Parchis was neither a boy or girl band, initially having four members, two from each gender. Eventually, the band expanded to have six members at the same time. Gemma Prat, Oscar Ferrer Cañadas, Constantino Fernández Fernández better known as Tino (singer) and Yolanda Ventura Roman (daughter of the well known trompetist, Rudy Ventura) were the first four kids to be chosen as members of Parchis.
Parchis' first single, "En La Armada", was a Spanish version of the Village People's disco hit, "In the Navy". "En La Armada" became a major hit in Spain, giving way for a number of important music composers to start working with Parchis. "En La Armada" was followed by what was arguably the group's biggest hit, "Durante la Espera de Parchis" ("During Parchis' Wait"). This song became a number one hit in Argentina. Later on, the group also became successful in Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador and other Latin American countries.
Personal problems forced Oscar Ferrer Caňadas out of the band in 1981. He was substituted by Francisco Díaz Terez, known by fans simply as "Frank". Brothers Miguel Ángel (born in Germany) and Jesús Gómez Cambronero soon joined the band, which by then had six members at the same time.
Losing Oscar Ferrer Cañadas proved lethal to the group, however. With Menudo reaching unprecedented (for a Hispanic children's music group) success levels in Latin America as well as in Spain, and other Latin American groups like Los Chamos and Los Chicos also providing Parchis with competition, and with Ferrer Cañadas' cosiderable amount of fans gone, Parchis began to wane.
In Spain and Argentina in particular, however, the group remained popular enough to release a 1983 movie, "Parchis Entra en Acción" ("Parchis Gets Into Action"), alongside Alberto Fernández de Rosa.
In 1985, Parchis broke up. The group had recorded a number of albums that were successful in Spain and Latin America. More than a decade later, the group would reunite for one television show engagement.
En el Portal de Belen
Parchis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
para calentar al niño
que ha nacido entre las flores.
Gloria! gloria en el bien nacido
Vaya! vaya otro villancico.
En el portal de Belén, en invierno es primavera,
que jesús baja a la tierra.
Gloria! gloria en el bien nacido
Vaya! vaya otro villancico.
En el portal de Belén, hay estrellas, sol y luna,
la virgen y San José y el niño que está en al cuna.
Gloria! gloria en el bien nacito
Vaya! vaya otro villancico.
En el portal de Belén, nace un clavel encarnado,
que por redimir al mundo se ha vuelto lirio morado.
The lyrics to Parchis's song En el Portal de Belen describe the scene of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem as witnessed by the shepherds. The opening line translates to "In the manger of Bethlehem, the shepherds light fires." The shepherds light fires to keep the baby Jesus warm since he was born among the flowers. The lyrics then shift the focus to the celebratory aspect of his birth, with the line "Gloria, gloria in the newborn," and "Vaya, vaya, another carol." This suggests that the shepherds and those nearby are singing and rejoicing at Jesus' birth.
The following verse expands on the significance of Jesus' birth by describing this time as the "winter is spring," signifying that the Messiah, who was awaited, has finally come to the earth. The final verse describes the scene in the manger, with stars, the sun, the moon, the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, and the baby Jesus lying in the crib. The last line, "a red carnation is born in the manger," symbolizes the birth of Christ, who has turned the world from crimson to purple blooms to save it from sin. The song ends with the same chorus line as before, rejoicing in the birth of Jesus.
Line by Line Meaning
En el portal de Belén, hacen lumbres los pastores, para calentar al niño que ha nacido entre las flores.
In the stable of Bethlehem, shepherds light fires to warm the child who was born amongst the flowers.
Gloria! gloria en el bien nacido Vaya! vaya otro villancico.
Glory! Glory to the newborn child. Let's sing another carol.
En el portal de Belén, en invierno es primavera, que el mesías ha esperado que jesús baja a la tierra.
In the stable of Bethlehem, winter turns into spring, as the Messiah has waited for Jesus to come down to earth.
En el portal de Belén, hay estrellas, sol y luna, la virgen y San José y el niño que está en al cuna.
In the stable of Bethlehem, there are stars, sun, moon, the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph and the child laying in the manger.
Gloria! gloria en el bien nacito Vaya! vaya otro villancico.
Glory! Glory to the newborn child. Let's sing another carol.
En el portal de Belén, nace un clavel encarnado, que por redimir al mundo se ha vuelto lirio morado.
In the stable of Bethlehem, a red carnation is born, which has turned into a purple lily to redeem the world.
Contributed by Alexander M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.