What are Havaneres?

Answer 1

Havaneres (plural form of Havanera, a Catalan word) are sea shanties brought back from Cuba by Catalan sailors in the 19th Century, which tell of lost loves and faraway ancestors. These lovely sing-songs are usually accompanied by guitar and Accordion, and sometimes bass.

The lyrics may be in Catalan or Spanish. Among the most popular Haveneres there are: "El meu avi" ("My Grandpa") and "La Bella Lola" ("Beautiful Lola") When the first one is sung, the audience often sings along and hold each others' arms and sway and swing. The second one is about saying goodbye to a beautiful girl and everybody waves their hand or a (clean) handkerchief.

A popular drink called "cremat" (a mixture of hot coffee with some rhum) is often given away on Havanera nights.