LOS CARROZAS
SPANISH CHRISTMAS RONDA

One of the characteristics of traditional rondas is that only very rarely members will be true professional musicians. Normally, a ronda is just made up of friends getting together to enjoy music during their free time, when their family or professional tasks allow for it. Each person in a traditional ronda carries behind a different professional life. This entry to the blog will give you a general overview of our professions, in an attempt to demonstrate that being musicians, in our case, is not a career in itself, but a mere result from dedication to two relevant aspects in our free time: (1) preserve cultural traditions (i.e., our intangible heritage), and (2) enjoy good moments with our family and friends. Yep, it is as simple as that! So, as you will see, just amongst the 16 of us going to New Mexico, and out from the almost 40 persons informally gathering for the Ronda Los Carrozas every year for Christmas at Cifuentes, we have a really wide variety of professional bac...

Due to the limit set by the air companies for luggage size, it was obvious that we would not be allowed to carry the larger zambombas you can see in some of our photos. So, Valentín offered to construct some not-so-large ones to carry to New Mexico. As usual, his garage serves as workshop to make the zambombas. We have been documenting the process to share it here with those who may want to try and do it themselves in New Mexico. Once we are there, Valentín will respond questions and provide tips to whoever requests his help and experience. The main structure is that of a barrel. The wood strips need to be very carefully arranged. As shown in the pictures, we need a wooden barrel, hollow on both sides. One of the sides will be covered with a goat's skin, previously moistened, shaved ands very thoroughly cleaned. Choosing the proper skin is crucial for a good result. Stapling the band that holds the skin to the barrel. Once the skin is soft and ready, a ...