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Aguinaldo It is a genre ofPuerto Rican andVenezuelan traditional and cultural music, popular in severalLatin American countries., based on SpanishChristmas carols orvillancicos which is traditionally sung on Christmas itself or during theholiday season. Aguinaldo music is often performed byparrandas - a casual group of people, often family or friends, who merrily go from house to house taking along their singing. The instruments used are thecuatro, maracas and drums. Some popular aguinaldos areBurrito Sabanero (Venezuela), El Asalto (Puerto Rico),Feliz Navidad (Puerto Rico), and De la Montaña Venimos (Puerto Rico).
InVenezuela,aguinaldo is a genre ofChristmas music and generally have six verses. Played by "parranderos" or "aguinalderos" that announce their arrival in song and seek to gain entry to the community houses to relate the story of the birth of Christ, and to share in the joy of the message of Peace on Earth and to all People of Good Will. Aguinaldos are played with typical instruments such as thecuatro (a small, four-string guitar),furruco, andmaracas. Other instruments often used areviolin,guitar,tambourine,mandolin,bandol,caja (a percussive box instrument), andmarímbula (an Afro-Venezuelan instrument). In exchange for the entertainment, "parranderos" are traditionally given food and drink:hallacas,panettone,rum and "Ponche Crema" (a form of alcoholiceggnog). Aguinaldos are also played at Christmas church celebrations. Nearly 50 years later, “El Burrito de Belén” remains a yuletide favorite, cherished in Latin communities worldwide — and beyond, into the Anglo market of the United States. For instance, Billboard magazine included the tune in its 2022 list of the Top 100 holiday songs of all time.
InPuerto Rico, theaguinaldo is a musical gift offered during theChristmas season and is a tradition inherited from the island's Spanish colonizers. As a musical gift, aguinaldos are mostly played by "parranderos" or "trullas" during the Christmas holidays. Whileparrandas, showing up at a residence late at night, with a group ofChristmas carolers, is a practice that is slowly being lost in Puerto Rico,[1] a Puerto Ricanaguinaldos album debuted in the top 10 Billboard Tropical Albums in December 2019.[2]
Originally,aguinaldos were "villancicos" with strong religious connotations but soon evolved to "coplas" (quartets) and "decimas" (ten-verses compositions) about all kinds of everyday topics. Aguinaldos were played with typical instruments such as thebordonúa, atiple, acuatro, a carracho orgüiro, acowbell,barriles de bomba, anaccordion, andmaracas. With bordonua players becoming more difficult to find, theguitar became a staple accompanying the cuatro. Today, panderos (also known as "pleneras"), brass instruments and whatever makes noise, are used.[1]
As a genre, theaguinaldo is played mostly on the radio on key Christmas holidays in Puerto Rico; the day before Christmas, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, the day before Three Kings Day, and on Three King's Day (January 6).[3] Aguinaldos are also played at Christmas church celebrations.[1]
In 1918, Puerto Rican Aguinaldo's and Décimas and other notes, as compiled by American linguist,John Alden Mason, and Aurelio M. Espinosa were published in theJournal of American Folklore.
In thePhilippines, the wordaguinaldo has come to refer instead to the gift—usually cash or coins—collected by small groups of children that gocarolling. A traditional instrument used is a makeshift tambourine made of severaltansan (aluminiumbottle caps) strung on some wire. Carollers solicit homeowners with the chant "Namamasko po!" (approx. "wassailing!"), and after singing wait to be rewarded withaguinaldo.
Aguinaldo or Serenal is a music genre used inParang (Parranda) a type of Christmas music that came toTrinidad and Tobago fromVenezuela. Singers and instrumentalists (collectively known as "parranderos") travel from house to house in the community, often joined by friends and neighbours family, using whatever instruments are to hand. Popular parang instruments include thecuatro and maracas (locally known as chac-chacs).