Marimonda

History of the Barranquilla Carnival

By Samuel EPC
  • 753 BCE

    Long Lost Origins

    Long Lost Origins
    The carnival has it's origins in Ancient Rome and Egypt. It was called Carrus Navalis and it consisted of having a ship on a cart and having the ship walked all around the city. It was followed by priests, people in colorful clothing and masks. The ship was then led into the sea. Participants of the canival where then led to a temple and would feast on a banquet. It was a way to honor the goddess Isis.
  • 218 BCE

    More recent Spanish origin

    More recent Spanish origin
    After the conquest of Hispania, the rich had very lustrous parties. Meanwhile the poor had parties with weird symbols, masks, threw cornstarch and water at each other. They even finished with the burial of a doll.
  • 1520

    First Carnival in America

    First Carnival in America
    The first Carnival in America(according to some researchers) was done in the Dominican Republic to celebrate the arrival of bishop Don Fray Bartolome de las Casas. The people in la Vega Vieja wore costumes to dress up as Moors and Christians.

  • First Santa Marta carnival

    The origins of the carnival of Santa Marta are unknown, but they are around the XVI century and where a combination of spanish, african, and indigenous cultures.

  • First Colombian Carnivals

    First Colombian Carnivals
    Officially, the first Carnival in Colombia to be celebrated was in 1847 when the union of the citizens of quiebralomo and montaña was effective. But carnivals where a much older tradition that started mainly in Santa Marta, Mompox, Cartagena de Indias, etc.

  • First edict reading of Barranquilla

    First edict reading of Barranquilla
    With a little over 18 thousand people living in Barranquilla, the first edict reading started.

  • First king of the carnival

    First king of the carnival
    in 1881, the first king of the canival of Barranquilla was elected and the ceremony of the edict reading was changed so that it was written and read in verses. But a few carnivals later the king of the carnival was changed into "El Rey Momo".
  • Period: to

    Carnivals are suspended

    The carnivals were suspended due to the Thousand days' war.

  • First battle of flowers

    First battle of flowers
    The first battle of flowers(batalla de flores) was organized in barranquilla to commemorate the end of the thousand days' war. Instead of throwing bullets, they threw flowers. It is now one of or the most famous event in the Barranquilla carnival.

  • Latest barranquilla carnival

    Latest barranquilla carnival
    The latest Barranquilla carnival was celebrated in 2023, the queen being Natalia De Castro González.