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Colombian culture

I have decided to write something useful for a change, I usually talk about the dark side of things and like to tell people how tough it is to live in Colombia because I like to tell things as they are and not white wash them to make them look prettier although our country can be a little messed up our culture still the same and that is what I miss the most being so far from it makes me realized how precious our country is. I love mi gente crazy as they are! We sure know how to enjoy ourselves. Anyway I leave you to remember our culture.

Colombia is very versatile there you can find all the seasons and all types of people with different characters, attitudes and believes, most Colombians are very religious even the sicario prays before he commits a crime!

Colombians are a mixture of everything! There are mestizos, cholos, mulattos, white from European backgrounds like most paisas, black afrocolombianos like the people from the pacific coast (choco, Buenaventura and the costeños from guajira who are very friendly with their female donkeys we call them costeños come burra!!), Indians, gypsy groups known as the rom and other mixed races.

Colombia also has a large number of indigenous groups with 64 different languages and dialects between them such as arawak, caribe, chibcha, guahibo, tucano, witoto, barbacoa, guarani etc.

From the Guajira region are the mokanas, chimilas, zenus, emberas, katios, pacabuys, wiwas, yokos, ljkas o arhuacos, sanhas, kankuamoss, kogis, macuiros, anates, wayunaiki, cuanaos y eneales these people still have their honour killings which are acts of violence committed against
women by family members, generally for what is considered "immoral behaviour".

From the east coast: Tules, emberas, waunaans, epraras, siapidaras, pastos, awas, yanaconas, guanacos, totoroes, paez and guambianos my mothers great grandfather was a leader in one of the indigenous groups in the Cauca region he was what’s known as a cacique!

From the west are the betoyes, chiricoas, makaguajes, masiguares, salibas, achaguas, guayeberos, piapocos, sikuanis, amoruas and cibas.

From the Middle West are the bans, unebos, avanes, pijaos, tamas, dujos and the well known muiscas!

In the Amazons region (south of Colombia) we find the majority of the indigenous groups there are approximately 50 tribes, they include the ingas, kofans, kamsas, yuris, yucunas, makus and many more.

These people work damn hard to provide for their own and to subsist it is a miracle that with all that’s going on in our country these people still manage to survive they have amazing talents and have given us their agriculture skills and other arts and crafts.

Our typical music and dances are also a combination of sounds and movements from different backgrounds we have the San Juanero, Bambuco, Bunde, Pasillo, Joropo, Currulao, Cumbia, Guabina, Shiotis, La Caña, Seresese, Porro, Pasillo Boliao, Pasaje, Contradanza, Galerón Llanero, Torbellino, Las Perdices, La Manta, la guañena, bunde, Guabina Chiquinquireña, rumba criolla, El Seresese, El Shiotis and the mapale which I used to dance when growing up in my retiro neighbourhood in cali full of black people from choco and the present sounds of salsa, vallenato, merengue and pop music.

Colombians also love our food and have huge appetites in a Colombian kitchen you can find majarblanco, arequipe, alchiras, cicadas, chontaduros and nothing beats a good empanada, arepas, frijoles, ajiaco, sancocho, coconut rice, tamales and what about our chicha or aguardiente? I also love borojo, agua de panela and sugar cane juice so refreshing!

Do you remember any traditions? I remember that when growing up my granny used to take me to the cathedral on good Friday and we couldn’t eat meat for the whole week (holy week).. we used to go to las 3 cruces every Sunday and go on a chiba bus to a nearby finca north of Monterey in Cali, I loved going on those chibas with all those pigs and other animals going up the mountains man those were the days! I also loved going to see the ferias (bull fighting, concerts etc) my favourite is the feria de cali and festival de blancos y negros in Pasto and what about the feria in manizales?? And let’s not forget la fiesta del Diablo en Riosucio! Going to juanchito and chango… Damn all those memories make me wish I was there now!

By nanis on Jan 14, 2005, 10:38 in Friendly Talkzone.

Desideria (Moderator) says on Jan 14, 2005, 10:50:

good post Mrs. Gomez. Very informative and filled with sweet memories. We used to to the rivers and countryside with a picnic basket or just a fried chicken from Kokoriko, arepitas and papas with salt, take long hikes up the Pance on foot with friends, get a dip in the icy-cold currents of the river wearing sneakers for not to hurt our feet on the rocks...

Colombia de fiestas, de reinados, de ferias....torrential rains when everybody stays home because they don't want to get wet. Earthquakes and tremors in the middle of the night with everybody rushing outside in their underwear...people making an airport visit into a paseo (to watch the airplanes and the weird people coming out of them...going to a dentist's appointment at two p.m with the dentist showing up at four p.m. You've got to love a country like that!
Cheers,
Desi

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

elmodefoque says on Jan 14, 2005, 10:53:

"...people making an airport visit into a paseo (to watch the airplanes and the weird people coming out of them..."

desi, are you talking about calipro again?

over 5 million colombianos in USA and only 27 barranquilleros, i'm one.Curramba, el mejor vividero del mundo!

nanis says on Jan 14, 2005, 11:02:

very funny desi! i know people there make a trip out of anything! i remember one time my friend was leaving to go to spain and the whole family made a huge party with musicians they all went to the airport to say good bye and there were like 4 cars! they had papallera and big goodbye posters the funny thing was that my friend wasn't allowed in spain and was deported and was sent back the very next day! so embarrasing and yet all her neighbours still managed to get a ride to the airport to see the planes and to see the people coming out of them, they were like oh look at the gringo coming he's so tall isn't he? so funny! i also loved going to pance my grandma used to make this sancocho de gallina while we were swimming!

Desideria (Moderator) says on Jan 14, 2005, 11:13:

elmo I never talk about calipro! He is the expert in that department himself:) Besides, it's him who came back from Cali with my name on his lips.
Cheers,
Desi
(I have to admit if I had seen somebody with a scrathed-out face like him...up the legs and into the chest...it would have been worth a paseo.)

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

elmodefoque says on Jan 14, 2005, 11:16:

"(choco, Buenaventura and the costeños from guajira who are very friendly with their female donkeys we call them costeños come burra!!)"

Mrs. G, pela lindisima, I've been telling these guys for months about costeños and their love for burras. I know of cases of jealousy were one guy screw another burra by mistake and got his head cut off. Most burras look exactly alike and after a few drinks you don’t know whose burra is who or whom. It does not help that in most villages there’s no light and guys get easily confused and end up dead. I also witness burra swapping parties, much like wife swapping parties very popular in California. Guys get together and take turns banging each others burra. Sometime the burra might fall for one guy and follows his ass home, that’s when jealousy starts and ends up with some poor bastard machete to death.

over 5 million colombianos in USA and only 27 barranquilleros, i'm one.Curramba, el mejor vividero del mundo!

oldbongo says on Jan 14, 2005, 11:29:

go back.. and research culture..

oldbongo says on Jan 14, 2005, 11:31:

i mean.. research staying in shape..sorry

nanis says on Jan 14, 2005, 11:33:

OG what are you talking about my dear friend?

oldbongo says on Jan 14, 2005, 11:47:

i'm talkin about.. QUEER donkey-schtuppers...

nanis says on Jan 14, 2005, 11:50:

yeah i thought it was the burras that were meant to get banged! suspicios isn't it? i'm starting to wonder if the costeños like to bang burros or if it is the other way round?

elmodefoque says on Jan 14, 2005, 11:52:

no way, we bang them, why do you think we tied their legs? so they wont kick our nuts off.

over 5 million colombianos in USA and only 27 barranquilleros, i'm one.Curramba, el mejor vividero del mundo!

elmodefoque says on Jan 14, 2005, 11:54:

is a lot easier to have a friend hold the tail up for easier penetration. is a two man effort.

over 5 million colombianos in USA and only 27 barranquilleros, i'm one.Curramba, el mejor vividero del mundo!

oldbongo says on Jan 14, 2005, 11:55:

dammm... now i know you're queer.

elmodefoque says on Jan 14, 2005, 12:00:

what, you neve banged a burra? i gurantee that you'll be coming back for more, you might even try to get her (burra) a visa to canada jejejej

over 5 million colombianos in USA and only 27 barranquilleros, i'm one.Curramba, el mejor vividero del mundo!

elmodefoque says on Jan 14, 2005, 12:02:

i better go home, before i get thrown out by peter. see ya guys, adios mi amorsito. not you oldgringo! i'm talking to Mr. G

over 5 million colombianos in USA and only 27 barranquilleros, i'm one.Curramba, el mejor vividero del mundo!

oldbongo says on Jan 14, 2005, 12:03:

no way jose' la commandante only approves of fish....
and chickens...

nanis says on Jan 14, 2005, 12:08:

man who bangs burra come chiquito too, i bet you elmo love giving el beso negro to your wife but a ladies chiquito is way to precious to bang more than once a week wouldn't want your wife to end up like reina! she says her butt esta roto! you better keep banging your burra instead! that way your wife can keep having her chiquito nice and tight! and please stop talking about burras and chiquitos! i wrote this thread to show my colombian patriotism and loyalty for once and look what you are making me write! you guys are a bad influence on me!!

oldbongo says on Jan 14, 2005, 12:13:

okay... this is a deep cultural issue,
long pondered, and debated in colombia.
qual es mejor?
la mona mona de la sierra nevada, or la punta roja de cali??

ARMacleod says on Jan 14, 2005, 12:15:

What's a burra? Is that a desk? or perhaps a society, sort of like the Fedral Burra of Inventigation?

Being of unsound mind and dubious disposition, I cannot be held legally liable for any indiscretions. ¡El diablo me hizo lo hago! But don't worry, be happy.

The brain is like a parachute, it only functions correctly when it is open. Pax vobiscum.

Lauthra says on Jan 14, 2005, 12:15:

ur wrong Punto rojo it's from Medellín Corinto is the best of el Valle
Nato ;)

Nato (='.'=)

elmodefoque says on Jan 14, 2005, 12:22:

I only bang el chiquito for medical reasons, she always complains about constipation and her doctor told me that I have to do it daily. But I always kiss it before I begin.
chaoo corazon, me voy pa el carajo.

over 5 million colombianos in USA and only 27 barranquilleros, i'm one.Curramba, el mejor vividero del mundo!

oldbongo says on Jan 14, 2005, 12:23:

sorry, nato.. the oldgringo is an honorary costeno, and all we
ever hear is that punto rojo is from cali,bogota,medellin,
all parts of the interior,and that it's so fuerte., but we seem
to like our herbs fresh, and the dark one seems so stale.

paisa29 says on Jan 14, 2005, 12:48:

nato, a cual punto rojo te refieres?

Lauthra says on Jan 14, 2005, 14:03:

Err... Estamos hablando de ganya, y no se si sea permitido...
Nato ;)

Nato (='.'=)

oldbongo says on Jan 14, 2005, 14:19:

claro...not only permitted, but encouraged... you are showing yourself as a common example of the
product of two generations of paranoia, kid,...
break out the bible, wave the carnet of genesis,and proclaim
to all the merits of our best flora....

ReinaDeLa Baile says on Jan 14, 2005, 14:35:

FYI Now that we are down to once every ten days, from twice a week, I am much happier. Although I notice he is going out to feed the donkey more often. ?!?

la reina no mas roto

p.d. senora G - also that microphone suggestion was good but now I have tonsilitis from all of the jabbing.

On a serious note, I read an article in the Washington Post LIVING section about Colombian coffee making its way to ... the port of Baltimore (sort of my back door - no pun intended - jajaja!). very informative reading. AND I am wondering. They say 11% of all coffee comes from Colombia. So, how much coke is accidentally shipped in those bags? huh? Don't tell me none. And don't tell me that the USA could not stop it if we wanted to. I smell a rat payoff Mr. George Bush Coke Head.

rant over.

sorry Mrs. G - to tailgate on your lovely thread.

let's finish with a cultural aside such as favorite flowers in Colombia or what kind of cute shoes little girls ages 2-4 would wear.