BARRANQUILLA´S COSTUMES

By ENGLISH LEVELS, Teacher Kelly Fernández S.

BARRANQUILLA´S CARNIVAL COSTUMES

BARRANQUILLA´S COSTUMES

Traditional customs are El garabato, El Africano, Dracula, El torito, EL Congo, El Monocuco, Los Cabezones, Las Muñeconas, and El Tigrillo.

The Carnival´s 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. 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 slaver in America.

MARIMONDA

La 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.

MORE ABOUT MARIMONDA´S COSTUME

Marimondas are the clowns of Carnaval. The costume originated with poorer Barranquilleros as a way to make fun of the fancy, expensive costumes that members of high society tend to wear. Marimondas wear sacks over their heads, have giant flapping elephant ears, phallic noses, pants worn backwards, colorful vests and ties. The marimonda is one of the few Carnaval characters with origins entirely from Barranquilla  - with his silly, unchoreographed dance, he represents the joking, rowdy typical Barranquillero.

GARABATO The Dance of the Garabato is a

dance representing the battle between life and death, and originated in Spain. A garabato is the traditional stick used by the Costeño farmer. For this costume, men wear black pants, a yellow shirt, and a red cape adorned with colorful sequins and designs, and have their faces painted white and red. They use the garabato to do battle with Death, usually represented by someone dressed as a skeleton. Women wear beautiful black dresses with red, yellow and green features, the colors of Barranquilla.

CONGO The Congo is one of the

oldest of the Barranquilla Carnaval characters. This warlike dance was first performed in Cartagena by slaves with origins from, as its name suggests, the African Congo, and soon became a part of Carnaval as well. The men wear bright satin clothes including colorful capes, but the most noticeable component of the costume is the tall headdress covered in fake flowers of every color. A long train trails down from the back of the headdress nearly to the ground. They also wear sunglasses and carry wooden machetes that they use during the dance.

NEGRITAS PULOY

Negritas puloy This costume has one of

the funniest origins – it first became popular in the 1960s after an advertisement for a Venezuelan brand of detergent called Puloy featured these coquettish women. They wear curly black wigs and cute red dresses with white polka dots, along with matching headbands. 

CUMBIA

"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.

GRATEFUL OF BEING BORN IN CURRAMBA LA BELLA!

QUE VIVA MI ARENOSA!QUE VIVA BARRANQUILLA!