Colombia Cumbia

The cumbia has its origin in San Basilio, a little town of Atlantic coast of Colombia, South America. It was danced and created by the slaves to feel happiness and forget the heavy work and hard life. It was danced at night in the Palenque de San Basilio behind the ocean walls, the place where the slaves used to hire from the Spanish.

The cumbia is danced with wide and long white skirts, with tropical flowers on their hair and a candle as a ritual in the darkness. Men wear white pants folded up, without shirt, with machete to side and sombrero hipihapa. Later they added a red panuelo (scarf ) around the neck to add color.

The cumbia is danced barefoot because they dance on the sand and so close to the ocean that the water reaches to touch their feet. Dancers perform around the drums musicians and the fogata.

In the Palenque, where we can still found descendants of cumbia, African-Americans who speak African and Spanish language. They continue with their traditions and customs; like crying the babies when they are born and do a rumba (party) when they die; sending letters to their dead relatives, imitating the occupation of the person that just died. They celebrate big parrandas and rumbas (big parties) to the son of cumbias with fogatas and typical orchestras, remembering their heritage and slavery, being now completely free.