El Festival de Aibonito Celebration

PARADA SAN JUAN BAUTISTA, INC - FESTIVAL DE AIBONITO CELEBRATION PRESENTS QUIENES SOMOS - OUR ROOTS! The Parada San Juan Bautista, Inc. in partnership with the Camden Children's Garden presented a showcase of talent by Kulu Mele directed by Dorothy Wilkie and El Bombazo de New Jersey directed by Maestro Feliz Figueroa. Camden has never witnessed such performances ~ Camden has never experienced such energy ~ Camden has never truly known the history.

Aibonito is known as La Ciudad de la Flores (City of Flowers). The town was founded in March 13, 1824 by Manuel Vélez. Aibonito derives its name from a name given by the Indians "Jatibonucu" which literally means "Great People of the Sacred High Waters." Aibonito its territory is mountainous, located in the Mountain Range of Cayey. Aibonito is known for its flowers, and since 1969, a two weekend event draws big crowds of locals and visitors. The Festival de las Flores is celebrated every year from the last weekend of June up to the first weekend of July.

The purpose of the 2010 Festival de Aibonito was to create public awareness in our community of the history and traditions formed by dancing the rhythms of Bomba and Plena from slavery to the dance of freedom. It is also to bring unity within our people and highlight the common strings that tie our people together.

BOMBA was created on Puerto Rico's colonial sugar plantations by African slaves and their descendants, Bomba is the most purely African music genre of Puerto Rico and one of the oldest, dating back to the 1680s. Its modern development began in Loíza and Ponce. Bomba's roots may trace back to the Akan people of modern Ghana, the original ancestors of much of the black population of Puerto Rico. Performing and dancing the Bomba provided a social and political outlet for a people burdened with the hardships of slavery.

PLENA is a narrative song from the coastal regions of Puerto Rico, especially around Ponce. Its origins have been various claimed as far back as 1875 and as late as 1920. As rural farmers moved to San Juan and other cities, they brought Plena with them and eventually added horns and improvised call and response vocals. Lyrics generally deal with stories or current events, though some are light-hearted or humorous.