Festival, Havana, Cuba, 1847
This sketch of the Twelfth Day Festival, or Day of the Kings, as it is called in Havana was taken by an English visitor to Havana on 6 January 1847, and sent to the Illustrated London News which reports It represents an annual custom--a kind of Saturnalia--permitted by the authorities to the Slaves or Negroes of what they call 'Nacion,' or Nation--that is to say, those born in Africa . . . (p. 148). Note, musical instruments and elaborate costumes, representing different ethnic groups. For a related illustration of this festival, see image Album-8 on this website. For details on Havana's annual El Dia de Reyes festival, see Daniel E. Walker, No More, No More: Slavery and Cultural Resistance in Havana and New Orleans (Univ. of Minnesota Press, 2004).
Image Title
Festival, Havana, Cuba, 1847
RegID
SI-OB-1135
Date
1847
Title
Festival, Havana, Cuba, 1847
Source
The Illustrated London News (Jan. 15, 1848), vol. 12, p. 26.
Language
English
Item sets
Music, Dance & Recreational Activities
Spatial Coverage
Caribbean--Cuba--Havana
Reproduced In
The Illustrated London News (Jan. 15, 1848), vol. 12, p. 26.
Researchers
Handler, Jerome; Tuite, Michael; Randall Ericson; Henry B. Lovejoy Graduate Research Assistants: Tiffany Beebe; Travis May
Last Updated
26-Jan-15
Identifier
ILN026