THE 5 MOST POPULAR FESTIVALS OF THE AMAZON REGION - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The festivals in the Amazon region of Colombia are some of the most spectacular in all of Latin America. They are characterized by their enormous coloring and by the mixture of ancient and modern traditions. Many of them have their origin in pre-Columbian cultures.

This part of the country, which occupies about 40% of its surface, is home to many indigenous peoples who still continue to live according to their ancestral customs.

Leticia, Colombia

These traditions, together with the new ones of Catholic origin, give rise to festivals and celebrations of a very different nature.

Main festivals of the Amazon region of Colombia

Most of the festivals and celebrations that take place in this part of the country have either religious origin or are based on the traditions of indigenous peoples.

They are usually spread throughout the year, many of them being one of the main tourist attractions in the area.

1 - Festival of San Pedro

This event is held at the end of July in the Caquetá region, specifically the city of Florence. Its mission is to honor the indigenous peoples who lived in the area since ancient times through recreations of their culture and folklore.

The San Pedro Festival brings together artists of all kinds, filling the streets with music and dance. The entire city is dressed in color, and for several days you can see parades, artisan markets, contests and performances of various kinds.

2 - Chachapoyas tourist week

The tourist week of Chachapoyas is celebrated from June 1 to 7 in the city of the same name. The objective of this celebration is to value the ancestral traditions of some of the indigenous peoples of the area, with cultural and folkloric representations.

The fireworks of the festivities, the parades and the Night of Fire are also typical.

The Raymillacta dance festival, in which several groups of dancers dress in traditional clothes and perform traditional dances, is one of the biggest tourist attractions of the whole week.

3 - Pirarucú de Oro Festival

Although this festival gets its name from a fish found only in the Amazon River, it is an event that brings together the best of traditional music.

The traditional Amazonian music festival Pirarucú de Oro brings together the culture of the three main countries that share the domain of this region: Colombia, Brazil and Peru.

It is celebrated at the end of November in the city of Leticia, and includes different representations, shows and contests.

Its fundamental objective is to promote the appearance of new interpreters of traditional Amazonian music, as well as to make this type of art known to the rest of the world.

4 - Colono de Oro Festival

Since 1985, this festival has been celebrated every December in a different city in the regions of Caquetá, Putumayo and Amazonas.

Thanks to the cultural managers of the time, the Colono de Oro Festival has been strengthening the country's folk roots for more than 30 years.

Every year, the best musicians, interpreters and composers specialized in this type of art gather in the city to pay tribute to the settlers who first populated this region.

During the festival, the “Colono de Oro” Grand Prize is awarded to the performers who best know how to reflect the traditional spirit of the region.

5 - Amazon Fish Fair

One of the most important festivals of the entire Colombian Holy Week is the Amazon Fish Fair.

Fish farmers from all over the Amazon region exhibit their products in the city of Leticia to encourage the purchase of traditional products and exchange their knowledge.

The main objective of the Fair is to improve the production and marketing capacity of the fish produced in the region.

In recent years, this celebration has become very important and also brings together different artistic representations, artisan markets and all kinds of additional services.

References

1. "Fairs and parties" in: Amazonas. Retrieved on: October 23, 2017 from Amazonas: amazonassena.blogspot.com.es.
2. "Festivities and carnivals of the Colombian Amazon region" in: Academic notes / Projects / Artistic area. Retrieved on: October 23, 2017 from Academic Notes / Projects / Artistic Area: ctfrancodu.blogspot.com.es.
3. "Fairs and festivals of the Amazon region" in: Colombian Amazon. Retrieved: October 23, 2017 from Colombian Amazon: sasimialsicoam.blogspot.com.es.
4. "Festivities of the Amazon region" in: Vive Colombia. Retrieved on October 23, 2017 from Vive Colombia: vivecolombia.wikispaces.com.
5. "Carnivals and festivals in the Amazon region" in Colombia Learn. Retrieved on October 23, 2017 from Colombia Aprende: colombiaaprende.edu.co.