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Pura Vida!!! Since it is Hispanic Heritage Month, I will be going in depth with Colombia’s National Symbols.
National Flag
The yellow represents the gold abundant in Colombia, the blue the country’s seas and the red, the blood spilled fighting for Colombian independence. The red also means love, power, strength and progress.
National Anthem: “Oh gloria inmarcesible! Oh unfading glory!”
It was created by Jose Domingo Torres, an actor from Bogota, who took a poem written by ex-Colombian president Rafael Nunez and asked opera singer Oreste Sindici to write the music.
National Coat of Arms
Several of Colomba’s national symbols such as the Andean condor and the country’s motto “Libertad y Orden” (Liberty and Order) are present on the coat of arms.
National Flower: Cattleya Trianae
The orchid was chosen as Colombia’s national flower because its lower part can appear yellow, blue and red – the colors of the Colombian flag.
National Tree: Wax Palm
The Quindio wax palm is the world’s tallest palm tree. It can grow up to 60m (200ft) and live for more than 100 years.
National Horse: Paso Fino
Paso Fino horses are descended from those the Spaniards brought to work on their plantations more than 500 years ago.
National Hat: Sombrero Vueltiao
Sombreros vueltiaos are made by the Zenu indigenous people from a type of cane, known as cana flecha, the the department of Cordoba and Sucre.
National Jewel: Emerald
Colombia accounts for nearly 60% of the world’s emerald market and in 1967 mined the famous Gachala emerald, one of the world’s largest emerald.
National Bird: Andean Condor
It was chosen as Colombia’s national bird because of its role in indigenous Andean culture.
National Drink: Coffee
Colombian coffee is widely considered to be among the best in the world. UNESCO made Colombia’s coffee region a World Heritage Site in 2011.
National Sport: Tejo
Colombia’s national sport is played by throwing a heavy metal disk (a tejo) down a 20m lane at a board that is covered in clay.
National Dish: Bandeja Paisa
The bandeja paisa is Colombia’s most widely known traditional dish and it is most popular in the coffee growing axis, also known as the Coffee Triangle.