The 6 traditions of Venezuela that you should know

The traditions of Venezuela are the result of cultural heritage of the American nation. These are events and customs that, in many cases, originated several centuries ago, but which remain as relevant today.

They are also related to the cultural substrate of the country, made up of the indigenous (the region had a strong presence of the Caribs, the Timo-Cuicas and the Arawaks), the European and the African. In addition, They cover all areas of social life, from religion to gastronomy, through music and dance or the world of legends. But, without further ado, we are going to show you six of the most important traditions of Venezuela.

The joropo and other dances

El joropo It is the traditional dance of Venezuela par excellence. It has its origin in the fandango which, in turn, if we listen to the experts, is not Spanish, but AfricanSpecifically, according to the musicologist and writer Alejo Carpentier, would be a fertilizing dance born in the Guinea and brought to America by people tragically destined for slavery.

The melody is played with instruments such as the harp, the cuatro, the maracas or the llanera ballad. With them, passages such as the counterpoint, the golpe llanero, the tonada or the copla are interpreted. For its part, the dance is developed with footwork and in loose couples and the steps receive names such as the waltz, the chest and tail, the toriado, the rope point or the macice.

On the other hand, there are several types of joropo throughout Venezuela. However, we can talk to you, fundamentally, about the central joropo or tuyero (because it is located on the banks of the Tuy River), the eastern, the Guyanese, the larense or tocuyano coup, the andean y the plainsman.

However, there are also other dances among the traditions of Venezuela, such as calypso, which combines African and Caribbean rhythms; the sebucan, which is danced with ribbons; the one with the drum, which accompanies religious demonstrations, or the carite, narrative dance with a fishing theme. But, as we will see below, dances are also important in the religious traditions from the American country.

Venezuelan traditions in the religious sphere

Religion is very present in the traditions of Venezuela and, as we said, sometimes it is combined with dances. This is the case of The Dancing Devils of Yare, which are staged on the day of Corpus Christi in the city of Saint Francis of Yare, in the state of Miranda.

It is a tradition that dates back to the 18th century and the dancers, dressed as devils, dance to the church accompanied by the sound of the drum. When they arrive at the temple, they prostrate themselves as a sign of respect for Jesus Christ. Therefore, They celebrate the triumph of Good over Evil. But above all, the dance of the devils of Yare has a great ethnographic and folkloric value. In fact, it has been included in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

However, Venezuela's traditions in the religious sphere do not end there. Apart from Easter and Christmas, which are also widely celebrated in the country, the Chinita Fair, which takes place in Maracaibo and other municipalities of Zulia. It celebrates the miracle of the Virgin of Chiquinquirá, patron saint of that state. However, the celebration combines religious and profane elements. For example, the so-called "gaiteros dawns" stand out, concerts of Zulian bagpipe that last all night.

In short, the drums of San Juan are celebrated in the nation's coastal cities in honor of the Baptist and the Carúpano carnival It stands out from the rest of the country due to a certain extravagance in its music and dance.

the typical costumes

As with other countries, Venezuela has different traditional costumes depending on the region we visit. But, among all of them, one stands out as a national the liquiliqui in men, which is typical of The plains and which serves as attire, precisely, to dance the joropo and for other social events.

Apparently, its origin is Asian, it would have arrived in Venezuela from Philippines, then also Spanish territory. It is made up of jacket, pants, shirt and espadrillesThe first is usually long-sleeved with five or six metal or bone buttons. It also includes two rectangular pockets at chest height.

The trousers are dress pants and the same colour as the jacket, which, traditionally, was white, grey or beigeHowever, other colours have been added later, such as olive green, black or navy blue. As for the shirt, it is made of linen or cotton, with ¾ sleeves and a round neck. Finally, sometimes a hat is worn, although it is not essential.

In turn, the typical Venezuelan women's costume It is not as popular as the liquiliqui. It is usually made up of colorful dresses decorated with embroidery and lace and is made with light and fresh fabrics. The skirts are long, wide and have ruffles. The shirts can be white or have the same colors as the skirts and also have lace.

As for the feet, they usually wear espadrilles or sandals made with jute or rubber soles and also in different colors. Finally, the typical female costume includes many accessories. Among them, pendants, earrings and handmade bracelets, but also headdresses such as the "chinchorro", a kind of turban of various shades.

Symbols of Venezuela

Precisely, the liquiliqui is, as we were saying, one of the great symbols of the American nation. But it also has others. Thus, the national tree since 1948 is the araguaney (Tabebuia chrysantha), whose name means "golden flower" in reference to its golden grains. It is very typical of Los Llanos de Venezuela and reaches more than thirty meters in height.

Along with it, the country's national flower is the orchid, declared as such in 1951. In fact, the variety mossiae It was discovered there in 1830. The nation even has a national bird since 1958. In this case, it is the turpial (Icterus icterus), a bird with a wingspan of just twenty centimetres, but of great beauty. This is due, above all, to the different colours of its feathers, which range from white to black, passing through orange and blue.

Finally, apart from the official anthem of the nation, we could tell you that it has another unofficial one. It is the joropo entitled plains soul, which has music by Pedro Elias Gutierrez and letter of Rafael Bolivar Coronado and premiered in 1914.

Arepa and other traditional recipes

La gastronomy It is very present in the traditions of Venezuela. It is also a combination of indigenous substratum with European and African substratum. It also presents differences depending on the area of ​​the country you visit. For example, the Caribbean regions have a cuisine based on seafood. On the other hand, the Los Llanos area stands out for its Beef and game meats.

However, there are recipes common to the whole country. One of the simplest and most popular is that of arepaIt is a cake or bun that is prepared with ground dried corn and that is sometimes filled with meat, cheese or other products. It is so integrated into the cultural heritage of Venezuela that in all cities there are restaurants that serve it called areperas and even some towns celebrate the arepa day (for example, Trujillo).

But, as you can imagine, the cuisine of the American country has many other delicious and popular recipes. Another of the national dishes is the Creole flag, a kind of combination that includes white rice, shredded beef, fried plantain and black beans.

Finally, you can also order soups in Venezuela like the one with tripe and andean pisca; meats like the roasted Black and Creole grill and of course the equally popular TequeñosAs for drinks, typical are: panela or sugar with lemon and chicha.

Legends among the traditions of Venezuela

How could it be otherwise, the leyends They are also part of Venezuelan traditions, just like in other countries. It would be impossible for us to tell you about all of them, so we will choose some of the most well-known and popular ones.

Probably the most famous is that of Sayona, a woman who, after committing the worst crimes out of jealousy, appears to unfaithful men to seduce and terrorize them. Equally tragic is that of the Whistler, a man who wanders like a lost soul with the remains of his father, whom he killed, and whistling a terrifying melody.

Even older is The legend of Maria Lionza or Yara, as it dates back to pre-colonial times. She was the daughter of a chief and had green eyes. An augur had predicted to her father that he would have a girl with light eyes and that he should sacrifice her because, otherwise, she would bring ruin to his people. The father, unable to do so, hid her in a cave forbidding her to leave. However, one day she did so and, looking at herself in a lake, fell in love with her. Anaconda, god of water. The chief tried to separate them, but the deity became angry and caused a great flood that destroyed the village. Since then, Yara has been the protector of nature and love.

In conclusion, we have shown you some of the main traditions of Venezuela. However, we have left many others out. For example, among the legends, it is also popular the one of the Llorona, common to Mexico and to other countries of Latin America Or, regarding customs, it also stands out the St. Peter's party, which takes place in the state of Miranda every June 29. Come and discover the traditions of Venezuela.