Venezuela’s coat of arms bears in its field the colors of the National Flag, in three quarters. That on the right, red, with a sheaf of spikes as a symbol of the unity of the Republic’s states and of the Nation’s wealth. The quarter on the left, yellow; and as an emblem, the arms and two national flags intertwined by a laurel wreath. A third blue quarter that occupies the whole lower part of the Escutcheon. In it, there is a rampant horse with the head turned to the right, a symbol of independence and freedom. The escutcheon’s crest, as a symbol of abundance, is the figure of two cornucopias, upside down, intertwined in the middle. In their lateral parts, the figures of an olive tree branch to the right and a palm to the left, tied in the bottom part of the Escutcheon with a ribbon that bears the national colors. The ribbon’s blue stripe bears in golden letters, the following inscription to the right of the Escutcheon: 19 April 1810, the word Independence; to the left, 20 February 1859, Federation; and at the center: Republic of Venezuela.
Choir: Glory to the brave people that the got rid of the yoke, respecting the law, virtue and honor. I Down with the chains! cried the lord, and the poor man in his shack called for freedom. II At this sacred name trembled with terror the vile selfishness that once again prevailed. II Let us shout with determination: Let oppression die! Faithful countrymen, united we stand; and from the Empyrean, the Creator infused to the people sublime inspiration. III United with bonds that heaven has formed, the Americas exist as one Nation; y if despotism raises its voice, follow the example set by Caracas.
Joropo, dance popular Venezuelan that along with the Merengue, the Bambuco, the Tono Llanero, the Corrido, the Aguinaldo and the Tango, make up the characteristic group of Venezuelan dances. Joropo is the country’s most typical and representative dance. Its movement is fast, to a ternary rhythm that includes a showy tap-dance and a slight reference to waltz, so it represents the most genuine expressive form among colonial musical expressions. Two varieties exist: the coast joropo, of great rhythmic richness, and the plains joropo, more lively. It is performed in couples, using numerous choreographic figures, mixing the Spanish-Creole traditions and the contribution of African slaves. It has been studied by the Venezuelan musicologist Luis Felipe Ramón y Rivera, who published in 1953 a thorough essay on this dance.
The Orchid (Cattleya mossiae), of the orchid family, which is the biggest in the vegetable Kingdom, approximately 30,000 species and 800 genera. In the South American region there is their widest variety. In Venezuela it is called Flor de Mayo (the May flower).
The Araguaneyo, tree of Ipé: Belonging to the Tabebuia chrysantha family, called by the Indians “Aravanei.” It was registered for the first time in 1660, when to the South of Píritu, the village of San Miguel de Araveneyenan was founded, in honor of this tree; and May 29, 1945, in a joint resolution of the ministers of Agriculture, Livestock and Education, this tree was officially declared as the National tree of Venezuela. As a tribute to its extraordinary beauty, not for nothing did the Venezuelan writer Rómulo Gallegos describe the first months of the year as “the golden spring of the araguaneyes.”
The Troupial (Icterus icterus) is a bird with the whole plumage orange-yellow colored, except the head and the wings that are black with white feathers, and it has an bright-blue small spot around the eyes. Its habitat is located in gallery forests, or in warm places such as plains, thistle fields and spiny heaths.
Simón Bolívar (1783-1830), is Venezuela’s national hero. Main leader of the revolution that brought independence to South America, known as El Libertador.
