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EveryParampara

Traditions of Barranquilla

The home of the Carnaval de Barranquilla, one of the largest carnivals in the world, a UNESCO masterpiece.

Barranquilla is a Caribbean port at the mouth of the Magdalena River. Its Carnival, held over four days before Lent, mixes Spanish, African and Indigenous folklore: dances such as the Congo, Cumbia, Mapalé and the Garabato. The Carnival's central figure is Marimonda, a mocking character with a long nose.

Barranquilla: Photo montage of the city of Barranquilla , Colombia .
Photo: Mr.Jhosimar, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The four days of Carnaval

The Battle of Flowers on Saturday, the Gran Parada on Sunday, the Fantasía parade on Monday and the burial of Joselito Carnaval on Tuesday are the main events. People wear Marimonda masks and colourful costumes. Dances such as the Congo satirise colonial times. The Carnival is on UNESCO's list.

At the table

Butifarra, a pork sausage, bollo de yuca, queso costeño and sancocho de sábado are local. Arepa de huevo and carimañolas, fried cassava rolls with meat, are the street food. Aguardiente, an anise spirit, and chicha are drunk during the festival.

Signature traditions of Barranquilla

Also part of it, and being written: Barranquilla's Carnival (The Carnival.), Marimonda (The character.), Carimañola (The fried roll.), Butifarra (The sausage.).

A trail idea for Barranquilla

  1. Paseo Bolívar Buy street food.
  2. Plaza de la Paz See the cathedral.
  3. Casa del Carnaval See costumes.
About this page

Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, markets and festival dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

KindSpiritualFestivalRite of passageTable customSeasonalDressPerformanceEtiquetteCraftGameFolkloreHomeCeremony
MealBreakfastLunchDinnerSupperTea-time and snacking customsTea, coffee and drinking ceremoniesSweets given and sharedFeasts and festival mealsFasting and breaking the fast
🇨🇴 Barranquilla, ColombiaBarranquilla CarnivalCarnaval de Barranquilla A four-day street festival of music, masquerade and dance in coastal ColombiaFestival

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly EveryParampara

Every week: one tradition from somewhere new, what is being celebrated around the world this week, and one idea explained.