What is Bomba in Puerto Rico?

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Darth Eugene Vader

Bomba is the spanish word for "bomb (explosive weapon)", but we have at PR other uses for the word.

1. Bomba, or Bomba y Plena: A music & dance style that have its roots in our african heritage. It is sing/played with percusion instruments, also sometimes adding trumpets.

2. Also, "tirar bomba" literaly: 'throw a bomb": is an idiom to express when you are invited to a party or something and you do not show up, although we were expecting to see you there, it is said you throw a bomb to us.

3. Rokin' Mel S is right. Pump (a mechanical device that pumps or deliver a fluid under a controlled pressure through a valve) is also translated as "bomba". Like:
* gas pump = bomba de gasolina
* water pump = bomba de agua
* pneumatic pump = bomba neumÃ¡tica.
* hydraulic pump = bomba hidraulica

However, translating "pump" as "bomba" is not exclusively from PR.

Sandy Sandals

It's a type of music and dance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomba

cs_jchaves

Bomba is a typical type of music from Puerto Rico. Along with Plena (from Ponce, PR) it is one of the most typical music from here. The genre is different from La bomba hahah...

The bomba already explained:
It is mostly sang in groups of people, and mostly now in Christmas time. They are composed of phrases that rhyme and sung at the same time, with gÃ¼iros, maracas, percussion and sometimes even some guitar.

Traditionally it always starts:

"La bomba hay que rica es es es, te sube el ritmo por los pies, por los pies"!!!........ then after this chorus comes the sometimes improvised rhymes. Followed by the chorus once again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi2iD7mhimM

short2stuff1922

Bomba is a dance with lively music and during the dance, there will be brief pauses in which all those participating in this dance will say a ryhme that is funny.
Bomba is a fun dance where anyone at any age can participate. Here is a ryhme of a bomba.
Ayer pase por tu casa,
Y me tiraste con una chancleta
Y me lo comi, creyendo que era una chuleta.
Translated:
By your house is passed by yesterday,
You threw me a flopp(rubber slipper)
And I ate thinking it was a chop(pork chop).

After a person says the ryhme they sing the song that goes like this:
La Bomba ay que rica es,
El ritmo me sube por los pies, por los pies,
Mulato coge tu triguena,
Para bailar bomba, boma puertorriquena.
Translation.
The bomba it is so rich (good, nice)
The rythem comes up from my feet(feeling to dance).
Dark handsom man, choose your girl,
So you can dace the bomba, bomba puertorriquena.

Bomba is bomb, but it is ryhme to make a joke about or to a person. But there is no offence or feelings broken in any of the ryhmes.

shinningstarofthecarribean

Una recien casadita
espulgaba a su marido
y del pelo le sacaba
Cuernitos Recien nacidos

Una vieja seca seca
seca seca se Caso
Con un Viejo seco seco
y se SecarÃ³n los Dos.

Bomba is form of 4 sentences that rime, it has its root in the African influence..the best Bomba y Plena is Found in Loiza.

check these sites

www.gotopuertorico.com

www.welcome.topuertorico.com

see_ya

Bomba is all of the above, but the most important fact about bomba its that the originality came from the time of slavery depression when the spaniards were already seattle in PR and their was no longer natives, for they were killed and many died ill, so the black slaves would secretly reunite when they had a spare time from their masters and dance bomba which was folk music to the beat of a talkative rythym that was related to true stories from town mixed with poetical verses that rhyme. These was a relief to their unfair life from society and their free time that became part of our tradition.

Steppin Stone

a typical afro-latin dance taught to students in elementary and middle schools as part of a history lesson you can say

Yo soy boricua

a type of music

Rockin' Mel S

could be a pump or a bomb.

Edit - Who gave me a thumbs down? Given the lack of context provided by the question and considering someone already gave the music/dance answer, I just offered another possibility.

If the person mentioned it like this: "La bomba de la piscina no estÃ¡ funcionando" I'm pretty damn sure they were not talking about a dance in the pool! Likewise, "Osama bin Laden tiene una bomba" I'm pretty sure they are not say Osama wants to dance and sing but hey feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

nightmachoman

its a bomb

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