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The Uverito Beach House is in the center of the action on the Azuero Peninsula. Although Carnival is the most famous event in the area there are many attractions and festivals nearby. The Las Tablas Carnival is the largest in the country, and receives thousands of visitors every year. Pedasi, Santo Domingo, and La Palma also have popular carnival celebrations.  Here is a list of the major festivals and things to do in Azuero all year round:

 Founding of Guarare - January 21st

The district of Guarare, host to the most famous folk festival in Panama, The National Festival of Mejorana (a small 5 string guitar). Every 21st of January they celebrate the founding of the municipality. This event was initially founded on January 21, 1880 thanks to the efforts of the matron Bibiana Perez Gutierrez. This celebration incorporates the crowning of Miss January 21st and other festive events, religious activities and conferences portraying the love of Guararenos for their homeland and the upkeep of local history.

Celebration of Don Bosco - January 30th

Don Bosco (August 16, 1815 - January 31, 1888) a saint whose recognition as such has been relatively recent (canonized on April 1st, 1934). Despite this the region has a large number of devotees to him. Therefore, in the context of the religious festival, several communities from Azuero devote ​​every January 30th to have a crowded procession to express the commitment of the neighborhood. Some of the communities that celebrate Don Bosco are: The Chupampa Lemon, Llano de la Cruz de Parita, Llano abajo de Guararé, and La Enea. In La Enea after the procession, people can appreciate an extraordinary display of fireworks; using also the “montantes”, a modality that has almost disappeared from our celebrations. 

Perote de Las Musas - February 

A very special event in the region of Azuero, during the summer season, the local residents await this celebration in order to embrace the national talents of the performers from all over Panama. You are guaranteed to experience a wonderful outdoor environment with writers, singers, poets, folklorists and musicians portraying their talents to an audience that appreciates their efforts, while demonstrating that the love of the arts still have a space in their lives. The event takes its name (Perot) of the “religious pilgrimage” to the beaches of Uverito. See you in the town of Perote, Santo Domingo!

Carnival - February or March

Carnival dates for 2013 are February 8th until February 12th. Queens, thrones, culecos, bands and the region of Azuero becomes the capital of The Panamanian Carnival. There is no doubt that it is the most anticipated event and activity of the season. Whether in Ocu, Parita, Chitre, Villa de Los Santos, Las Tablas, Santo Domingo, San Jose, Pedasi and Tonosí, the locals welcome the visitors with the warmth that distinguishes the people in the provinces of Herrera and Los Santos. Morning and afternoon you will enjoy the ”culecos” (people in the street watering the crowd with large fire hoses), in the evening the streets are full of decorated trucks.  You will appreciate the classic rivalry between “the tunas” of Calle Arriba (high class people) and Calle Abajo (low class) with special musical compositions. The queens also competing with each other over who has the most beautifully decorated car and costumes.  With the proximity of cities, less than one hour from one another, you can easily visit all of the locations and enjoy them all. There is nothing like carnival, which dates back to the early 1900s, to experience the customs of the people in Azuero.  Be sure and be there for the closing ceremony on the last day of the celebrations as this is devoted to praising the culture and national folklore.

Semana Santa (Holy Week) - March or April

Easter in 2013 is March 31st with Good Friday falling on March 29th, Easter is celebrated all over the region with the best processions in the towns of Pese and Peña Blanca de Las Tablas, with their interpretation of the Via Crucis. Azueros´s Easter is a week-long celebration combining old-fashioned religious traditions with social and cultural events. For over five hundred years, the Catholic religion has been the driving and uniting force in this region, comprised of the provinces of Los Santos and Herrera.  Mythological stories connected to this holy season abound, expressed in legends such as “señile”, “Headless Father”, “The speaking Ox,” “The sinner of the afterlife” and a series of stories that extol the fear of God and the need to make ammends in our earthly lives in order to reach “heaven” and enjoy the pleasures of celestial life.  Heavily attended Church Masses and processions, as well as popular representations of Christ’s passion and crucifixion, are the highlights of Holy Week in the Azuero Peninsula. Almost all of the region’s communities take part in the liturgies, from Santa Maria to Pedasi and from Guararé to Tonosí, Las Minas and Ocú.

Feria de Azuero - April

The Azuero Trade fair is held in the town of La Villa de Los Santos, every year in late April.  This is a 10 day country fair. National and international tourists say that los santeños and herreranos have made their agricultural, commercial, industrial and touristic fair one of the best in the Republic of Panama. When you attend you will familiarize yourself immediately with the people and culture of the Azuero Peninsula. Everything related to the region is perfectly presented and represented: livestock, agriculture, industry, handicrafts, banking, cooperatives, buhonerías (small stores with souvenirs), dining, amusement parks, state enterprises, Azuero real estate, etc.. The fair is open 24 hours a day. And for lovers of dance, at night you can choose between the music of accordions and presentations of various musical genres. The fair is in full swing day and night with cattle breed judging, dog shows and the typical cowboy competitions.

Saint Isidro Labrador Day - May

Popular with many people of Latin America, the 15th of May is “The Day of Saint Isidro Labrador”, the saint of farmers. Saint Isidro is the religious image that comes as the intermediary to God to assist in the provision of abundant rainfall. So when the summer is prolonged and the farmer’s see their property in danger, people perform prayers and processions headed by the image of San Isidro.  The next time you visit the Azuero Region during the month of May, don’t  forget to ask for directions to the celebrations and processions of San Isidro, the saint of farmers.

Corpus Christi - June

This religious festival is held 61 days after Good Friday, a colorful two week festival with folkloric dances held in La Villa de los Santos.  One of the most famous  religious holidays: The Corpus Christi in LaVilla de Los Santos and Parita. The celebration of the Eucharist is celebrated with great enthusiasm.  The streets are filled with a variety of dances. Center stage are the Diablicos (a Panamanian character), Parrampanes (Panamanian character with colorfull dresses), Mojigangas (Panamanian men dressed in drag), the famous goats that will paint the event a special color. There are several dances that relate to specific songs like El Torito (The Bull), The Clean and Dirty diablicos, Los Gallotes, The Spanish Montezuma, The Loggerhead Montezuma, The Zaracundé and the list goes on. The residents from Parita coincide their celebrations of Corpus Christi which provide additional dances, one of which is very famous locally, The Cumbembé.  Corpus Christi offers a window to observe the cultural strength of the Azuero region.

Fiestas Patronales de Santa Librada - July 19-23

Around 25,000 people visit Las Tablas every year for its Patron Saint festivities.  

Festival de la Pollera - July 22

A display of Panama's national costume, the 'Pollera' Queen is crowned on July 22nd with a colorful procession in Las Tablas.

Festival de la Mejorana, Guararé - September 23 and 24

Held in the small town of Guararé, close to Las Tablas, there is an event called: “The National Festival Of The Mejorana”. The Mejorana is a musical instrument from the countryside, a guitar in which the locals play while singing their joys and sorrows. During the Festival the population come to taste national culture, particularly the “Creole” expressions of folklore. During the festivities there are a variety of contests: mejorana, drums,  tunas (a traditional parade with locals singing and playing traditional instruments), accordion, carts, and other folk dances.  Simultaneous to festivities, many perform religious acts of worship of the Virgin of Mercy, saint of the town, an event which takes place between the 23rd and 24th of September.

Festival de Chitre - October 19

The towns of Chitre and Los Pozos were both born on October 19th, 1848, when the Isthmus was still part of Colombia. Since then, they have made significant contributions to nation’s development.  Chitre, for example, has become a city of trade and the financial core of the Azuero Peninsula. Hence, on October 19th was an important milestone for her in history. A fiesta that was presented in chitreano style, with events throughout the evening at Union Park, where visitors see the performance of popular culture.  Furthermore, the time is used to present folk and civic parades, which show foreign and native strength with the signature of warmth that only the interior of Panama can portray.

Fiestas Patrias - November

November is parade month in Panama!  November 3rd being Independence Day from Colombia and November 4th is Flag Day.  Both days are national holidays and all the schools participate in marching parades.  November 10th is celebrated in Los Santos 'the first shout of independence'. November 28th is independence from Spain, another national holiday, with marching parades.

The Parade of a Thousand Polleras - November

The pollera-iconic symbol of national identity- received in the City of Las Tablas the most significant tribute that a nation can pay to a homeland icon. Indeed, the capital of the province of Los Santos has become the place where delegations converge from different corners of the national territory to show to locals and foreigners, the various forms of the isthmus women’s clothing. Whether it is a montuna, an aristocratic, or a standard pollera, proudly worn by the black ethnic woman, during the Parade of a Thousand Polleras, the population of Las Tablas makes every effort to present an event that portrays the capacity and creativity of the artisans who spend months in the making of the famous dress. The national costume has its origins in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, as an evolution of those colonial costumes the Black-Hispanic-Indigenous women used to wear. Centuries later, human groups that inhabited the Isthmus took this dress as their own. We find the same phenomenon occurring in dance, music and other expressions of national culture. No doubt this parade is a sign of pride for Panamanians who feel for their vernacular expressions. Nothing is left out, as there are tamboritos, murgas, folkloric menswear, and everything else that has made the national culture a phenomenon of worldwide appeal. 

New Years Eve - Las Tablas

Las Tablas holds a popular New Years Eve celebration every year.  The town celebrates the coronation of the Las Tablas Carnival Queens.  This is a fun, all night fiesta with fireworks and parades.