Towns in New Mexico and Colorado Ring in the New Year with Centuries-Old Songs of Hope – At dawn on New Year’s Day, groups of musicians go from house to house singing traditional songs in a practice known as “dando los días.” In our last story of the year, we present Cantos de Alabanza, a type of music cultivated over centuries by Catholic brotherhoods called Los Penitentes who kept their traditions alive in towns throughout the region despite isolation and an absence of priests. Although they are best known for their Easter ceremonies, Los Penitentes provide aid to the sick and the needy, officiate funerals, and participate in mutual aid efforts in the community. Along with these social services, the brothers sing Cantos de Alabanza, liturgical hymns, to bring messages of hope to the needy. In this special report, which is part of the series, “Raíces:  Songs and Stories of Río Arriba,” folk musicians and experts on folk arts offer details about this centuries-old tradition in the towns of northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. Rubén Tapia prepared this report.

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