This Tuesday the accordions, the boxes and the guacharacas of the 56th Vallenato Legend Festival in homage to Luis Enrique Martinez, ‘The Vallenato Chicken’.
In the scenarios ofl La Pedregosa Recreational Center and Los Algarrobillos Park The participants of the Minor Accordion, Children’s Accordion, Amateur Accordion and Youth Accordion contests took to the ring.
In this version, the history of the Vallenato Festival it continues to be written with letters of gold and the number of registered annually increases, not only from Colombia, but from different countries.
On this occasion, contestants from Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, Chile, Mexico, Spain, Italy and the United States will compete.
They will also come from departments such as Cesar, La Guajira, Magdalena, Bolívar, Córdoba, Sucre, Atlántico, Antioquia, Huila, Santander, Norte de Santander, Boyacá, Valle del Cauca, Casanare and Cundinamarca, as well as Bogotá.
“The Vallenato Legend Festival is strengthened every year with the registration of thousands of contestants who come from all over to show their talent and also to give the greatest importance to folklore. Thank you all because the task is being accomplished and the results are eloquent”, said the president of the Vallenata Legend Festival FoundationRodolfo Molina Araujoafter opening the accordion party.
FIGURES AND CURIOSITIES OF THE VALLENATO FESTIVAL 2023
The oldest registrant ands Cristóbal Zuleta Tejedor, A native of Becerril, Cesar, who is 90 years old and presented a song in the air of son. The youngest, Lucas Sebastián Vega Fernández, born in Fonseca, La Guajira, who is 7 years old and will participate in the Children’s Piqueria contest.
In the professional accordion contest, three brothers born in Arjona, Bolívar, are part of the same ensemble: the accordion player is Ludín Enrique Marrugo Martínez; in the box, Alejandro Marrugo Martínez and in the guacharaca Juan David Marrugo Martínez. The accordion player indicated that he has never had to look for companions because he has them at home.
On February 24, the first contestant of the 56th Vallenato Legend Festival registered in homage to Luis Enrique Martínez, ‘El Pollo Vallenato‘: Major accordion player Maciel Gómez de la Ossa, from La Loma, El Paso, Cesar. the last to do so, on April 5, was the composer Wilmer Díaz Contreras, born in Villanueva, La Guajira.
The first professional accordion player who after registering decided to decline to participate in the 56th Vallenato Legend Festival was Daniel Paternina Garaya native of Corozal, Sucre, who was crowned Amateur King in 2021. Curiously, due to having to comply with work commitments derived from folklore, the accordion player noted that he will not be able to attend.
the compositer Gregorio Hernando de Castro Serrano, from Girón, Santander, registered with a cumbia called ‘Jajaja’. When letting him know that they should be in paseo, merengue, son and puya airs, he stated: “I thought that cumbia could be presented, but the other year I’m going for a ride.”
Two brothers born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, will participate in the Children’s Piqueria contest. They are Calianys de los Ángeles and Samuel Alejandro Guanipa Álvarez. The mother of the minors, Mairen Álvarez, who works selling red wine on the streets of Fonseca, La Guajira, said that they have lived in that land for nine years and her children learned to verse having Alcides Manjarrés as their teacher.
In the Piloneras contest for the first time they registered 176 groups: 124 seniors, 28 youth and 23 children. In total they are 7.518 personas.
In the registration of the call to integrate the Logistics Team, the record was broken when registering 5612, and after the training with the Sena Regional-Cesar, they were chosen 502 personas.
BY: CULTURE / EL PILÓN