The heroic city of Santiago de Cuba has a magic that enchants anyone that visits its rich historical, heritage, cultural and natural values.
The population of the eastern city release a peculiar warmth, a gift for dancing and music that is highlighted when the Caribbean Festival or Fire Fiesta is held or with the playing of the Chinese horn that is characteristic of the regional carnival.
In its emblematic nationwide famous fiesta, with its origin in the 17th century and all of the 18 th with the domination of the Spanish music, the guitar was later replaced by the African drum at the end of the 18th and first half of the 19th century until our day.
With the combination of percussion and rhythms, the conga as emblematic element, which improved the life of the festivities is found in the Carnival museum, only of its type in the country whose objective is the memory of the valuable heritage.
A colonial home located in the centric Heredia Street is the site where you will find the popular traditions of the residents of Santiago de Cuba that consists in dancing, congas, carnival floats, dances and Chinese horn that makes anyone move their feet to the rhythm of the music up to the roof of the homes.
The house served as the site of the Carnival Commission since 1981, in charge among others in the organization of the traditional festival.
Two years later it was turned into a museum that exhibits the evolution of the manifestation through photographic sequences with texts, chronology, objects and musical instruments used during the carnival.
The institution, remodeled on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the villa on July 25 th, shows three of the most important stages of the Carnival of Santiago de Cuba, during the colonial period, the Republic and after the triumph of the Revolution on January 1st, 1959.
Those that tour its halls can appreciate the history of the so called RumbonMayor that had its origins in the religious processions of July 25th, dedicated to Santiago Apostol in addition to important objects that constituted elements of the tradition like scale model of the floats, trophies, costumes, robes and street decorations.
In addition, the installation has an area dedicated to musical instruments of the most important groups of these type of fiestas: cabildocarabali, tumbaFrancesa and Conga Santiaguera and a patio where the renowned folkloric groups meet and practice their traditional dances.
July is a unique month for those that are born in this part of the island, days of commemoration, fiestas, streets full of singing and folklore; people expressing their joy held in their hearts and the strength inherited from the ancestors.
