Cultural Tidbit: Día de la Canción Criolla

Check out this video of a popular Marinera-style song and dance.

While the rest of the world is focused on the great beyond, preparing to celebrate Halloween and All Saint’s Day, many Peruvians are living purely in the moment and celebrating their heritage with the Día de la Canción Criolla.

This national holiday was established in 1944, in order to encourage Peruvians to celebrate their own unique blend of Indigenous, European, and African cultural influences and the wonderful music and folklore that it has inspired. This holiday is especially popular along the coast of Peru, where you might hear samplings of Marinera, Peruvian waltz, Peruvian polka, and other folk musics and see performances of many traditional folk dances.