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Carnival, Feast Days, and House Parties: Cuban Celebrations in Louisiana after 1960 By Tomás Montoya González with contributions by T. Ariana Hall Translations by Lori N. Tyler and T. Ariana Hall Also See - Music and Dance in South Louisiana's Cuban Community Acculturation to Life in Louisiana Mardi Gras, American Holidays, Foodways And Home Cuban immigrants especially connected with the Louisiana Mardi Gras, which included similarities to Cuban Carnaval such as parades, costumes, and floats. Cubans are drawn to Mardi Gras festivities, since Carnaval is part of the annual cycle of celebrations where "ordinary life" stops and "Carnival life" begins. The everyday order is taken over by a celebratory social atmosphere. In Cuba, a comparsa is a group of people that participate in Carnaval parades of public festive activities. They dress in costume and dance while accompanied by musical Conga groups, who play percussion and wind instruments, as well as Afro-Cuban rhythms. Humberto "Pupi" Menes states, "The folklore of Louisiana has a lot in common with Cuban folklore. . . . You don't find this in Florida or Chicago. . . . Second lines here are the same as comparsas in Cuba. . . . The only place [in the United States] where you find this flavor and ambiance is here [in New Orleans]." Vivian Nieto comments, "Some Cubans complained about adapting in other places. . . . I didn't find that problem here. . . . I love Mardi Gras. It's very similar to our traditions." Cubans in South Louisiana have successfully recovered a tradition almost forgotten on the island: the use of costumes in Carnaval and domestic celebrations. Mardi Gras, with its abundant use of costumes, reflects what was traditionally found in Cuban Carnavales in the past. Carnival masking helped the south Louisiana Cuban community to connect with collective cultural memories. Mario San Román, who came from Santiago de Cuba when he was nine years old in 1969, recalls that "[in Cuba], Carnaval was a big deal. . . . Many people with costumes, people dancing in conga street parades, playing music. . . . Here the people make a big deal with 'Mardi Gras, Mardi Gras, Mardi Gras!', . . . but for people who've seen Cuban Carnaval —now that is a real Carnival, . . . like what I remember." As Ailene Cabrera says, "I actually adopted new celebrations in my life from American culture. For instance, in Cuba I never celebrated Christmas Eve or Thanksgiving. But here, I do it every year and I love it. Whenever there is food, party, people, and music, I am there. I love it no matter whose culture it is from." In addition to Mardi Gras, with the festive display similar to Cuban Carnaval, Louisiana's endless bounty of festivals plays into the naturally festive nature of Cubans. Cuban immigrants enjoy the local St. Joseph's Day, St. Patrick's Day celebrations, and Fourth of July festivities. For the 1960s generation, the Fourth of July holiday holds more patriotic meaning while the 1980s and 1990s generations enjoy getting together for a party, without discounting the patriotic meaning of the holiday. Cubans have adopted the Halloween masking tradition, but listen to Cuban music while costumed. Cuban Thanksgiving celebrations bring families together through cultural expressions including food, music, lively conversations in Spanish, dancing, dominoes, and more. Instead of, or in addition to, turkey, they prepare roasted pork, yuca, congrí, and other traditional Cuban foods. "For Thanksgiving, we mix everything. We make turkey, congri, yuca, and other things," explains María Teresa González who came to Louisiana in 2005.
In most Cuban homes the women use and closely guard the classic Cuban cookbook, Cocina al Minuto. Ailene Cabrera said, "I don't have any difficulties finding the ingredients I need to cook Cuban food, since our food is made with very basic ingredients. The seasoning is what gives Cuban food its character." Latin grocery markets provide some of the harder-to-find ingredients. It is common to find Cuban homes decorated with Cuban art, photographs, posters, historic documents, and national flags - a mix of icons that represent Cuban heritage and symbols that represent U.S. culture.
Upon arriving in Louisiana, Cubans insisted on continuing to speak Spanish in their homes and use the language as means of passing cultural traditions to younger generations. Often gathering together to celebrate in their homes, the home and the family become a sphere of "cultural resistance." As members of the non-dominant culture of the region, Cuban families often became more conscious of their culture. Dina Buchillón spoke to this issue: "After moving to Louisiana, I started to embrace my culture more. In Miami, Cuban culture is everywhere, and I used to take it for granted. Now that I live here, I miss my culture and am always aware of what is going on with it. I am constantly trying to be involved in groups or organizations that work to help or promote Cuban culture." |
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