- Some customs of the Orinoquía region
- Coleus
- Dance of the joropo
- Roast
- The San Martín gangs
- The negrera
- References
The customs of the Orinoquía region in Colombia are related to its peculiar geography and its history. Orinoquía is one of the six most important natural regions of the Colombian territory.
Also known as the Eastern Plains, this region covers most of the area of the departments of Arauca, Casanare, Meta and Vichada. It is south of the Arauca and Meta rivers, west of the Orinoco river and north of the Amazon rainforest.
The Spanish presence was left to the missionary orders, especially the Jesuits. At that time, despite a poor agricultural climate, the llaneros herded millions of head of cattle.
Some customs of the Orinoquía region
Coleus
One of the most deeply rooted customs of the Orinoquía region is coleus. This kind of rodeo is a sporting and cultural event that is practiced in the eastern plains of Colombia, but particularly in the surroundings of the city of Villavicencio.
Coleus is a competition in which two cowboys on horseback are tasked with knocking down a young bull, by getting behind the animal and pulling its tail until it loses its balance and falls.
The fall is important, because the more dramatic and sensational, the more points you earn. On the other hand, this practice differs from rodeo in the United States and Canada in that it is not about riding and tying the horns.
Similarly, unlike the Spanish bullfight, neither the Colombian coleo nor the American rodeo participate in a bullfighter-bull duel to the death.
However, many of these animals, when seriously injured, are sent to slaughter.
Dance of the joropo
Another of the popular customs of the Orinoquía region is the joropo dance.
The joropo is a type of music characterized by the use of the llanera harp, which generates a unique sound for this regional style of music and dance.
As for the dance, it is done in pairs. These only separate to dance the araguato and the cow or the bull.
In the first, the dancers scratch their ribs in imitation of that South American monkey. For the cow or bull, the woman attacks her partner as bulls do.
Roast
The most famous dish in the plains is carne asada (barbecue). Large cuts of meat are strung on six-foot metal posts that lean vertically toward the smoldering hardwood embers.
Six to eight hours later, the fat has turned into a crispy rind, while the meat is very tender and juicy.
Seasoning is very sparse, almost always just a pinch of salt and maybe a beer infusion.
The San Martín gangs
This traditional festival is a tribute to the patron saint and takes place every November 11.
These groups, representing the different Colombian ethnic groups, perform a choreographic dance. In total, there are ten figures: guerrilla, snail, snake, among others.
The negrera
As of December 8, some groups blacken their skin and wear colonial-era clothing. Each person is assigned a role: king and queen of Spain, princesses, duchesses and others.
Then, after taking office "under oath," a ritual dance begins and the participants go from house to house. This celebration takes place until the day of La Candelaria.
References
- Kline, HF (2012). Historical Dictionary of Colombia. Lanham: Scarecrow Press.
- LaRosa, MJ and Mejía, GR (2013). Colombia: A Concise Contemporary History. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield.
- Otero Gómez, MC and Giraldo Pérez, W. (2014). Cultural tourism in Villavicencio Colombia. In A. Panosso Netto and LG Godoi Trigo (editors), Tourism in Latin America: Cases of Success. New York: Springer.
- Martín, MA (1979). From Llanero folklore. Villavicencio: Lit. Juan XXIII.
- López-Alt, JK (2010, September). Barbecue and Fried Fish: Foods of the Colombian Llanos. Retrieved on October 24, 2017, from seriouseats.com.
- Ocampo López, J. (2006). Colombian folklore, customs and traditions. Bogotá: Plaza and Janes Editores Colombia.