Captivating Cuba

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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