Cultural Programs, Events & Curiosities
Cuba has an amazing variety of cultural programs, events and
places of interest to offer with many influences from this diverse
multi-cultural society. Represented here you will find a synopsis of some of
the best things available to experience. The page will be updated from time to
time with more information.
Art
The art of Cuba
represents the colour and vibrance of this Caribbean island with many good
examples to be found at the Arts & Crafts market in Old Havana and at the
Fine Arts gallery.
IX Havana Bienal (Festival of Visual Arts). From March 27th to
April 27th, 2006 Havana City. The 2006 9th Havana Bienal is once again
presented as one of the biggest events of Visual Arts in Cuba, where
participants can see the most representative artists of Contemporary Visual
Arts. Each meeting reveals the prestige gained by the artists who have turned
their environment and spirituality into works of sculpture, painting, and
pottery together with the latest digital techniques of conservative and
non-conservative styles to also gain their place in universal visual arts
history. Click here for details.
Tour Tip – We can arrange meetings with Cuban famous artists.
Click here to see ‘The Art Connaisseur Tour’.
Architecture
Cuba is a showcase of a
wide representation of colonial architecture.
Tour Tip – Ask us about arranging an architectural tour with a
specialist guide.
Carnivals
The carnival in
Santiago differs from all others in that it doesn't happen at carnival time
(i.e. the days preceding lent) and also it isn't really called 'carnival' at
all. Properly called the 'Fiesta de Mamarrachos' or 'Fiesta de Mascaras' (the
name 'carnival’ was attached during the 20th century for commercial reasons),
the festivities take place during the days surrounding the saint day of
Santiago Apostol (patron saint of the conquistadores) on 25th July. Santa
Christina (24th July) and Santa Ana (26th July) give good reason for the
celebrations to continue.
Nowadays, the celebrations begin with the annual 'Festival del Fuego', an arts
festival which each year focuses on a country of the Caribbean or Latin
America, inviting artists, live bands, writers, dance groups and carnival bands
to the city for a 2 week festival, culminating in a parade, giving the congas a
chance to flex their muscles before the days of carnival. The groups that
parade during the carnival are the Comparsas de Conga, Paseos, Cabildos, and
the Tumba Francesa along with the children's groups attached to these during
the ‘Carnaval Infantil’.
The carnaval in Santiago de Cuba fully deserves its reputation of one of the
world's great street celebrations; and the beauty is you don't have to miss
Rio, Salvador or Trinidad in order to be there!
Tour Tip – We can arrange domestic flights from Havana to
Santiago de Cuba or other places in Cuba.
Dance
The Cuban National
Ballet is world famous and performances can be seen at the Gran Teatro at
Parque Central, Old Havana directed by the prima ballerina Alicia Alonso.
XX Internacional Havana Ballet Festival . October 28 –
November 5, 2006. Havana City. Presided over by the prima ballerina Alicia
Alonso, this event attracts important companies and ballerinas from all over
the world. As in previous occasions, the festival includes theoretical events,
artistic galas, expositions, and an important repertoire of classic and
contemporary ballet. The Ballet Festival first took place in 1960 and since
then has included the presence of important companies, personalities and lovers
of dance who have brought the best of their art to the Cuban stage.
Click here for full details.
The great Cuban pastime is dancing and in particular salsa. One of the best
nightclub venues can be found at the Casa de La Musica where you will also
experience some pulsating Reggaeton.
Tour Tip – We can arrange tickets for you to see the Cuban
National Ballet.
Fairs
The 15th International Havana Book Fair . February 2-12, 2006,
Havana City. This Fair, to be held in Havana City, February 2-12, 2006, is
dedicated to the Bolivian Republic of Venezuela, the guest country. From the
beginning, the International Havana Book Fair has maintained and increased its
calling level. Under the motto “Reading is Growing,” a delegation of the most
representative of the Venezuelan literature will attend the 15th International
Havana Book Fair. This edition of the Fair will also be dedicated to Cuban
intellectuals, such as Nancy Morejón and Angel Augier, awarded with the
National Literature Prize. San Carlos de la Cabaña Fortress, World Heritage
Site, will be the event grounds of the Fair, and all figures involved in the
world of publications including authors, editors, distributors, librarians,
typographers, literary agents, multimedia producers, journalists and other
professionals and/or amateurs of literature will have the possibility to
participate in the Fair. Click here for full details.
Festivals
The Steam Festivals
- These festivals became an annual event every November in Cuba. Sadly
reductions in the Sugar Cane industry saw, what everyone thought would be, the
last ones run in 2003. However, after a lot of hard work from a British tour
operator they agreed to sponsor the festivals in 2005 and so the Cubans agreed
to recreate the festivals one last time! Activities included; speed competition
and crew skills, parades of locomotives in steam, demonstration trains,
displays of local crafts, award ceremonies. It is hoped that these festivals
might still continue in 2006.
Jazz Festival - International “Jazz Plaza 2006” Festival
November 30-December 3, 2006. Havana City. This is an encounter of great
figures and new talents of Jazz at world level. This time, during its 23rd
edition, the huge Latin contribution to the genre, and the Cuban track in its
foundation stages—in New Orleans, then—and in New York in particular, will be
confirmed once again. Master Chucho Valdés is soul and motion, and the most
complete symbol of the Cuban piano in Jazz; thanks to his promotional activity
in the international arena, the presence of so many great musicians in these
tournaments has turned out to be something habitual. Click
here for full details.
Music
Music in Cuba still
remains mainly live with bands playing in the streets and plazas of Colonial
Havana and other cities as well as in hotels, bars, restaurants and dance
venues. Buena Vista Social Club and Chucho Valdes are among the most well known
artists both in Cuba and around the world.
CUBADISCO 2006 FESTIVAL . May 20 – 28, 2006. Havana City. In
the form of a big celebration of the largest of the Caribbean islands,
award-winning Cuban musical groups will present, as well as show companies of
the highest level. This event is a meeting among agents of the music and
spectacle worlds. Therein will be developed expo-sales of the works of Cuban
and foreign record companies. During the Fair you may enjoy specialized
conferences, expositions, colloquys, concerts, and presentations by a large
variety of Cuban and important foreign groups’ titles. Click
here for full details.
The 7th International Choir Fest. CORHABANA 2006. April 19-23,
2006. Havana City. This is a choir celebration, held every two years, a meeting
of different choir groups from all parts of the world, to join in singing and
sharing musical and cultural experiences with several of the main Cuban and
overseas choirs invited to this event. During the Festival, workshops on
performances and mounting of musical works of the Cuban and international
repertoire will develop, in which the interested directors and chorists can
participate. Click here for full details.
Religion & Ethnicity
Santeria and
Catholicism - The mysterious blend of Catholic ritual and African
spiritism known as Santeria took root in Cuba four centuries years ago, when
evangelical priests in 1598 began encouraging slaves to associate their Yoruba
deities with Catholic saints. The effort backfired: despite years of church
hostility, Santeria only gained a firmer hold on Cuba's faithful, especially as
the slave population grew.
A permanent shortage of priests didn't help; by this century, Catholic surveys
labeled Cuba "the most un-churched nation" in Latin America. Even before the
revolution, while as many as 70 percent of Cubans described themselves as
Catholic, only one percent attended church, and now priests complain that while
many people have no concept of what the Pope represents, they can name all the
Santeria "orishas." Fidel Castro capitalized on the priests' plight in 1990,
when the Catholic leadership was out of favor, by giving Santeria prominent
coverage in government-controlled media.
Tour Tip – If you are interested to learn more about the
religions of Cuba including visiting a Santeria as well as seeing some
beautiful examples of churches this can be arranged for you.
The Chinese Community in Cuba - Havana's Chinatown, a symbol
of the presence of Chinese culture in Cuba, is one of the hot spots for leisure
in the city. According to experts, that area is an excellent place to enjoy a
wide range of gastronomic options from the Asian country, in an atmosphere
characterized by the predominance of such colors as red and golden. In
Chinatown, there is room for Chinese traditional martial arts, which are
practiced by people of all ages.
The descendants of the first Chinese who arrived in Cuba are faithful to their
ancestors' traditions and celebrate All Saint's Day, when they pay tribute to
the dead at the Chinese Cemetery in Havana.Generally, Cuban-based Chinese keep
the traditions, festivities, artistic expressions, typical costumes and
religion brought by their ancestors from the Asian country many years ago.
Artistic creation is promoted by the Hua Qu society, which is made up of 40
artists who are developing a project to boost Chinese plastic arts.
Tour Tip – Try the Tien Tan Restaurant. An excellent Chinese
Paladar with really good food. Ask the taxi to take you to Barrio Chino (China
Town); this is the last restaurant on the left at the end of the short street.
The owner is Chinese, with a chef from Shanghai. Also has a great choice of
vegetarian dishes.
Cigars, Chocolate & Cocktails
Cuban Cigars – Romeo
& Juliet, Partagas, Cohiba, Punch, Robaina, Montecristo are all famous
Cuban cigars which can be seen being hand rolled at the various cigar factories
in Havana. Visit the tobacco plantations of Pinar del Rio where the fields are
still ploughed by oxen. There are two annual cigar festivals in Havana, the
Partagas Cigar Festival in November and the Habanos Cigar Festival in February.
Tour Tip – We offer special visits to cigar factories as well
as providing you with a package to participate in the cigar festivals.
Casa de Chocolate
(The Chocolate House) – ‘’Chocolate drop’’ into this shop situated in Old
Havana for a cup of creamy thick hot chocolate whilst watching a chocolate
maker and designer at work. It is also a museum with artefacts of chocolate
making equipment.
It's still not known what date cocoa was introduced to Cuba .Some say cocoa
would have been brought to Cuba from Mexico around 1540 by the Spanish. Others
believe it would have been imported by the French later on .But the first real
proof of the presence of cocoa in Cuba dates from 1748.
At the beginning of the 1800s there was large scale exportation of cocoa and
coffee. There's no long, native tradition of consuming cocoa beans in the form
of a divine or fortifying drink, as there was, for example, in Mexico .So the
cocoa tree had been introduced to be cultivated and didn't grow in the wild.
The only region where cultivation continues today is in Baracoa, in the south
eastern tip of the island.
Tour Tip - We offer an interesting journey on the original
‘Hershey Chocolate Train’ from Havana to Mantanzas with stop on route to cut
sugar cane and ending with a visit to the Hershey Village and Hershey Park
(limited to groups only).
Cocktails – Enjoy a
fusion of rum based cocktails such as Pina Colada’s, Daiquiris, Mojito’ &
Cuba Libre’s wherever you are in the land of sugar cane the basis of good Cuban
rum.
Pina Colada Recipe
- 1 1/4 oz. Rum
- A good Splash each of Cream of Coconut & Pineapple juice
- Shake with ice & serve in a Hurricane or decorative glass
- Or blend with ice cream for frozen variation
- Garnish with fresh pineapple wedge &/or a cherry
- Top with whipped cream if frozen & then garnish.
Tour Tip – Join us on the’ Hemingway Trail’ to savour some of
the cocktails that he enjoyed of that era.
Please contact us for further details and prices
