The beginning of January is synonymous with celebration in Ipiales, Pasto and other cities in the Colombian department of Nariño. The Carnival of Blacks and Whites, declared cultural heritage of the nation in 2002, fills the streets with color, music and tradition. The celebration attracts visitors from all over the country and neighboring Ecuador.
With roots in the colonial era, the Carnival of Blacks and Whites continues to assert itself as one of the most emblematic cultural expressions in Colombia. The festival brings together local communities and thousands of visitors in a celebration marked by diversity and historical memory.
Also known as the multicolored carnival festival on the border, as it takes place in neighbor of Ecuador, the event was celebrated this year as usual in Ipiales, as well as in other cities in the region.
The procession in Ipiales was attended by around a thousand dancers over three kilometers. No big parade, 80 groups displayed traditional costumes and dances, accompanied by rhythms of drums and wind instruments.
Participants wore colorful suits and transported heavy structures, some weighing up to 40 kiloswhile nine giant floatsbuilt over the course of a year, They crossed the city with figures with human faces, dragons and symbolic characters.
A The origin of the Carnival of Blacks and Whites dates back to the colonial era, when African slaves asked Spanish colonists for at least one day of freedom per year, request that was eventually accepted and fixed at the beginning of January. Despite a period of interruption due to the wars of independence, the tradition was recovered at the end of the 19th century and remains alive today.
