2. National
Black
Ethnicity
Day
• Every year on May 30, Panama celebrates the
national black ethnicity day, as a tribute to the
contribution of this important racial group to the
construction of the history of our isthmus and its
contribution to the development of culture,
sports and gastronomy.
3.
4. CONGO TRADITION
The dance is characterized by a kind of mimic and theatrical
representation, which has as its theme historical episodes of black
rebellions that occurred during the times of the conquest and
colonialism.
It is also considered the oldest genre and drum dance of the Isthmus of
Panama.
5. THE CONGO QUEEN
Each Palenque has its own queen.
They are chosen mostly for having
the best dancing skills.
6. PALENQUE
This is the name given to the group of people
who make up the community that practices
the dance of the black congos in a specific or
formally established place.
7. Costumes
• The dresses of the congos are full of color,
representing the beauty of nature.
• The women wear a two-piece pollera, a shirt
with arandina and a pollerón with colorful
fabric or made from scraps, as well as flowers
on their heads and necklaces of basins or
snails.
• The queen, meanwhile, differs with a crown
made of brass and other striking materials.
• The men wear their clothes inside out and old,
coconut tow hats adorned with feathers, shells,
mirrors, and paint their faces with charcoal as a
symbol of rebellion.
• The king or Juan de Dios wears a smaller crown
than the queen.
