Melissa Eugenia Rincón Hernández, representative of Argentina, was chosen as the new Departmental Queen of Bambuco. She will now be the one to represent the people of Huila in the National Reign of Bambuco, which is being contested this festive long weekend.
Johan Eduardo Rojas López
The qualifying jury of the Departmental Reign of Bambuco made up of: Eduardo Labao, Nohora Ramírez de Leguízamo, Claudia Marcela Medina García, Ana María Valderrama and José Alfonso Vargas, elected last night at the Music Park, Jorge Villamil Cordovez, the new representative of the opitas in the National Reign of Bambuco. This after the private interview, the folklore exhibition, the peasant costume parade and other activities related to this contest.
Melissa Eugenia Rincón Hernández, representative of the municipality of La Argentina, won the crown and now has the commitment to compete alongside candidates from other departments of the country to be the ambassador of Huila traditions at the national and international level. María Camila Reyes Plazas, representative of Garzón, became vicereen, and Sara Milena Rivas Flórez, representative of Gigante, became princess.
Women were the protagonists
The delegations supported their candidates with euphoria from the beginning of the event that began with the various formal acts, followed by the opening in which the 20 representatives registered for this edition participated, under the staging entitled “Huila, a folkloric and cultural paradise.” ”. There the Popular Queen of Bambuco, Yenny Tatiana Melo Santofimio and Departmental Queen of Bambuco 2023-2024, Liz Mariana Claros, had their respective participation.
Later, the Sanjuaneros Huilenses of the candidates were given the stage, which was divided into two groups, and two musical shows were also enjoyed. On the one hand, the Parque de la Música resounded to the rhythm of Andean music, along with the female group “Nueva Primavera”, from Pitalito that was born in 2009; and on the other hand, the spectators sang at the top of their lungs the melodies interpreted by a group of five women who have joined together to give life to what is now known as “Opitas a la plancha”.
Meanwhile, the governor of Huila, Rodrigo Villalba Mosquera, during his speech gave a broad context of the San Pedro festivities.
“It is a festival that, while remaining loyal to tradition, adapts to the conditions of current times. Without a doubt this is one of the most important folkloric festivals in the country, there is organization, punctuality, but above all security. We have dedicated a good amount of time to making tourists feel at home. This will be a great version, the best of all,” said the leader of the Huilenses.
What was taken into account when choosing the new queen?
Valeria Patiño Lemus, Aipe; María José Vargas García, La Plata; Karla Daniela Ordoñez Bravo, San Agustín; Mélida Liseth Valencia Tierradentro, Pitalito; Sara Milena Rivas Flórez, Giant; María Camila Reyes Plazas, Garzón and Melissa Eugenia Rincón Hernández, La Argentina, were the seven semifinalists chosen under the following qualification parameters: interpretation of the Sanjuanero Huilense (60%), folklore exhibition (10%), general culture (10%), charisma (10%), popularity (5%) and punctuality (5%). The above, despite the fact that initially there was talk of five semi-finalists.
They, as usual, performed the traditional dance again and, from that bouquet, the three winners of the night emerged with whom the spectators were satisfied, and they even congratulated the jury for its transparency.
In this contest the queen received $10,000,000 as a prize, the vice queen $5,000,000 and the princess $3,500,000.
