I have spent some time since the last post composing another essay about the first views of life in Pasto. It was only a few days ago that it occurred to me that, if I am to make my posts relevant to the present whenever possible, I should instead write about the festive season here. Unfortunately, since we have not yet managed to set up our desktop computer I do not have access to most of my photos relevant to the period, but I will do the best I can. This view is enhanced by the fact that, to some people, this time of year would be the defining character of the city, including as it does the carnival.
The festive season here starts much earlier than the parades of the new year. In late November and early December the city becomes festooned by displays of the nativity and, in particular, lights.
 |
| Pasaje Corazón de Jesús, Pasto |
These displays are on a grand scale and are found all over the town. Ordinary residential streets take on a look that a Brit associates more with Oxford Street than supposedly sleepy estates. In the UK ostentatious displays are unusual and somewhat frowned upon: occasionally local councils ask people to tone down their displays. Here the reverse is true. Indeed, on one day in early December the electricity was turned off for around ten hours across large parts of the city to enable public displays to be erected more safely! The result is a city alive with colour and the displays make a for diverting evening driving around the more exuberant areas. In addition, some of the churches erect huge nativity displays while shopping centres and supermarkets have their own nativity scenes. The following pictures are of the display at Iglesia Santiago.
As the great day nears the festivities crescendo. From the 15th or 16th the evenings are dominated by Novena de Navidad celebrations in the street. These are, I suppose, the Catholic equivalent of the Church of England's service of nine lessons and carols. In Colombia they are focused very much on children, although the nightly services and subsequent parties can go deep into the evening.
After the day itself (which in Lily's family is a relatively low-key affair), comes the day of Holy Innocents (commemorating the day Herod ordered the slaying of the first-born). In Pasto this heralds the start of the carnival season and the streets are awash as people throw water at each other. Usually the water supply is cut off for the day, but after the heavy rains of recent months this was not the case this year.
The atmosphere briefly subsides for a couple of days before new year's eve. In this period one can see huge numbers of effigies for sale on the streets of the city. These are
años viejos, representing the old year and are traditionally burned at midnight. This description doesn't prepare one for the outbreak of mayhem that actually occurs.
The first unexpected turn is that the
años viejos are usually burned on the street. The favourite method of ignition being to dowse them in petrol and throw a lighted match or cigarette at them. This on its own would lend the city an apocalyptic atmosphere, the streets being full of small fires. What really makes the place seem like a war zone is that many of the effigies are packed with fireworks before being laid in the street. Some of the more exuberant revellers will drape additional strings of fireworks on top of them and throw still more into the minor inferno they have set outside their front door.
Across the city this scene is repeated in almost every street by anything from half-a-dozen families upwards. The cumulative effect is phenomenal! Our fourth floor flat (with the windows closed) smelled of cordite within about ten minutes of the clock striking midnight. The initial artillery barrage lasted for about fifteen minutes before petering out into sporadic mortar-fire around half-past twelve. Somehow Matthew slept through it all!
 |
| Picture sourced at Wikipedia |
Up until the new year, Pasto appears to carry on business as usual through most of the festive time. Indeed many shops are open on Christmas Day, and working the week between Christmas and new year is not unusual. On the 2nd January the
carnaval de negros y blancos (Carnival of Blacks and Whites) starts and Pasto shuts down for the week.
Each day of the carnival features a parade through the town of costumed performers from all over the region. From the 4th January onwards the streets are filled with marauding revellers intent on painting white almost anything that moves. There is a slight variation on the 5th (el día de los negros) when other colours, especially black, are added to the mix.
 |
| Picture sourced at Wikipedia |
The finale on the 6th (el día de los blancos) is a magnificent parade of dancers, stilt-walkers, bands, marchers in intricate (and sometimes huge) costumes and enormous floats painted in bright and lurid colours. These performers progress slowly through the city through a continuous cloud of flour, shaving foam, fake snow and any other vaguely white substance that the population has to hand. The effect is amazing and the atmosphere electrifying. The parade is (according to Wikipedia) 7km long and lasts for three or four hours.
After the parade the biggest floats are parked alongside the
Panamericana which is where I managed to get some pictures of this year's entries. The parade is actually competitive, and the creators of the winning float this year - the large lion - received a prize of 30 million pesos (about £10,000).
Happy new year to you all.
