Colombian community celebrates Independence Day
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/07/2019 (2479 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Rideau Park was alive with boisterous music, flashy dancers and a sea of brilliant yellow as community members gathered together to celebrate Colombian Independence Day Saturday afternoon.
The day began with a car parade that ran from the North Hill to Rideau Park, followed by music, dancers and other forms of entertainment paired with handmade empanadas and arepas throughout the afternoon, participant Zairia Florez said.
“Today is about celebrating our home country’s Independence Day,” she said. “This is our home away from home. We like to get together and celebrate our country because we’re so far away from it.”
Popular upbeat Colombian cumbia and vallenato music was floating on the air throughout the day as people wearing yellow, traditional garbs or carefully hand-crafted flair celebrating Colombia gathered together to honour their country.
The best part of the day was the car parade, Florez said, because they get to show everyone in Brandon the pride they have in their country.
“People are always curious about whats going on. The dances and entertainment are always cool for them to see.”
A duo of happy teenagers were wandering the crowd handing out cupcakes with red, blue and yellow icing to match the vibrant colours of the Colombian flag, welcoming everyone to come to join in the festivities.
Dancers took to the stage in colourful dresses and white suits offset by a red bandana, their enjoyment of the music contagious.
Catalina Camargo was a traditional dancer at the event and relished in the opportunity to share the occasion with her fellow Colombians and Brandonites.
“We’re showing our culture to the community — we’re showing off some dances, some food and some music,” Camargo said.
They learn to dance from a young age at school in Colombia, she said, and when they take to the stage it is an opportunity to share that important part of the culture with others.
“It’s in our blood, I guess, we just do it.”
John Rincon is part of a group of families that volunteer to bring together the Colombia Independence Day celebration on July 20 each year.
“We try to celebrate and bring a little bit of Colombia,” Rincon said.
The theme of this year’s festival was Colombian Coffee Zone, because the country is world-renowned for the quality of their coffee.
“This year we wanted to honour that,” Florez said.
The Independence holiday marks Colombia’s end to colonial rule from Spain in 1810.
“The Colombian people always miss their country, their families and their relatives, and their land,” Rincon said. “When we celebrate, we try to remember and try to bring a little piece of Colombia here.”
»ckemp@brandonsun.com
»Twitter: @The_ChelseaKemp