Here in Medellín, it often includes chicken, yucca, plantain, potato and carrot in a rich, savory broth. Cooking sancocho is a lengthy process, and families bring along heavy iron pots that they can leave over the fire while the sancocho stews. They often arrive in the morning to prepare the soup, and then spend most of the day letting the soup cook over the fire while they spend time with family members. In addition to making the special sancocho, families also play traditional Colombian music, such as Vallenato. They also might take a walk around the park and swim in a river or swimming hole. Children play games together and adults chat while they keep watch over the cooking sancocho.
The paseo de olla is an age-old Colombian tradition that, most importantly, brings together family from near and far to reunite and enjoy each other's company for a day. While Colombians enjoy paseos de olla all-year-round, the tradition is especially common on New Year's Day. As the new year commences, families use the paseo de olla as a chance to spend time with relatives and recall memories from the past year, as well as share their hopes for the coming year. Especially as families have become more spread out in modern times, the paseo de olla continues to be a tradition that reunifies family members far and near and strengthens bonds between relatives.
