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Festivals in the caribbean
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What Cuba Celebrates When we think about Cuba people imagine poverty, hostages, and undeveloped societies. Of course Cuba has its cons, when we think about the government, but is Cuba really that bad? I think people have been influenced by the only thing the media shows, the negative things in Cuba! Cuba and the US have had no ties for over 50 years and that’s in part because, “By 1960, Castro 's government had seized private land, nationalized hundreds of private companies. Including several local subsidiaries of U.S. corporations, and taxed American products so heavily that U.S. exports were halved in just
“The origins of the Santiago Carnival go back to the end of the seventeenth century when processions would wind their way through the city streets celebrating the feast day of Santiago, the Patron Saint of the city.” Cuba Absolutely. “Carnival de Santiago de Cuba.” July 21-29, 2014. The Spanish would celebrate ST. James in their own way and then allowed the African slaves to celebrate it, they added their music and dances to the tradition. People then began seeing this tradition as a way to celebrate “el pueblo.” This mixed is was created how carnivals are celebrated in modern Cuba today. The Carnival dates were extended to celebrate other saints during the months of June, July and August and of course to party more. Different cities around Cuba chose what days they will celebrate it, they usually last a week long. Carnivals are full of life, lights and music. People spend the whole year preparing for this day. Dancers have to practice their choreographies, and groups of people have to prepare for the parade, they prepare for the order in which the Carnival goes and the people participating. The carnival starts with children parades, that time is dedicated to all the children. Following that are the walks, people walk and dance to the rhythm of the music and drums. They also do a commemoration to the Cuban heroes. Then the carousels start making their way in, it is very creative, making it perfect! They have different theme carousels with people dancing to the congas and the music. Street vendors also prepare for this celebration, which is a day of great compensation for them. Most of them sell “bocadito” which is sold a lot during carnival days, it is a ripped pork sandwich, and Cuban pizza which is homemade and it’s delicious! The party does not end when the carousel show is over, most kiosk, restaurants and bars are open for the after
One of the primary unifying forces of the Cuban community in South Florida is La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre, or Our Lady of Charity. In 1898, after Cuba won its independence from Spain, she became the official patroness of the island. The Cuban soldiers credited their victory to the Virgin's intervention in their crusade for independence. The Virgin is seen as a religious tradition that strongly unites Cubans on both sides of the Florida Straits. In South Florida, Cubans throughout the United States gather each year to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Charity on September the eighth. Alongside the traditional Catholic service, many within the exile congregation offer their hopes and prayers, to the Virgin, for a Cuba free from communism.
Music, food, dancing, and smiling faces are some of the many attractions you may find at this festival. Performers such as Willy Chirino, Oscar de Leon, El Gran Combo, Celia Cruz, The Barrio Boys, and Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine, among others, have performed during the past twenty years. Salsa, merengue, cumbia, and guaguancó dancers fill the streets of Little Havana every year.
I have been told of the conditions in the schools and their lack of proper facilities. These acquantenses tell me that Castro his controlling the boy’s father, monitoring his phone calls and making sure he tells everyone that he wants his boy to come home. They say he is not able to say what he really wants for fear of himself and family. For fear that Castro will take away the family’s food and shelter in Cuba. Over all, the general picture that has been painted is not pretty.
The United States embargo of Cuba has its roots planted in 1960, 53 years ago, when “the United States Congress authorized President Eisenhower to cut off the yearly quota of sugar to be imported from Cuba under the Sugar act of 1948… by 95 percent” (Hass 1998, 37). This was done in response to a growing number of anti-American developments during the height of the cold war, including the “expropriation of United States-owned properties on the island… [and] the Soviet Union [agreeing] to purchase sugar from Cuba and to supply Cuba with crude oil” (Hass 1998, 37). Bad sentiments continued to pile up as Cuba imposed restrictions on the United States Embassy and especially when, after the United States “officially broke off diplomatic ties with Cuba, and travel by United States citizens to Cuba was forbidden ... Castro openly proclaimed his revolution to be ‘socialist’” (Hass 1998, 38). The day after this, the Bay of Pigs invasion occurred, but it failed in its job to topple Castro (Hass 1998, 38). Left with no diplomatic options and a failed military attempt, the United States decided that the only way to end Castro’s socialist regime was to sever all ties, and from 1961 to 1996, a series of acts were passed prohibiting the majority of trade and interaction with Cuba. (Hass 1998, 38).
Wylie, Lana. Perceptions of Cuba: Canadian and American Policies in Comparative Perspective. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2010, 59-61 (accessed December 18, 2013).
Excitement was high for Cuba, when Fidel Castro overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in January 1959. With a heady mixture of nationalism and left - wing ideologies US became very cautious for its southern comrades Central and Southern America and perhaps herself. When Castro took over Cuba, the US lost valuable investments in the sugar and tobacco crops of Cuba.
The nation of Cuba has been at odds with the United States since Fidel Castro assumed power in 1959. The United States embargo and sanction on Cuba stems from the fact that the United States will not tolerate Communist governments and "the most important objective of the Cuban government is to remain in power at all costs," says Felix Martin, a professor at Florida’s Cuban Research Institute. The conflict and reason for why the embargo has stayed intact over the years can be summarized in three major points of dissent: Human rights violations, Guantanamo Bay, and the Cuban exile community.
... the majority of which sought refuge in the United States. With the fall of the Soviet Union, Cuba now stands at a crossroads. The battle cry has changed from “ Socialism or death to Resist, struggle and win” (Castro’s Cuba II). Hopefully, Castro and/or Cuba will not be forced into a market-based economy and all the materialistic commodities that go along with capitalism. In my opinion, Castro should hold out for as long as possible griping to the former battle cry “Socialism or death”. Only time will tell what the fate of Castro’s Cuba will be. Trade might once again flourish the economy, tourism might open up new economic opportunities and foreign investments from Italy, France and Spain could possibly dig Cuba out the current economic hole it’s in. Until then however, the battle against capitalism must not lose any of its vigor.
African, French, Portuguese, Haitian, Jamaican and Chinese immigrants helped to shape a musical and culinary heritage that 's distinctly Cuban. Cuban music exhibits an insistent beat, complexity and intensity that make it immediately recognizable around the world. The ingredients in Cuban cuisine may lack drama, but ultimately, they work together in perfectly spiced dishes that bring out new flavor notes in common ingredients" (HowStuffWorks). In Cuba, the most popular cooking style is called criollo in which the main ingredients are chicken, beef, pork, eggs, beans, rice and vegetables. Cubans use many common spices in their dishes. Some other Cuban dishes are empanadas, pan con bistec, arroz con pollo, and moros y cristianos. In Cuba western clothing has been worn for many years, but casual clothing is popular also. Latin styles of clothing like bright colored shirts and blouses and ruffled skirts have been in Cuban fashion as well as Afro-Cuban styles. Some popular Cuban holidays and celebrations are Liberation Day, International Women 's Day, Labor Day, and Christmas. There are a couple of popular sports in Cuba like boxing and football, but baseball is the most popular. Baseball is considered the national sport of Cuba. "The national baseball team of Cuba is easily the best in Latin America and often dominates regional competitions in this sport. The
The preparation for this big event starts months in advance. Cofradias are the like the coordinators of the event. In English, Cofradias means brotherhood and they work together to plan and make sure the entire holiday is taken care of. They are also known as the “Heart of the Holy Week”. Confradias have to map out the route of the parade for every day of the week. The parts of the parade that are on main streets have bleachers on the sides for seating. However, these seats must be booked far in advance and are very costly. Cofradias also have to make sure that there are police and security so that the holiday is safe and peaceful. After the day’s parade ends, there are crews that come out and clean the streets. The Confradias are in charge of taking care of the Jesus and Virgin Mary throughout the year and that al...
The genesis of Carnival was attributed to the influx of French settlers who came with large numbers of slaves to Trinidad in the late eighteenth century. The island was later captured by the British and was made a crown colony of Great Britain. The Carnival celebrations was the most influential culture that was originally defined in culture if Trinidad; the celebration was practiced by two distinctly different social streams, the upper class and the lower class. Africans and persons of mixed race were forbidden by the law to participate in street festivities. Owing to this historical and situational progression of carnival, it can be deduced that class and colonization impacted on the development of carnival in Trinidad and Tobago.
...r the Brazilian people. Carnival is a national festival in Brazil, with some form of celebrations in most towns, but it's also a major opportunity to take a break from work and the festival itself. Every year the Brazilian people celebrate carnival and the festival held during the Friday to the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent, the forty-day period before Easter.
Today Cuba is a drastically suffering country. Cuba is in a terrible economic state. The average Cuban is barely able to afford even the bare minimum of living essentials. They are suffering from not having enough food and water which creates a large number of malnutrition people and a higher risk for diseases. What make matters worse is that the Cuban government cannot get the necessary medicines to treat these diseases (Kirkpatrick 1996). With less than 50 percent of the drugs on the market, Cubans do not have adequate health care and medicines. They are also denied access to technology necessary for them to become a more up to date and prosperous county. Some Cubans have not even seen their American families in years nor can they receive money as they please from their American families. This country is suffering extremely and it is starving for an economic improvement (Rampersad 2006).
Carnival today in the twin island state of Trinidad and Tobago have come a very long way since its segregated beginnings of higher and lower class .In fact it is now a time where every creed, race, colour and gender from all faiths and walk of life participate in together without judgement. Trinidad and Tobago has gained international recognition and thus the government of the twin island state now invest, time and some effort towards the Carnival season because of the revenue it generates for the country. However, with time, change is expected, the root of the festival is there but it has evolved with some of its basic heritage becoming obsolete.
The island of Trinidad is quite rich in culture and Trinidadians belong from variety of cultures gathered from around the world which provides this city to enjoy a whole gigantic lot of festival filling the calendar with red marks. To enjoy the real fun and witness the cultural diversity in Trinidad, one can attend Corpus Christi, Divali, Emancipation Day, Easter, Eid-ul-Fitr, Boxing Day, Christmas, Carnival, Independence Day, St Peter’s Day, We Beat Festival, Tobago Heritage Festival and a lot of other festivals celebrated with extreme spirit on huge scale.