The Carnaval de Negros y Blancos is a traditional celebration held in San Juan de Pasto, Colombia, between December 28 and January 6. It is a celebration that combines indigenous, African and Spanish traditions, and was declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2009.
Itinerary
This day is one of the most important of the carnivals is the song to the earth “pachamama” where more than a thousand artists are on stage, the artistic groups make their appearance along the path of the carnival dancing and performing music of winds, drums, quenas, zampoñas, glittering majestic costumes of very colorful colors.
The tourist will have the opportunity to see the groups in all their splendor as the streets are flooded with artists who call the public to participate, applaud and integrate with the music and dance.
Once the parade is over, we go to the workshops of the carnival artisans who explain to the tourists the materials used, the design of the float, the motif to be exhibited in the main parade to be held on January 6, and take pictures with the artisans and masters of the carnival. During the tours in the city, visitors will be able to enjoy the Christmas lights.
Then we will visit the ice cream paila, a unique experience, here the tourist enjoys a live demonstration of its preparation and taste a delicious cup of homemade ice cream of various flavors.
Arrival at the hotel.
CASTAÑEDA FAMILY
It is a great parade through the streets of the city and a prelude to the Carnival that takes place on January 4, referring to the legend of the Carnival, according to which in 1928 a group of Pastusos invited a family to enjoy the festivities. The legend of the Carnival, according to which in 1928 a group of Pastusos invited to enjoy the festivities a family later baptized as La Familia Castañeda. To commemorate the arrival of this family, there is a parade composed of many comparsas in which groups of people dressed in costumes of the time that try to take the spectators back to the beginning of the last century.
We leave to the sanctuary of the flagstones once the parade is over, in a two hours tour until arriving to the sanctuary, we return once it is illuminated.
NEGRITOS DAY and LAGUNA DE LA COCHA
We start our trip to La Laguna de la Cocha at 7:30 am. We arrive at the village of El Puerto where we make a tour of its wooden houses decorated with flowers, photo session, at 9:00 am we go to La Corota Island and visit this natural park.
11:00 am we go to the reserve of the civil society in the sector of Motilon, we have lunch in the reserve in a family atmosphere, we make an interpretive tour of the reserves.
On the way back we play “negritos” in the Plaza de Nariño and in the streets of the city, people with black cosmetics paint the faces of their friends and acquaintances, emphasizing that we are all negritos that day.
DAY OF WHITES AND PARADE OF FLOATS.
It is the biggest event in our city and carnival artisans after having designed and worked on their floats for a year, show them to the public and go on their journey through the path of the carnival, the masters make a waste of creativity, imagination and madness, more than 6mts floats decorated and dressed make their way in the presence of locals and tourists, overflowing with joy, music, dance, individual costumes, foam and talc are present and all its inhabitants play with talc and foam carnival.
Once the parade is over, we visit the artisan carnival where all the artisan techniques of our region, elaborated by indigenous communities, farmers and artisans, are present.
Departure transfer
