Christmas in Colombia: fritters, custard and Christmas carols 0:54
(CNN Spanish) --
At Christmas in Colombia it is common for many to ask permission before sitting down;
that someone "steals" a kiss from someone, or that the one who says "yes" loses.
Such are the Christmas bonuses, traditional games in which a gift is bet during the Christmas season and which have accompanied Colombians for years.
Christmas bonuses in Colombia are bets between two people who participate in one of the games.
Whoever wins receives from the loser "objects, sweets, cookies, wine, personal things, or it is left to the taste of each one of the bettors," says Milina Muñoz in her book "Parlor Games: Penances, bonuses, the deck or game of cards".
They are played only in the month of December, although they can vary depending on the department: for example, says Muñoz, in the department of Nariño, in the southwest of the country, they are played from December 16 to 24, which coincides with the Novena to the Child God;
while other places such as the departments of Huila and Cauca, in western Colombia, can even be played from December 16 to January 6.
Christmas in Colombia sounds like Buitraguito, Los Hispanos, Los Melódicos, Pastor López, Billos Caracas Boys, why?
Among the most popular games are:
"Three feet"
: consists of putting one foot in the middle of the opponent's two feet when he is distracted.
"When speaking and not answering"
: you have to avoid any question in order not to answer.
Whoever answers loses.
"With your permission I sit down"
: you have to ask permission to sit down;
The one who sits down without asking for permission loses and the other discovers it.
The stolen kiss:
When the other person is completely neglected, take the opportunity to kiss him on the cheek or forehead.
"Yes and no"
: Each person chooses one of the two options to answer any question that way.
The goal is for the other person to get the wrong answer, then you lose.
The one who wins a point shouts: "My bonuses!"
and whoever has the most points during the time they agree to play wins the gift.
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Christmas bonuses on the radio
And since these games are so traditional during Christmas, in Colombia, in addition to the manger, the little tree and the novenas, Christmas bonuses are also played on the radio and are a symbol of the time.
One of the architects of this is William Vinasco, director of the Candela Estéreo station, who has been a radio announcer for 50 years, and who, working at a local station in Bogotá, opened the microphones to the listeners and began to play Yes and not, remember.
"I named it 'El que dirá si perdera', and that really changed the history of Christmas with the games that began to have great significance," William Vinasco told CNN about how his traditional program "Aguinaldos en stereo", which in 2022 turned 50 years old.
"And this is the tradition of playing Yes and No, since it gave an important result on the radio for many years and continues to be perhaps one of the most beautiful Christmas customs in our country," added Vinasco, who is a voice well recognized on Colombian radio.
This segment of the show even kicks off in September, with a segment that runs from 4 pm to 9 pm, where listeners who last more than a minute without saying yes win prizes.
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This type of program spread through the country's popular radio stations, which put the announcers to play Christmas bonuses on the air with the listeners, to deliver prizes, especially on Christmas Eve.
"Radio in that sense identifies this season a lot and we and we are still a country very attached to radio, even with the arrival of the internet, it became a little more popular," says Vinasco.
But Christmas games don't come alone.
These radio programs have an additional characteristic: they are accompanied by what is known in Colombia as "Christmas music".
Los Hispanos, Pastor López, Buitraguito, Los Corraleros de Majagual sound on the air;
vallenatos, merengues, cumbias also sound.
"The truth is that our grandparents listened to this music at Christmas time, a music that was passed from generation to generation, it became very traditional. But modern radio stopped playing this music," says Vinasco.
"What we did was revive that season of the old Decembers by bringing... these groups that became famous around this time but didn't play as often anymore."
So, in order to unite the tradition of games and music, the radio has been dressed in December music since September, with songs that are also nostalgic for family memories, because as Vinasco says, "it's an opportunity to remember those who left.