ProgramNational Folkloric Festival of La MejoranaGuararé, Panamá - 2013 |
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| SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22nd, 2013 | |
| 10:00 a.m. | Traditional Junta for building the barrera (rink) for the bullfights. In the countryside tradition, tasks such as planting, harvest, home construction, and others, which require significant labor, are ocassions when neighbors come together for a work gathering (junta) to complete the task. Music, yelling, singing, cooking, eating, and drinking are part of the routine from the beginning, but once the job is done, the party will be at full force. |
| MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23rd, 2013 | |
| 8:00 p.m. | Salve (Hail Holy Queen) and Procession in Honor of Our Patron Saint, the Virgin of Mercy. Handcrafted fireworks. |
| TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24th, 2013 | |
| 10:00 a.m. |
Solemn Eucarist in Honor of Our Lady of Mercy. |
| 12:00 m. |
Sung praises in honor of the Virgin of Mercy by decima singers and mejorana players from the region, at the Mejorana Palace (the main stage). Recognition to Rafael Gutiérrez, a vernacular mejorana player from the region. Medal presented by Licenciada Nedelka Diaz. A décima (or décima espinela) is the traditional verse form used in Panama and several other Latin American countries. It consists of ten eight-syllable lines, with the strict rhyming pattern ABBAACCDDC. |
| 2:00 p.m. |
Forty First Written Decima Competition Manuel F. Zárate, sponsored by Guararé's Lions Club. |
| 3:00 p.m. |
Inauguration of the "Polleras of Yesterday and Today" Exposition, at the Manuel Fernando Zárate (founder of the Festival) Museum. The exposition will be open throughout the festival. The pollera is the national dress of Panama, and is worn by women. |
| WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25th, 2013 | |
| 8:00 p.m. |
Crowning Ceremony for Her Majesty Marlene Espino Batista, Queen of the LXIII (63rd) Festival Nacional de la Mejorana, by Her Majesty Alexandra Mercedes Vargas Benavides, Last Year's Queen. Homage to Her Majesty Angela Espino, Queen of the XXXIX Festival, in her 25th anniversary, and to Her Majesty Edelmira Espino, Queen of the XV Festival, in her 50th anniversary. |
| THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26th, 2013 | |
| 3:00 p.m. | Traditional Bullfights. In Panama, bullfights include teasing of bulls, but not killing and normally not intentionally hurting the animals. There is usually one or more hired bullfighters, but there will always be guys who are interested in showing off, and who will become improvised bullfighters or will ride the bulls rodeo-style. This can be dangerous, but it often is quite entertaining to watch. Once in a while a bull will escape the barrera (rink), which creates another particularly thrilling situation, except when you are too close to the place where the bull breaks away. It is usually better to find a safe place from which to watch. Guarare features one of the only two traditional bullfighting rinks in Panama. The other one is in Parita, Province of Herrera. The barrera is built each year immediately in front of the porches of the houses that surround the empty plaza, leaving very little space for people to move around the rink, except in the four corners, where the street intersections provide more space. In recent years people have built a few rudimentary, elevated stands in some areas around the rink, which provide added comfort and safety, but they are often reserved for owners and their friends. |
| 4:00 p.m. |
Pilgrimage to the Statue of Professor Manuel Fernando Zárate (founder of the Festival). The statue is in front of the Festival's museum, which is a traditional house just two blocks away from the main stage of the festival, walking down hill. As a historical note, the house was built by a junta, just like the bull fighting rink is built each year. |
| 7:00 p.m. |
Nineteenth Sung Décimas Competition “Bernardo Cigarruista”. Sponsored by Her Majesty Zue Ellen Vargas Bosques (queen from a previous festival, sponsors medal). Distinction and delivery of the traditional burlap bag flag to the flag bearer for the Atolladera (mud party) day. |
| 9:00 p.m. | Folkloric performances |
| FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27th, 2013 | |
| 3:00 p.m. |
Dia Sereno (Serene Day). Traditional cowfights. Great Atolladera (Mud Party) inside the bullfighting rink (barrera). Tuna (dancing parade) with the Burlap Flag led by Her Majesty and her court. and the flag bearer for the day. It usually rains a lot in September in Panama. The second bullfights day is called the Dia Sereno (Serene Day). That day the flag is made of burlap bags, and the queen's tuna actually goes inside of the barrera, where the cowfights stop and some of the party goers will be thrown in the mud or at least partially covered with mud, for fun. The queen, her court, and others in the tuna will usually dress in white that afternoon, to make the mud on their clothes even more visible. The tradition to wear white is said to have been started by Dorindo Cardenas, a very popular and quite loved accordion musician who wrote the song "Decimo Quinto Festival en Guarare" (Fifteenth Festival in Guarare) among many other hits. That song was made popular around the world by Colombian accordion musician Alfredo Gutierrez and in a salsa version by the Gran Combo de Puerto Rico. In the seventies, Dorindo was chosen as flag bearer for the Dia Sereno and Atolladera for several years. Dorindo is still one of the most renowned and sought after "tipico" musicians, and usually performs for popular dances several nights at the Festival. |
| 7:30 p.m. |
Thirteenth Female and Male Work Costume Competition Professor Dora Pérez de Zárate. Female: Festive Montuna Pollera; Male: Coleta Shirt. Medal sponsored by Her Majesty Mirín Díaz (queen from a previous festival) |
| SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28th, 2013 | |
| 9:00 a.m. |
Eighteenth Children's Drum Competition, at the Festival's Youth Performances Stage (one block from the main stage, walking up hill).
The children and youth delegations will perform their regional dances as part of the Victorino Fulito Córdoba Encounter, at the youth performaces stage. |
| 10:00 a.m. |
Eighteenth Youth Accordion Competition Didio Borrero, sponsored by the Didio Borrero Espino Foundation. |
| 12:00 m. |
Thirty Seventh Drumming Competition for Adults Gumercindo Díaz, sponsored by the Cooperative of Integrated Services José del C. Domínguez, R.L. |
| 2:00 p.m. |
Traditional Bullfights. Bulls for the bullfights are usually brought in from cattle ranches from around the Los Santos province. Cattle ranches known to have the most "valiente" (brave) bulls are usually left for the last day of bullfights. |
| 2:30 p.m. |
Award Dora Pérez de Zárate, gold medal and recognition plaque. Award Orden Manuel Fernando Zárate. The late Manuel Fernando Zárate and his wife Dora Pérez were the motors behind the founding of the festival in 1949. |
| 3:00 p.m. |
Great Final Round of the Fifty Second Accordion Competition Rogelio Gelo Córdoba, sponsored by Panama's Ministry of Education (gold medal) and Cable & Wireless. |
| 4:45 p.m. |
Award ceremony for the winners of the Forty First Competition of Written Décima Manuel F. Zárate, sponsored Guararé's Lions Club. |
| 5:00 p.m. |
Twenty Sixth Mejoranera Performance Competition ]Aristides Gil - Esteban Rodríguez, sponsored by MELO Enterprises. |
| 7:30 p.m. |
Continuation of the Great Tournament of La Mejorana. Adult delegations will perform their regional dances as part of the Twenty First Folkloric Dance Competition Lorenzo "Lencho" Vergara. |
| 9:00 p.m. | Homage to two “Cultores del Folklore” (folklore supporters): Hanssel and Mara Olimpia Garcia. Medals sponsored by LicenciadoVentura Vega. |
| 10:00 p.m. |
Festival Flag delivered to the Flag Bearer for the Traditional Parade of Oxcarts on Sunday. |
| SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29th, 2013 | |
| 1:00 a.m. | Performances by Folkloric and Cultural groups. |
| 9:00 a.m. |
Gathering (street one block behind the main stage), of the delegations, oxcarts, and general public, in preparation for the Oxcart Parade.
Fourth Children's Mejoranera Performance Competition, sponsored by MELO Enterprises. |
| 10:30 a.m. |
Ninth Children's Sung Décima Competition Félix Pérez, sponsored by Licenciado Ventura Vega and MELO Enterprises. |
| 12:00 p.m. |
Beginning of the Great Oxcart Parade led by the Flag Bearer of the day. Two competitions will take place during the parade: the Twenty Fourth Tuna Competition Martina Castillo and the Eighteenth Oxcart Competition Tiburcio Saavedra, both sponsored by the Flag Bearer of the day. A Tuna is a group of musicians, singers, and dancers that usually parade through the streets; in this case a tuna accompanies each oxcart. Each oxcart is nicely decorated according to some folkloric theme and usually carries one or more people representing a particular custom from life in the country. Some of these can be quite funny. The queen, princess, and other ladies dressed in beautiful polleras also have one oxcart each. |
| 5:00 p.m. |
Award Ceremony for the Winners of the Tunas and Oxcarts Competitions. |
| 8:00 p.m. |
Violin (fiddle) Competition Escolástico “Colaco” Cortéz. Thirty Seventh Great Night of Violins. |
| MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30th, 2013 | Traditional Gallota. It may or may not happen, depending on the calendar and how much energy and money people have left, but if it does it is another day of partying. A gallota is a female vulture. The term is used here to refer to a townspeople celebration that may take place the day after the end of a big festival. Many of the visitors will have gone home, but the people from the town and surrounding communities can be enough to make another big party day, including bullfights, dances, and other folkloric expressions. The truth is, in Guarare in particular, and in Los Santos province in general, you do not need much of an excuse for a party. |
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