Rad Navidad

Roberto López brings Colombian Christmas
customs to the 2008 Joyeux Décembre!
events on Mont-Royal

GRIN AND BEAR IT: Roberto López

by RUPERT BOTTENBERG

“You have the weight of the whole thing on your back,” Colombian-born Montrealer Roberto Lopèz saying, laughing nervously about his selection as spokesperson and porteur des traditions (“bearer of traditions”) for the 2008 Joyeux Décembre! festivities along Mont-Royal. “It comes with that responsibility attached, as a cultural ambassador. Doing it with music is easy, but when it comes to other things, it’s always a bit scary.”

Musically, the warm and good-natured pan-Latino sounds of the Roberto López Project, along with DJ MC Chello, will of course grace the closing party on Dec. 19 at la Taverne Normand (1550 Mont-Royal E.). Then there’s the big, inaugural candlelight march this Saturday, Dec. 6, starting at 6:30 p.m. at Mont-Royal and Cartier. It weaves down the avenue and arrives at Parc Lafontaine an hour later for a short set from López and his band, followed by fireworks. López notes its similarity to Colombia’s annual, candlelit Dia de las Velitas processions.

Between the two, López will conduct a percussion workshop, focusing on Colombia’s leading musical export, cumbia. “It’s open to everybody, regardless if you know how to play or not. I’ll show them the basic rhythms then divide the group into three. They’ll each do their parts and then we’ll put it together. It’s like, the Brazilians have batucada, where people go outside and play the drums. We’ll do the same but with cumbia.”

But what about the non-musical traditions? “I chose the ones I enjoy the most,” López says, “because they’re fun and they can appeal to anyone, regardless of religion or anything. One of my favourites is the Año Viejo. When I was growing up, it always intrigued me when I saw these human-sized puppets sitting on the side of the road. We’d ask, ‘What it that?’ My parents would say, ‘That’s the old year.’ It was like magic, that you could put all the bad things that happened in the year into this element—and then burn it, make it disappear. It’s like a cleansing, going into the new year.”

Local artists Geneviève Guénette, Martine Birobent, Lina Gamache and Siris have all created full-sized, commissioned figures, but as López suspects the fire department here is a bit more rigorous in its regulations than, say, Bogotá’s, smaller versions will be publicly burnt. Moreover, the Joyeux Décembre! program booklet contains cut-outs of the same, for your own personal pyromaniac pleasure.

Another tradition López brings up are the Augures, a Colombian staple for Dec. 31. “It’s between superstition and ritual. Midnight of New Year’s Eve is a magical moment when you can do an action to bring luck or money or happiness into your life. One of my favourite is, you take your suitcase and when the midnight bell rings, you go out and walk around your block. That will bring lots of trips and travelling in the new year.”

Another involves yellow underwear worn backwards, for luck—check the Joyeux Décembre! Web site for a perfectly rational explanation. López says he plans to circle his block with his guitar case, but he might not even need to. 2009, for him, promises a lot.

“We’re going to perform in Mexico at the end of January, at a festival in the state of Sonora. We’re actually closing the festival, which is a nice surprise. It’ll be our first international show. And then in February, we’re in the studio, so a new album should be ready for the summer.

“Hopefully next year will bring even more shows and opportunities!”