The culture of compartir—sharing in general and, specifically, gathering for food—is likely a result of living in such a small town and having a tight-knit community. Here, everybody knows everybody. There are strong bonds between the people because they often were born and lived their entire lives together, first as family members or classmates, then as co-workers or teammates and then into old age. It isn’t often that new faces, and especially foreigners, come along.
The strong sense of belonging is maybe best demonstrated in another small tradition: It is common to greet others using the word veci, short for vecino or vecina, meaning "neighbor". Besides sounding adorable, it underlies the fact that people consider themselves literal neighbors in such a small town. As such, it is important to rely on each other so that everybody can live well and peacefully.
It’s an open question whether Colombians are so generous, and in general hospitable, despite or because of their country’s violent past. Was the culture’s unwavering joy something that helped them get through violent periods, or did the shared pain they experienced for decades cause some Colombians to come closer together? Regardless, I find it very admirable that so many locals are generous after a sad and, frankly, dangerous history.
Apart from the historical social environment, the culture of compartir is also connected to the natural environment. In a place where agriculture is so important, it’s understandable that sharing relates back to the land.
