CubaPLUS Magazine

Every December 24, the Cuban city of Remedios, in the central region of the country, lives the glory of celebrating the most boisterous and joyful Christmas Eve on the island: its Parrandas, a traditional festivity declared Cultural Heritage of the Nation in 2013 and Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) in 2018.

Echoes of history and legend repeat that the celebration was born in 1820, by an initiative of the young and ingenious father Francisco Vigil (Francisquito), officiant in the Parroquial Mayor. It turns out that the priest was angry to the bone at the reluctance of the inhabitants of the town to attend the Masses of Aguinaldo and of Gallo (rooster), convened in the cold dawns from December 16 to 24.

Then he organized a happy flock of children between the ages of 10 and 15 to unleash a terrible noise in the streets, with whistles, noisemakers, pots, and pans, to wake up their sleeping countrymen and compel them to fulfill their duty to God. That thunderous and persistent alert or call evolved over the years to become the tastiest and most beloved festivals in the city, one of the first seven towns founded in Cuba in the 16th century. And that happened, with the addition, first, of processions, bugles, groups of guitarists specialized in serenades, and then the rumbón based on drums, bells, pans, and drums.

Then came the wonderful floats, parades of dancers and folkloric characters, evolutions of the Plaza, and fireworks, which gave the touch of brilliance to a festival that has everything: tradition, customs, religion, music, joy, and the delight of enjoyment,pagans of today's modern life.

They say that since the 1950s, the two main protagonists and competing factions of the festivities, are representative of the neighborhoods.It has always been a revelry in which the whole town gladly participates.Over time, the parrandas spread to 17 neighboring territories such as Caibarién, Zulueta, Guayos, Zaza del Medio, and Chambas, today belonging to different provinces in central Cuba.They are admired throughout the Island.

Today, organizing the Parrandas incorporates a logistics that locals call "the great machinery" that includes artists, amateurs, carpenters, electricians, props, costume designers, seamstresses, administrators, buyers, sellers, painters, decorators, drivers, economic specialists and workers of the Museum of Remedios Parrandas. In the end, they are nothing more than enthusiastic representatives of a town that loves its beautiful traditions  and honors them with a new creation each year, better than the previous one, if possible, and remember the most famous historical revelers of the region, which are also a source of respect and pride.