much noise as possible! The idea caught on; soon adults were involved as well, and the music became more sophisticated and the decorations more and more elaborate until it had become a full on street festival, with rival districts seeking to out do each other in noise and spectacle.

Learn more about the history of Remedios

Remedios Today

The run up to Christmas is filled with celebrations in Remedios, but Christmas Eve is the main event. Music, half hourly fireworks displays, drinking and laughter give way to the astonishing central event, a competition between the two rival neighbourhoods of El Carmen and El Salvador. On Christmas Eve, at about three o'clock in the morning (forget sleep if you want to enjoy this!), the two neighbourhoods unveil their spectacular carnival floats and parade through the town. The floats are judged, the winner is announced, and the entire town parties on until dawn...and beyond!

Watch some of the Remedios festival on You Tube.

Anyone on holiday in Cuba over the Christmas period should get over to Remedios if they can - it is truly unforgettable. Finding a place to stay in Remedios itself is a challenge - most hotels and accommodation options are booked up well in advance of the Christmas period. A good option is to stay at nearby Santa Clara before heading in for the festival itself; we'd recommend a stay at the Los Caneyes.

I intend to go back myself in 2009 to enjoy the spectacle of Remedios all over again - but for this year it will be a more British version: a carol service and glass of eggnog.

Jasna

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