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Heart and Soul: A Colombian Christmas in February

A Colombian Christmas in February

10/05/2024 GMT

BBC World Service - Heart and Soul, A Colombian Christmas in February

How the days of slavery led to a belated Colombian Christmas in the town of Quinamayo

How the days of slavery led to the tradition of Christmas celebrations in February in the Colombian town of Quinamayo.

In the heart of Colombia, very special Christmas celebrations take place not in December but in February. Its roots lie in the days of slavery when many Afro-Colombians were serving their masters' festivities during that time.

In an act of cultural and racial resistance that has been preserved for nearly 200 years, Christmas celebrations in Quinamayo are held 40 days after the traditional birth date of Jesus and the amount of time that the Virgin Mary is said to have rested after delivery. The town becomes abuzz with music and dancing. Brass bands parade through the streets, local children gather around a black baby Jesus playing biblical characters from the New Testament and female leaders known as Matronas are resplendent in their traditional colourful costumes.
 
A celebratory dance - the juga - is performed with shuffling feet, a reference to how their ancestors were once burdened with chains around their ankles.  Once a symbol of repression, it is now reinterpreted as an act of resistance and freedom. Christina Noreiga asks how the celebrations came about and why they have a special magic for both young and old.

Presenter: Christina Noriega
Producer: Katie Buchanan
Researcher/fixer: Jair Coll
Editor: Martin Buchanan 
A Play it by Ear production for BBC World Service

(Photo: Matronas parade with a black baby Jesus. Credit: Jair Coll)

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