Carnival of Bogotá
Bogotá's Carnival or Carnival of Bogotá (Spanish: Carnaval de Bogotá) is celebrated in Bogotá every year on August 5th and August 6th for the city's anniversary of its hispanic foundation. Most of the cultural events take place at the Simón Bolívar Metropilitan Park. The 2005 edition of the carnival, in occasion of the 467th anniversary, has been called the celebration of the diversity and has a motto: "celebrate life and express yourself as you wish". The festivities also include pre-carnival celebrations during the month of July. One of the main objectives of the carnival is to promote and encourage the cultural and musical diversity of Colombia.
Activities
Many activities take place during the celebrations of the carnival
- Comparsas (crew): parades of folkloric groups , dances and music that represent the cultural manifestations from different regions and cultures of the country.
- Verbenas: celebrations on the suburbs' streets with dances, music, games and gastronomy from different regions of the country.
- Pre-carnival: days of motivation and preparation for the carnival including cultural events like street theater fairs, puppets, story telling, etc.
- Carnival of Diversity, August 6th. A metropolitan parade on the main streets of the city takes place during this day, with the participation of thirty comparsas, each of them consisting of at least fifty members.
- Children's Carnival, October 30th, for the second consecutive year there will be a final parade where the best comparsas of the Children's Carnival will parade on the main streets of the city.
History
The celebration of the carnival in Bogotá dates back to year 1916 when the first queen of Bogotá's student carnival, Elvira Zea, was crowned in a congeniality contest. After winning the contest she used her real name as Queen's name, in that occasion she took the name Elvira I. The queen was the person in charge of opening the celebrations. In the following years the carnival grew in number of comparsas and beauty queens. In the 30's carnival the national government and the mayorship of Bogotá suspended the carnival due to disorders caused by the alcohol. An attempt to revive the carnival in the year 1960 failed for reasons of alcohol abuse and violence.
The Carnival was resurrected by Bogotá's Mayor in a Government Resolution on April 14th, 2005. The objective of the new Carnival was to promote a collective atmosphere of fellowiship and to celebrate life, creative expression, and enjoyment. It further seeks to generate a feeling of belonging to the city, to enforce processes of reconciliation and fair play, and the inclusion and recognition of all districts and cultures of the Capital City of Colombia.
Bogota's Carnival Timeline
- 1916 - Begins as a student carnival, Elvira I is elected the first Carnival's queen.
- 1930 - Suspended due to problems of alcohol abuse and violence
- 1960 - An attempt to revive the carnival fails due to alcohol abuse and violence
- 2005 - The carnival is resurrected by the city's Mayor Luis Eduardo Garzón as the Carnival of Diversity. It takes place in August 6th. A Children's Carnival is celebrated in October
- 2006 - The carnival will be called the Carnival of Creative Sharing
- 2007 - The carnival will be named the Carnival of Reconciliation