CubaPLUS Magazine

As an explosion of color and joy, the Charangas of Bejucal in Mayabeque stand out today as one of Cuba’s most internationally renowned traditional festivals. Despite the island's economic hardships, this celebration remains deeply rooted in the nation's collective memory and cultural heritage, making it a legacy well worth highlighting.

Bejucal is a vibrant town in Cuba's Mayabeque province, internationally famous for its Charangas—annual, multi-hued festivities that run deep in the island's cultural identity. Located just 20 kilometers from Havana, the town becomes a showcase for the boundless imagination of designers, painters, musicians, and other local artists, who compete to make each float and stage more spectacular and unique than the last. The majestic Palace of the Marquises of San Felipe and Santiago de Bejucal, the Plaza de Armas, and the Parish Church serve as the grand backdrops for the main parade.

Historically, during the Christmas Eve Midnight Mass (Misa del Gallo), local Catholics would take to the streets with torches, noisemakers (matracas), conch shells, and bagpipes, at the exact time that enslaved Africans celebrated their own ancestral deities. Over time, these practices fused into a shared tradition that is still proudly kept alive today.

This convergence of diverse peoples eventually divided the townspeople into two rival camps: the Blue team and the Red team. The Blues championed the Musicanga—composed of Creoles, native-born Cubans, free Blacks, and enslaved people—while their rivals, Los Malayos (the Reds), represented Spanish colonists and Canary Islanders (isleños). 

Spanning from the early morning Novena Masses (Misas de Aguinaldo) to Midnight Mass on December 24, the festival grew to captivate the entire town.
It fostered a unique symbiosis of music and color where various African ethnic groups mingled with the Spanish, cementing a lasting tradition.

The celebration evolved into a lively street festival fueled by traditional food and drinks, defined by eye-catching floats that can tower up to 23 meters high today. The construction of these floats remains the centerpiece of the rivalry, with each side adopting its own emblem: the Scorpion (El Alacrán) for the Blues, and the Rooster (El Gallo) for the Reds.

At the turn of 1902, the first wooden-framed floats emerged, accompanied by traditional drums and iconic Cuban genres like son and rumba. Over time, the teams took on new names: the Blues became La Ceiba de Plata (The Silver Silk-Cotton Tree), and the Reds became La Espina de Oro (The Golden Thorn).

In 1912, the character of La Macorina was introduced—a man dressed as a woman with exaggerated, voluptuous curves who performs suggestive dances. This iconic figure references a famous Cuban song inspired by a real woman of the same name.

Another standout element is Los Tambores de Bejucal (The Drums of Bejucal), a percussion ensemble born from the heat of these celebrations. Today, they accompany Los Guaracheros de Regla, a street-dance troupe (comparsa) of international renown in both the Cuban capital and abroad.

San Felipe de Bejucal, founded in 1713, serves as the municipal seat and comprises four urban neighborhoods. It is nestled along the southern slopes of the Sierra de Bejucal, surrounded by rolling hills.

(Taken from Prensa Latina)