Hello, Cuba, New Year!

Cubans do not believe in the coming year of the yellow earthen dog. They go crazy differently. Waiting for the "letter of the year", which will explain everything

New Year in Havana

Illustration: Vera Khokhlova for TD

On December 31, on the island, this is just another day off, like the day of the workers on May 1 or the day of the capture of the barracks of Moncada on July 26. Rare wealthy families put a plastic desktop tree, but no garlands, socks with gifts, made desires and new life from January 1. Today everyone will just dance, joke, drink rum and there is a fried pig - what other desires can be?

Family and friends will gather, guests will bring rum and sweet soda for children, which is considered a gift, the hosts will treat what God sent: Congri with black beans, fried green bananas and the so -called “salad with mayonnaise” - a mishmash of all canned foods that were able to get, and boiled vermisers.

All this will serve as a framing for the main festive dish - fried on a skewer of a pig. The living creatures will be bought by the whole street, then they will agree who at nine in the morning will take out a frill, who will be Kostrov, who is a cook and, most importantly, who will bring the table for the domino. As a result, at nine in the morning there will still be no one on the street, Domino and Rum will appear in an hour and a half, and they will put the roast itself, God forbid, by noon. They will cook a milk pig slowly, twisted to twist meditatively, replacing him with the next “tragito” - a sip of Roma.

At a modest party, where only family, close friends and neighbors will gather 40 people

The guests will come in all day - those who come after 18.00 will be likely to remain until the morning, because in the evening public transport in Havana will die out. It is understandable, bus drivers and Makin also took off their neighbors and wait for their pork leg, partido in Domino and Tragito. As a result, at a modest party, where only family, close friends and neighbors will gather 40 people. They will not fit in the apartment - the party will smoothly flow out into the street or stairwell, if it takes place, for example, in the typical skyscrapers of Alamar, and will connect with other parties of the district. From somewhere, the speakers will certainly appear, and the walls will tremble from the reggeton, which already sounded from each window all day, but in half ashes.

Photo: from personal archive

Of course, there will not be a joint feast either-everyone will eat, as usual, from a plate on weight, sitting on a solding couch in front of the TV, on the “rich” chairs, on plastic stools, on a beer, on stair steps, on the staircases, on each other on their knees, or just standing.

At 00:00 they will make a register, and the TV is more louder - the national anthem of La Bayamesa will sparkle. Those who have already gained patriotism will be picked up:

“Your homeland is proud of you!
Glorious death should not be afraid:
Death for the homeland is an eternal life! "

The rest will take advantage of the minute when everyone got up to touch the hips of the girl you like or just get up from behind, without clinging, but close enough for me to feel their plans for New Year's Eve.

Then the housewives splash out a bucket of water from the balcony, which was washed by the floors, then scraps and other waste waste will fly-in fact, because of this tradition “Leaving the whole trash in the old year” New Year in Cuba does not imply mass street festivities. Although such an opportunity - when you are poured from the balcony with a bucket of slopes - in the old Havana may also arise on an absolutely weekday day.

Due to the tradition of “leaving all the trash in the old year”, the New Year in Cuba does not imply mass street festivities

The food will end very quickly, even before the onset of 2018. Private business owners and young parents - that is, those who do not have a weekend - will disperse to sleep first. Pension, youth and civil servants will buzz until morning - dance and gossip.

The New Year's morning will begin with strong coffee, a soft roll with mayonnaise and the usual morning session of love - life will go as it went without starting and not ending.

New Year in the Castillo family

We have Mom Maria Victoria, Pope Hesus Khusta and the Tito, Tato and Michelle brothers-but my husband and I, contrary to traditions, have been holding the New Year together, and recently the three of us-with my son. And that's why.

Illustration: Vera Khokhlova for TD

Mom Maria-Victoria-Santer with 30 years of experience. On the island of Santeria (pagan syncretic religion, which is common in Cuba, as well as among African emigrants in the United States and other countries), 60% of the population profess, but this is, in fact, in fact in large cities, the indicator will be 85 percent. That is, Maria is rather a rule than an exception. On December 31, she spends with her Santos.

Photo: from personal archive

Firstly, we must pour Roma dead. Then comes the line of Santos terraros-the defenders who stand outside the door of the apartment and guard the mistress, they need to be smashed, grate the Korokho oil, put sweets for the eleggua sore, season them with powder from a dried water rat. Then in the coming year you will be accompanied by luck. Next, you need to devote time to each of Santos, which are stored in a separate room, in a storyteller, in multi -colored porcelain lozenzes, surrounded by shackled from time to time, and therefore a little terrible children's dolls in religious clothes. Stones with holy spirits need to change water, put a white or colored candle, call in a bell, talk with them for life, “treat” the merenga, honey, balls from Nyama, and root crops such as potatoes.

Plus, you need to make cleansing rites, ideally call Babalao, the Santerian sorcerer to remove the damage and stabbed the sacrificed chicken, a dove or duck - someone will be asked by Santos. And then this culture of negative energy is attributed to the ocean and throw it out. And here, in the course of the action, we understand that the option of spending the New Year on the beach in Havana is not an option - unless, of course, you want to splash in the waves with a murdered poultry. On Santa Maria, the beach is 18 kilometers from the capital, you can go the number of the fourth, when the tides with the tolls will take carcasses to the open sea.

In addition, Maria-Victoria must be bought in advance a coconut for the main New Year's ritual-at midnight with a coconut in the hand, you need to go around the whole dwelling in a circle from the front door, driving away all the bad, complete the circle at the door, go out into the balcony, break the coconut, which absorbed the entire genail acquired, and without regrets to throw it into the neighboring area.

At midnight with a coconut in the hand, you need to go around the whole dwelling in a circle from the front door, driving away all the bad

In general, you see for yourself-the mother has enough things for the 31st. But you also need to purely twist the apartment and prepare something on the table, albeit purely symbolic. The task will find everyone who will go to congratulate the Maria Victoria. And if your idea of ​​the holiday does not include carrying water on the fourth floor without a water supply and preparing a festive dinner from cabbage, ham and sugar, which only managed to find in the next market, it is better to come to mom on January 1. What we do.

Pope Hesus Khusto has nothing to do with Santeria, although his apartment in the area of ​​Viya Panmerican would not have prevented the celestial festival. Large and spacious, it is all cluttered, forced by broken TVs, radio receivers, details of Soviet cars and disassembled air conditioners (this, in fact, is dad's earnings - it represents the condea). In the hall combined with the kitchen, there are three smoked refrigerators, of which only one works, a table for dominoes, it is also dining, and a TV that constantly broadcasts baseball. On the contrary, a toilet that was washed last time even under the regime of Batista. Plum - from a mug, instead of a door - a lonely curtain on three nails. The shutters and interior doors are hit by termites - so that during the recent hurricane Irma from the whole area, only at Hesus, window frames blew. And everywhere there are bunks of cigars, "forgotten" for later.

As you understand, dad is a bachelor with experience, and he spends the holidays in his manner: every year he and friends Lasaro, Chupy and Angelito ... No, they don’t go to the bathhouse - they sit down for dominoes. The party begins at noon and, of course, is accompanied by rum - first the “bastard club”, then the “bastards” of the tough white rum “Silver” are used. By six in the evening, the chips are already moving in the eyes, but the macho has only come to taste, they begin to actively voice the moves in the Cuban game jargon - listening from the outside is especially interesting. "Box of beer!" Hesus says triumphantly. “National Quartet,” Chupi echoes. "Eight thousand were killed!" - Angelo rejoices. “Blue unicorn,” Lasaro shrugs. “Train”, “Old Teresa”, “Seiba”, “Spanish King”, “Govnyukha” - everything goes on as usual.

Domino for a Cuban is not just a hobby, a type of leisure or a remedy for boredom. This, if you want, is the national sport worse than baseball and boxing, it is a science and a way to prove to others a macho that you are cooler, smarter, alphasamtsovo. After all, you are able to calculate all the bones, remember all the moves, read the face that has fallen to opponents, and if the game is a couple of steam, understandable only to you with two signs to understand the partner what bones you have ended and how it should cover you. I am guided by the Domino one principle that my grandmother taught me - "Put the ass to the ass." In general, my name is not often at the table.

Photo: from personal archive

By midnight, the party inevitably goes into the stage of fantastic stories about how Hesus almost became the Olympic champion in karate, Angelito worked in the personal protection of Fidel, and Chupy met with actress Beatrice Walder, and ends with mutual snap in lies and a quarrel for life or, for at least a week.

This script is unchanged from year to year, it is not surprising that both of us and the M. brothers prefer to congratulate the dad of the 30th. With the Tito and Tato themselves, we are going to dance to one of the free salsa concerts in the evening of January 1. The best groups are always on the rostrum of the anti -imperialist near the American embassy, ​​the people are stuffed - the whole embankment, public toilets hastily knocked out of the chipboard are installed over the sewer hatches - they are installed on bricks, so that a gap is formed in which men can see their legs and women ... oh, it is better not to represent.

In the crowd, of course, they are stealing and pressed and begging the money, but we were lucky: a guard on the main scene who has been working Kiki, our friend from the district for a year. He lets us and brothers with the girls for the fence, and at the o'clock in the morning he is he who hesitates, throws off his uniform shirt and dances with us Kong. The guys make Kubalibra from the can of the cola and a bottle of rum, it turns out just tinted rum. The first of January, the second becomes the second, and Tito and Tato return to the military school, where they study for sailors and live in hostels with girls, changing her brides every week.

The letter of the year

Illustration: Vera Khokhlova for TD

We also have an older brother - Michelle, it was he who introduced us to my husband many years ago. We come to him at Christmas on December 25, because on the New Year at 21:00 he is already “in Lyulechka”. After all, at four in the morning he needs to be in the Museum of Santeria. Babalao Cuba will gather there, and the youngest of them will pull out the “letter of the year”. And immediately it will become clear how to live on.

The "TRARA Del ANOO" will say which Santos rule the ball in the coming year, under what sign it will pass and what general recommendations to adhere to. Say, 2017 was the year of the OGGUN (the god of iron and everything connected with Him-war, surgery, hard physical work) and Yemay (the goddess of the ocean, the mother goddess). He passed under the sign of Egioboe - a successful thief. The sign promised the luck to all financial frauds and major fraudsters (on the other hand, and what year is unsuccessful for them?) Well, the determining proverbs of 2017 were as follows:

One king rules the whole people.

No hat can be more important than the crown.

No matter how long and strong the hand is, she cannot order her head.

Wisdom, understanding and thought - these are the driving forces of the world.

I have everything and everything is not enough.

The main mistake is not to learn from perfect mistakes.

Cubans do not believe in the year of the yellow earthen dog, they do not look for a yellow dress with yellow shoes for a festive night, do not give out puppies, do not put the bones on the table “for the New Year's dog”-they go crazy differently. They are waiting for the “letter of the year”, analyze in their manner and hurry in the first 16 days, “until the astralality has changed,” consult your personal Babalao to get individual recommendations - how many dried water rat pour and where, so that this year it is definitely not a hat, but a crown.

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National traditions New Year Emigration