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10 facts to learn about Colombian cumbia
Cumbia is one of Colombia's most representative cultural expressions to the world. Discover more about this Colombian rhythm that has crossed borders.
The Colombian cumbia is a rhythm and folk dance characteristic of the Caribbean region that reflects the rhythmic and cultural richness of the country.
Learn 10 facts about this Caribbean gem and find out why in terms of culture, Colombia is the most welcoming country in the world:
1. Origin of Colombian cumbia
Colombian cumbia was born from the cultural hybridization between Indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants, and Spaniards during the Spanish colonial era (17th century). Therefore, it is a fusion of three cultural strands where musical instruments, sensual dances, and distinctive costumes converge.
2. Etymology of the word CUMBIA
It is believed that the word cumbia comes from the African word cumbé, meaning celebration, festivity, or revelry. Additionally, this word is registered in the Royal Spanish Academy Dictionary as "Baile de Negros" (Dance of Blacks). Ultimately, it is a dance full of flavor, representing the innate personality of Colombians.
3. Musical instruments of Colombian cumbia
Cumbia mixes various Colombian musical instruments and others originating from Africa, such as:
- The gaita, a kind of 80-centimeter flute created by the Kogui Indigenous people. It can be female, male, or short.
- The guache, a variation of the maraca that accompanies improvisations led by the drum. Usually made from guadua or bamboo and filled with seeds.
- Traditional maracas and the maracón.
- The drums, both African-origin and Indigenous, are essential to marking the rhythm. The drums used are the llamador drum, tambora alegre, and the tambora or bombo, the largest.
4. Traditional Colombian cumbia costume
To dance the Colombian cumbia, the traditional costume for women consists of a wide skirt, also known as a “pollera”, decorated with appliqués and ribbons, and a ruffle at the bottom. Blouses usually have exposed shoulders and puffed sleeves. Men wear white pants and shirt, a typical ‘vueltiao’ hat from the region, and a red scarf colloquially called ‘rabo e gallo’.
5. Choreography of Colombia’s traditional dance
Although cumbia has various forms depending on context and place, the dance centers on the man’s courtship of the woman. Dancers usually enter the stage in double single file, women on the left, men on the right. They can trace a circle and move either in place or counterclockwise.
For most of the dance, the woman glides with short steps, feet together, without lifting the heels. The body remains upright, hips dominate the movement, and knees flex only slightly to allow movement. The man, meanwhile, moves with freer motions, kneeling, bending, and chasing the woman.
6. Types of Colombian cumbia and its variations
In the traditional style of cumbia, couples dance concentrically around the orchestra or an imaginary point, with a zambo air formed by an Indigenous melody and black drums, which is entirely instrumental. But there are more types of Colombian cumbia, such as cumbiamba, which unlike cumbia is danced with accordion, millo flute, and no candles; it integrates more steps and musical rhythms like pasodoble and tango; the sabanera cumbia, played with the lime leaf instrument producing a soft sound; and vallenato cumbia, which features the famous vallenato accordion and may or may not have singing. The latter can be classified into cumbia maya, porro recogido, perillero, and popular cumbia, present at the Barranquilla Carnival.
7. Unique features of the cumbia dance
One peculiarity of the dance is that the woman plays with her skirt and raises a lit candle with one hand, dripping paraffin (formerly they used torches) to illuminate and defend herself from the man’s courtship. In contrast, men always wear a sombrero vueltiao which they use to playfully try to extinguish the candles, a gesture of teasing. Generally, dancers treat their partners to two or three candles.
8. Cultural recognition of cumbia in Colombia
In 2006, this musical rhythm and Colombian folk dance was recognized by the Ministry of Culture as a cultural symbol of Colombia and in 2013, the Colombian Congress declared the José Barros National Cumbia Festival as cultural heritage of the Nation. However, it has not yet been declared as Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Colombian Nation as a major cultural manifestation, but since 2013, the mayor of Guamal, Magdalena, Álex Ricardo Rangel Arismendi, promotes the project to declare cumbia as heritage, since it is a cultural practice, memory, and identity of Colombia.
9. Expansion of cumbia throughout South America
By mid-20th century, cumbia spread across much of Latin America, which is why today there are many variations of the musical genre throughout the continent. The most recognized are Argentine, Mexican, Salvadoran, Marimbera, and Peruvian cumbia.
10. Festivals and representative songs of cumbia
The most important festivals are the José Barros National Cumbia Festival, National Cumbiamba Festival, Sirenato de la Cumbia, Caribbean Colombian Native Cumbia Festival, Cumbia Dancers Festival, and even the Barranquilla Carnival. Some of the most representative Colombian cumbia songs are: La Pollera Colorá, La Piragua, and La Cumbia Cienaguera.
