Held for the first time in 1820 in the town of Remedios the Festivity of Las Parrandas is now celebrated by eighteen communities in the centre of Cuba mostly taking place towards the final months of the year The Parrandas is a cultural competition between the two neighbourhoods or parties into which each town is divided with spies attempting to spoil the surprise of the opposing neighbourhood on the night of the festivity The two parties work all year long to prepare for the competition which takes place on the night of the Festivity of Las Parrandas The festivities involve a wide range of expressions including the design and construction of replicas and monuments floats and costumes songs and dances fireworks and decorations such as lamps lanterns banners and emblems allegoric to each neighbourhood Everyone in the eighteen communities regardless of their social class gender age religion profession or background is involved in the festivities and the monuments replicas of monuments and floats constitute a spectacular display of the imagination and creativity of the groups who recreate and reenact stories using lights colours and shapes Traditional knowledge and skills related to the element are constantly combined with new elements meaning that Las Parrandas are always traditional and contemporary at the same time

Cuban light rum emerges in 1862 in the city of Santiago de Cuba Since then there has been an uninterrupted transmission of the Cuban light rum masters knowledge which is put into practice in aging cellars mixture areas and laboratories The Cuban light rum masters knowledge is a set of traditional scientific sensory knowledge and techniques transmission that ensures the safeguarding of the Cuban light rum manufacturing process Regardless of brand light rum masters follow an ethical code centred on respect for Cuban rum culture and its history and good practices with ecoculture and harmony with the environment at its core The transmission of light rums master knowledge is a lifelong learning process that is passed down from generation to generation and includes protecting aging cellars knowing their contents and characteristics and the history of each barrel and knowing which mixtures result in a given appearance aroma taste and texture Masters form a guildtype community with selective admission that advocates for responsible consumption and acts as a cultural bridge between Cuba and the rest of the world

The dance song and drumming style known as Tumba Francesa French Drum was brought to Cuba by Haitian slaves who were resettled in the islands eastern regions following the unrest in Haiti during the 1790s It embodies one of the oldest and most tangible links to the AfroHaitian heritage of Cubas Oriente province and developed from an eighteenth century fusion of music from Dahomey in West Africa and traditional French dances After Cubas abolition of slavery in 1886 and the resulting migration of former slaves to urban areas in search of work Tumba Francesa societies emerged in several cities Tumba Francesa performances generally open with a solo in Spanish or French patois by a lead singer the composé Following the composés cue the catá a large wooden idiophone bursts into a pulsating beat enhanced by three drums known as tumbas These handplayed instruments similar to modern conga drums are crafted from a single piece of hollowed wood and decorated with carved and painted motifs The dances are performed under the direction of the Mayor de Plaza The predominately female chorus singers and dancers wear long colonialera dresses with West African kerchiefs and brandish colourful scarves The singers keep rhythm with metal rattles or chachás Performances consisting of a series of 30 minute songs and dances generally last well into the night Today only two of the many dance styles associated with Tumba Francesa are still regularly performed the masón a light parody of French ballroom dances and the yubá an improvised dance accompanied by rousing drum rhythms The popularity of Tumba Francesa reached its peak at the end of the nineteenth century Nowadays three community ensembles continue to keep the traditions of the Tumba Francesa alive

Punto is the poetry and music of Cuban farmers consisting of a tune or melody over which a person sings an improvised or learned stanza of ten octameter verse lines with a rhyming scheme There are two main variants of Punto punto libre a tune of free metre and punto fijo which can be in key or crossed Throughout history the element has typically been practised in the countryside though variants now exist throughout the rest of the population Punto is an essential element of Cuban intangible cultural heritage open to all which promotes dialogue and expresses the feelings knowledge and values of the communities concerned Knowledge and techniques related to the practice are transmitted from one generation to the next with one key method of transmission being based on imitation A teaching programme is also organized in Houses of Culture across the country involving workshops taught by bearers and practitioners of the element Seminars workshops contests festivals and events aimed at safeguarding and revitalizing Punto are organized throughout the country and an occupational category has now been assigned to the work of the practitioners and bearers turning this into a way of living for many

The music and movements of rumba in Cuba are mainly associated with African culture but also feature elements from Antillean culture and Spanish flamenco Historically rumba in Cuba developed in marginal neighbourhoods of cities in Cuba like Havana and Matanzas near other ports and shanty towns and grew especially popular in rural areas where communities of African slaves lived Spreading from the west to the east of the country it has been a major symbol of a marginal layer of Cuban society and identity acting as an expression of selfesteem and resistance and tool for social outreach helping to enrich the lives of practising communities Performances consist of verbal and nonverbal forms of communication such as chants gestures handclapping dance and specific body language Instruments either percussion or simply utensils from the home or work are part of the practice A festive atmosphere develops where the performers working within specific cultural codes and the audience begin to interact The dances and chants evoke a sense of grace sensuality and joy that aims to connect people regardless of their social and economic background gender or ethnicity The practice of rumba in Cuba has been transmitted over generations by imitation within families and neighbourhoods