There is an old saying that goes, "There are as many tastes as there are colors." Cubans have a unique term for this: carmelita. For those who might not understand us, we're referring to the shades of brown, coffee, chocolate, cinnamon, or chestnut.
Cubans have changed the name of the color, and it has become so ingrained in us that many people don’t think it could be called anything else. This usage comes from a religious matter, the influence of the Order of the Carmelites in Cuba.
Who are the Carmelite friars and nuns?
The Order of the Carmelites has its origins on Mount Carmel, near the city of Haifa. According to legend, the prophet Elijah, praying in solitude, saw a cloud filled with rain that relieved an intense drought. This is how the veneration of Our Lady of Mount Carmel began, symbolizing love, faith, and rebirth.
In the 12th century, the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel was established, known as the Carmelite Order, composed of Catholic hermit monks, which evolved over time and spread around the world.
Little by little, some women joined the order. In the 16th century, Saint Teresa of Jesus in Spain initiated an important reform that led to the establishment of the "Discalced Carmelites," which spread throughout Latin America.
The Carmelites arrived in Cuba in the 18th century. The first order was founded in 1702 and they remain present in the Island, although with a religious community much smaller than before. They were known among the population for their austerity, their social work, and their clothing.
The robes of this Catholic Order are brown (carmelite)
It is popularly believed that this is where the origin of the name we Cubans have given to the color comes from. By calling them "Carmelite monks," a distinction was made from the other friars on the Island, and gradually, the term began to be associated with the shade of their habits.
Something similar occurred in some regions of other Latin American countries like Chile, Bolivia, or Colombia, where the term carmelito is used, with a similar origin.
The great Carmelite family is made up of friars, contemplative nuns, active religious sisters, and groups with other forms of consecration that have various connections to the Order of the Carmelites, who profess their devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
The Order of the Discalced Carmelites currently maintains its monastery in Vedado. They are cloistered nuns, living in silence, solitude, and austerity. They produce the hosts that are consecrated in the Eucharist throughout Cuba.
Saying "carmelita" in Cuba, although some may be unaware, is much more than just mentioning a color. It is a chapter of the religion of this island that, while fragile and almost unknown, lives on in the devotion to the Virgin of Carmen.
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