The Cuban culture, with the distinction of a peculiar syncretism, has been forming throughout its own history. It dates back to the arrival in Cuba of the Spaniards (1512), who brought with them their way of life and exterminated most of the indigenous population of the Island. Then, there came the slave labor force: mostly black, and Chinese to a lesser extent. This way, the main ingredients for the big ajiaco which symbolizes the Cuban culture were ready, and all those condiments and root vegetables helped to season the spirits of the natives to the island of Cuba.

All this process resulted in a musical cheerful people, with a fusion of rhythms and traditions which is evident in every Cuban neighborhood, village and city. In other words, it is a noticeable cultural identity typical of Cubans, which identifies the inhabitants of this Island as people deeply rooted to their customs and traditions. To get a vivid demonstration of the work of Cubans it is advisable that you visit the different museums, located in every province of the country, specializing in subjects such as Cuba music, history, tobacco, sugar, natural sciences, rum, religion… as well as their monuments, Heritage Sites, theaters and art galleries.

Added to these recommendations are others which are inescapable like nocturnal centers, which typify Cuba’s night life: the distinctive cabarets, the clubs specializing in dissimilar musical genres, and concert or show halls. In every one of them you can enjoy the world famous Cuban music: a mix of ethnic traditions where Rumba and Son were brought into being by the symbiosis of the Spanish guitar and the African drum.

One of the places which symbolizes the Cuban nights and makes the Havana nights enjoyable is the Tropicana cabaret, the most representative night center which has become an international classic. The most well-known peculiarity of this center is that it is a place in the open where you can see the stars in the firmament all night long. Because of this and its combinations of light and vegetation, which help to highlight the already classic choreographies and the colorful clothes of the dancers, it has been named A Paradise Under the Stars.

Likewise, in all of the tourist centers all along the country there is a great many cabarets, discotheques, and centers for the visitor to have a great time dancing to the beat of a Son or Salsa Cuba. La Zorra y el Cuervo, the Jazz Café, and the Jazz Café Irakere are night clubs specializing in Jazz music. These clubs owe their reputation to the fact that on their stages are presented the most virtuous musicians of this musical expression.

Folk and popular Cuban music also has its favorable environment in the famous popular festivities which are held every year like the Parrandas in Remedios and in Camaguaní (Villa Clara), and the Parrandas in Bejucal (Havana), as well as the Carnivals in Santiago de Cuba and in Havana City, among others. What is more, this is a unique opportunity for the visitor to converse and be infected by the heat of the Cuban comparsas and congas.

But during his/her stay in Cuba, the tourist can also attend classical ballet performances, an exceptional occasion to admire the renowned National Ballet of Cuba, directed by Alicia Alonso. It is vital not to forget to suggest the danza contemporánea (contemporary Afro-Cuban dance), as well as theater plays and symphonic or chamber music. Added to this panorama and wide variety of artistic expressions, which the tourist can enjoy while in Cuba, are the well-known festivals like the Latin American New Cinema Festival, the Plastic Arts Festival, and the Habano Festival…, which allow its participants, in a short period of time, to be delighted with the best cultural exponents of the Cuban nationality.