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• Arts and Culture
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• 06 / 21 / 2008

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This typical party is held every year around the 1 of July, anniversary of the birth date of Juan Cristóbal Nápoles Fajardo, The Cucalambé, and the selected location is the El Cornito farm, in tribute to who was the Decimista of the XX century and has become an undisputable popular celebration a meeting with the countryside tradition.

From its first editions, the Cucalambean days are celebrated in a countryside environment, surrounded by trees and poets, with a special touch to the Cuban cultural identity.

The celebration started in 1930´s, when fraternal societies gathered together at the El Cornito, with the participation of some local families, to pay tribute to El Cucalambé.

Since it start these parties were organized with two groups or teams, red and blue, and each one has a group of young people that represent and defend them.

Already in 1964, important personalities, such as Jesús Orta Ruiz, José Ramírez Cruz y Ramón Veloz organised a party that represented the countryside culture and had The Cucalambe as its main figure. This celebration had a national character for several years until in 1974 was held the First Hispanic American Meeting sponsored by the National Association of Small farmers (ANAP, after its initials in Spanish) and the Casa de las Americas. This meeting gathered together the most representative of the Cuban popular culture, as well as spiritual and material.

In 1967 was elected for the first time the Birama Flower and next year was created the “Concurso Nacional EL Cucalambé en Décima” (El Cucalambe National Competition in Decima). Later on, in 1991 and dedicated to the 400 years of de Decima started the Iberian American Decima festivals an din 1999 was delivered for the fist time the Laúd Cucalambeano to a foreign personality.

In every edition are enhanced the Cuban tradicional dances that are performed by children, young people and adults, such as the zapateo, son, caringa, the gavilan dance, papalote, chivo, papelón and the nengón. Several countryside games have been rescued, such as ribbon runs, the horse runs, to ride a bull, to knock down a calf, the buried duck, and the slippery stick and pork.

(Cubarte)