Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Festival de Diablos y Congos
FESTIVAL
The most intriguing local tradition is Festival de Diablos y Congos, a festival of rebellion
and ridicule that mocks the colonial Spaniards. During the festivity, blacks assume the
role of escaped slaves and take 'captives.' It is held two weeks after Carnaval, sometimes
coinciding with March 20, Portobelo's patron saint day.
The tradition of Los Congos (named for its participants) dates from the slave-trading
days when blacks escaped into the jungle and formed communities of exiles. In satire, a
prisoner is taken and a huge ransom demanded, though the prisoner is freed upon paying
a token ransom (US$1 will suffice). The Congos perform before audiences dressed in
outlandish outfits that include tattered clothes, hats that resemble crowns and wooden
swords.
Beware that a wild group may descend upon an innocent pedestrian and demand thou-
sands of dollars. If you ever find yourself an innocent 'victim' of this tradition, try not to
freak out - they'll settle for a few coins.
Festival de Cristo Negro
RELIGIOUS
(Black Christ Festival)
Every October 21, pilgrims from all over Panama arrive in Portobelo
to partake in this festival which honors a miracle-giving 1.5m-high statue of the Black
Christ housed in the Iglesia de San Félipe. After the sun sets the statue is paraded down
the streets, while pilgrims bedecked in purple robes and thorned crowns dance and drink
until the wee hours.
THE LEGEND OF THE BLACK CHRIST
Festival de Cristo Negro (
Click here
) honors the statue of the same name, which
has many miracles attributed to it. Normally housed in the
Iglesia de San Félipe
OFFLINE MAP
, the Black Christ statue's exact origins are a matter of speculation.
All definitive church records were lost in the fire that followed Henry Morgan's
sacking of Panamá in 1671. However, there's no shortage of fanciful stories sur-
rounding the origins of the statue.
One story has it that a ship bound for Cartagena, Colombia, tried to leave Porto-
belo five times, but on each occasion a storm blew the ship back to the town's
edge, nearly sinking it. The crew lightened their vessel by tossing a heavy box over-
board. On their sixth attempt to sail out, the weather calmed and they were able to
go on their way. Several days later, local fishers found the discarded box floating off
Portobelo and discovered the Black Christ inside.
A second story claims that the box was instead found floating at sea during a
cholera epidemic. After being retrieved by local fishermen, the statue was placed
