Tuki Tuki Tukis Forever: The Untold Story of ‘El Burrito Sabanero
It’s the season for all of our favorite Christmas traditions and songs, including “El Burrito Sabanero.” The song, originally written in 1972, has been a constant in the lives of many Latine families around this time of year.
The tuki tuki tukis of the Christmas carol make even the toughest and most serious men start dancing and clapping because, let’s face it, it is a bop. Like all bops, there is a history behind the making and growing popularity of “El Burrito Sabanero.” We decided to dive in, and here is what you should know.
A children’s band in Venezuela helped the song gain widespread popularity
Hugo Blanco, a Venezuelan composer, originally wrote the song. “El Burrito Sabanero,” also known as “El Burro de Belén,” was first recorded by Simon Díaz on an album released that same year. Shortly after, in 1975, La Rondallita, a children’s group, released their first album, “El Burro de Belén,” which included the now-famous Christmas villancico.
According to the BBC, Blanco decided the song would sound better in children’s voices. That is why La Rondallita released the first version, which really catapulted the song to fame.
The song’s inclusion on the La Rondallita album helped launch it into fame. Arguably, this was the moment that “El Burrito Sabanero” became a household must-listen every Christmas season.
The song tells the story of a young boy riding his donkey to see the baby Jesus. The lyrics are easy to follow along with and add to the increased love of the song that we were all able to learn very early in life.
“El Burrito Sabanero” will live on forever as it keeps getting covers
So many artists have made their own cover of this song. Some of the biggest names in Latin music have given “El Burrito Sabanero” their twist to keep the song alive. Some artists who have done song covers include Juanes, Aventura, Gaby Moreno, and Adrienne Bailon-Houghton.
The song is one of the most popular Spanish-language Christmas songs of all time. In 2023, Billboard included La Rondallita’s original version of “El Burro de Belén” in its list of the 100 best Christmas songs ever.
On a different note, apparently, singing the song wasn’t as magical for the children as you’d expect
Ricardo Cuenci was one of the children who sang on the original track. According to his interview with BBC, no royalties materialized.
“As a child, one never knew anything about that, not about money, not about payments,” Cuenci told BBC. “We were never paid even a bolivar split in half, not me or my companions from La Rondallita.”
Despite the massive success, the children who sang the original “El Burro de Belén” didn’t get all the credit they deserved, especially financially. Yet, as we start to play the song this year as we decorate or hang out with family, we can start understanding more about how that little song about a little donkey made its way into our homes.
