Remedios:
The Town That Overcame Demons

Forty-five kilometres from Santa Clara, San Juan de los Remedios is off the beaten track for most tourists to Cuba. Fittingly declared a national monument in 1979, it was unofficially the eighth "tormented" town founded by Spanish colonizers, and is reminiscent of Trinidad without the patina of tourism. Miracles, pirates and demons fill the magical history of this town in northern Villa Clara Province. Lucky visitors are enchanted.

Although any time of the year is apt to explore this colonial time-warp of back streets and crannies on foot or in the ubiquitous horse-drawn carriages, Remedios is famous for its centuries-old parrandas, or revels, on Christmas Eve. Year after year, on the night of December 24, a competition of fireworks and floats reveals the mysterious preparations of the two districts: El Carmen, represented by locals in the color brown -carmelitas and San Salvador de Horta, represented by the colors red and blue -sanseries.

The ancient rivalry between the two neighbourhoods is now played out in a pre-dawn competition of colourfully decorated floats prepared in secret all year and paraded through the streets on Christmas Eve with lights, fireworks and traditional music.

When daylight warms Plaza Marti...