The Fiestas de San Pacho is an annual celebration embedded in the popular-rooted religion of Afro-Descendant Chocó identity.
The celebration takes place in Quibdó, Colombia, and alternates religious and pagan expressions. It is held on the 20th of September and ends on the 5th of October.
It represents Afro-Chocoan cultural identity and updates both the way in which the religious experience is taken into account, as well as what is essential to it in the realm of music, dance, and theater. It is an essential space for Chocoanos, as a part of their religious, social, and political lifestyles. As a representation of the culture of Chocoanos, it allows them to recognize that different colonies of Chocoanos celebrate their 'San Pachito'.
There are twelve neighborhoods in Quibdó that make up the celebration, on which the commitment of organizing everything related to the party falls. Every morning, the people of Quibdó gather for mass at the Franciscan Church.
During the afternoon, the celebration turns into a dance that is liberating and the theater brings back the facts of oppressive daily life and historical discrimination against Africans. This is followed by a parade of carnival groups that will feature costumes, dances, and chirimia music. Each district will hold a morning mass and allegorical floats or carnival groups in the afternoon.
On October 3, the image of the Saint travels from neighborhood to neighborhood on rafts. The patron saint traveled the Atrato River in boats, and on October 4th people celebrated the dawn with devotional hymns. In the evening, people performed the Grand Procession of the Saint.
On October 4, the procession of the patron saint goes through neighborhoods, giving offerings to the Saint by carried out through a theater built in his honor. The festival is often believed to honor San Francisco de Asis, but in actuality, it is transformed into a carnival.
The Grand Procession is an important part of the festival, a procession of floats, district altars, costumes, and street decorations, made by the local artists and craftspeople. Certain families helped to organize the events, preserve know-how, and keep the tradition alive through the Franciscan Festival Foundation.
As of today, Quibdó Festival is still the most important symbolic event in the life of the Chocó. It is also one of the most important spaces where Chocó identity is developed, social cohesion is fostered, and creativity and innovation are encouraged through the revival of traditional knowledge and respect for nature.
References
(https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/festival-of-saint-francis-of-assisi-quibd-00640) (https://es-m-wikipedia-org.translate.goog/wiki/Fiesta_de_San_Pacho?_x_tr_sl=es&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=id&_x_tr_pto=sc)