La Marimorena

Christmas Carols Explained, #15

Okay, enough Scandinavia for a minute, let’s hop down to Iberia, specifically the very southern edge of the peninsula: Andalusia. This whole region is their California. Sunshine, color, beaches, music, and a general desire to freaking party. These peeps dance. They dance hard. There’s an entire dance called La Sevillana, named after one of the most famous cities in Andalusia.

The title refers to the Virgin Mary. “Mari” is short for Mary and “morena” just means dark-haired (often used to mean “brunette.”) This type of song requires some audience participation, usually in the form of clapping or stomping along. Seriously, hit play on the video, I swear you’re not being WHAMmed, this is just an 80s rendition of this popular song.

It’s specifically a Christmas Eve song (“Noche Buena” means “the Good Night” but it’s what they use for Christmas Eve. “Noche Vieja” or “Old Night” is what they use for New Year’s Eve.)

They’re hyped for Christmas Eve. They’re dancing. They’re shaking out that energy before they go to sleep and wake up for Christmas services. The Spanish don’t need songs about how to stay warm, especially not in Andalusia.