La Feria de Las Flores - Weekend 2

This past weekend was the final few days of La Feria de Las Flores in Medellín, one of the most important festivals in all of Colombia, and also one of the most impressive. After the first weekend of the festival I was left feeling excited, impressed, and genuinely amazed by the culture of Antioquia, and how hardworking and happy paisas (people from antioquia) are. Gives you this kind of warm fuzzy feeling inside :).

On Saturday, I didnt have to go very far to see a parade of classic and antique cars, as it was right outside my house infront of EAFIT. I met up with a bunch of my friends literally outside my house, and stood under the sunshine watching old cars, army vehicles and parade floats go by. It was a beautiful day, sun shining and the temperature in the high 20s, Medellín doesnt get better than this. Here are some photos from the parade:





After the parade my friends Mariana (from Brazil) and Sara (from Colombia) and I walked to one of the malls next to my apartment as there was a flower display there. Entering the mall we saw the main floor just COVERED with flowers, and it's not until you take escalators up a couple floors that you realize there's a design and pattern within the hundreds and hundreds of flowers. It's impressive to say the least. Check it out:



On Sunday, was the mother of all events, the most important event of the ENTIRE festival: El Desfile de los Silleteros .... the parade of the flower carriers. This event literally attracts THOUSANDS of people, and I was warned beforehand, that there would be a LOT of people, but i didnt realize just HOW many people:


Luckily AIESEC had a tent reserved along one of the streets the parade would be passing by, where we could stand. However I had to fight my way through the crowd still to get a good spot to be able to see and take pictures of the Silleteros (people who carry the flower displays on their backs). So there my friends and I stood in a huge crowd, anxiously waiting for the parade to begin, and for my first glance at the silleteros!


I was so excited for this parade because i had heard, and read so much about it before attending the event. It's one of the most famous things about Medellín, and since im feeling more and more attached to the city everyday, this was going to be an event to remember, and to feel so proud of! I wasnt sure how long the parade was going to be, or how many silleteros there were going to be, because the silletas (flower saddles that silleteros carry on their backs) are so heavy, so once the parade began, I started taking pictures like a mad woman, because I wasnt sure how many opportunities of the silleteros I would get to photograph. Little did I know the parade would last for about 3-4 hours, and there were SO many silleteros. It was impressive. Silleteros of all ages, and the majority of them were quite old (which made it even more impressive), yet still carrying up to 70kg silletas, packed with flowers, beautiful designs, and the pride of their region.






When the silleteros walked by, everyone applauded them, for their work, their effort of carrying incredibly heavy silletas on their backs, and for the pride of Antioquia. Everyone is so proud of this festival, the parade, and the tradition that is still kept alive through the Silleteros. It was such a great feeling to be there, applauding the silleteros as their walked by, and calling out "vuelta! vuelta!" for them to do a twirl so you could see in the full, the design of the silleta on their back. Here are some of the most impressive silletas:






Now this is going to sound nerdy, but one thing that Colombian companies do for the parade is branding, where they brand various silletas, to promote their company, brand, campaign etc. They pay big $$ to be able to have their company name displayed on a silleta, however the silletas are VERY impressive. Here are a few examples:






The parade also consisted of musical bands, dancers, and floats. It was probably the longest and most impressive parade I have ever been to or seen in my life. If anyone wants to come and visit Medellín, they HAVE to come during La Feria de las Flores. It has hands down been one of the BEST things Ive seen and done here in Colombia. So impressive, you dont even know. The flowers are incredible, and the people are so happy and proud of their region, it's such a great atmosphere to be in! I am so lucky I have been able to experience it.




Finally, here's a group pic of all the AIESEC people at the end of the parade. Amazing network of people from all over the world, experiencing one of the best festivals in Colombia!