One of the many water trucks that spray festivalgoers at the famous Panama carnival.
By the end of last week, carnivals all around the world began officially on Thursday, Feb. 27. Carnivals are noted to be vibrant and festive events celebrated along many cultures worldwide, often featuring parades with floats, dancers, and musicians moving through the streets, creating a spectacle of color and sound.
Music and dance share different genres such as samba from Brazil, calypso from Trinidad & Tobago, and soca which all play a huge role in carnival celebrations.
Elaborate costumes, consist of participants wearing extravagant, feathered, or beaded costumes, often designed to reflect cultural or historical themes. Many carnivals feature masks to symbolize freedom, anonymity, or even satire, and traditional foods include local delicacies, street food and special carnival treats that are widely enjoyed.
Over time, these festivities spread to the Americas, the Caribbean, and other parts of the world, taking on unique cultural influences. For example, Rio de Janeiro Carnival, is the world’s largest and most famous carnival, taking place in Brazil featuring samba parades and elaborate costumes. The Trinidad & Tobago Carnival is known for its soca music, steelpan bands, and the iconic “J’ouvert” celebration, where revelers cover themselves in paint and mud. Not forgetting about Mardi Gras, it took place in New Orleans, USA, a mix of French, Spanish, and African influences, with bead-throwing traditions and jazz music.
Back home, in Panama, we also celebrate carnivals, which is one of the most vibrant and anticipated celebrations in the country, combining Spanish, African, and indigenous influences into a massive nationwide party. We celebrate for four days, in different locations, such as Panama City, the capital, with larger-scale events like concerts, parades, and fireworks. In Las Tablas and the Azuero Peninsula is where the most famous and traditional Panamanian carnival takes place, they are known for its intense rivalry between two carnival groups (Calle Arriba and Calle Abajo). Chitré, Penonomé, and Santiago are also other popular towns with lively carnival celebrations. Lastly, there’s Bocas del Toro, where there is a more relaxed, beach-style carnival with more Caribbean influences.
Panamanian Carnival possesses a unique tradition where large water trucks spray crowds with water during the hot daytime festivities, that helps keep revelers cool while dancing to lively music. Each town has extravagant parades featuring floats carrying beautifully dressed queens (Reinas del Carnaval) from each town. The most popular ones are La Tablas’ queens who are known for the rivalry between Calle Arriba and Calle Abajo. They compete each year with extravagant floats, costumes, and fireworks.
Considering music and dance, carnival music is dominated by salsa, reggaeton, cumbia, and tamborito (a traditional Panamanian dance and drum rhythm), and popular artists perform live, drawing massive crowds. Every night of Carnival features elaborate firework displays, where streets are filled with food vendors, live entertainment, and non-stop partying lasting four whole days. Focusing on traditional costumes and masks, some carnival participants wear polleras (Panama’s national dress) or Diablicos sucios who are masked performers who represent old folklore and mischievous spirits, among other colorful costumes inspired by Spanish and indigenous heritage.
Every year, I would go out with my family to celebrate together relaxing on the beach, or some other times partying altogether including friends as well. Nationwide, we long for these events because it helps bring out our culture with pride and enjoy the company between our loved ones, and sometimes get a little crazy during the festivities.
