The Bride of Barrancas

The story behind the saying

What began as a misfortune for a bride and her family, in the twentieth century in Barrancas, has become one of the most representative popular expressions of the Guajiros. It tells the story that a young lady of good family and deep-seated who committed herself to a men. Chosen as a worthy husband by her family, because of the eloquence, manners and presentation of that man. The commitment was officiated, the preparations carried out and the long-awaited day arrived. The woman dressed in white and her guests wait for countless minutes to the boyfriend who never arrived at the church, on the day of the marriage, leaving the bride disconsolate and ashamed.

Over the years people forgot the protagonists, leaving the mere event as a popular expression. The new generations continue to use the “left as Barranca’s bride” to express that someone “was planted” or that “they left him waiting.”

“Barranca’s bride” is an example of a long and fruitless wait. The expression is popular especially in the south of La Guajira – where the municipality of Barrancas is located – and in other areas that made up the former Province of Padilla.

Sources

(2007) Origen de expresiones, caso: “La Novia de Barrancas” Recuperado de: Guajiramente