Parades, processions, and parties are in abundance in Quibdo, the capital of the Choco department as its inhabitants and visitors celebrate the patron saint San Pacho, lasting until October 5.
Throw into the mix some floats, flags, and feathers, as well as dancing, drumming, and drinking and you have some serious fun times. Children and adults alike dress up in costumes and the crowd shakes to the sounds of chirimia music with its perky percussion and crisp clarinet.
This year the revelers in the predominantly Afro-Colombian town, will party extra hearty because the celebration is now included on the UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The Cultural Space of the Palenque of San Basilio, as well as the Barranquilla Carnival, were put on the same list in 2008
Those who like to pluck their news from the Twitosphere, can follow the hashtag #SanPacho2011 and you can also read the San Pacho 2011 blog.
The festival was first celebrated on October 4, 1648 when Franciscan missionaries put an image of St Francis of Assisi on the flagship of a procession of boats which sailed down the Atrato River. We’ll take any excuse for a rumba.