The biggest day of the week long festival is the desfile de los silleteros (parade of farmers and rural villagers from Santa Elena who come down from the mountains carrying flowers on their back throughout the parade). These campesinos carry a "Silleta", which is a traditional wooden structure used for transportation and has a big part of Paisa (people who inhabited northwest Colombia) history. On this wooden frame, they unleash there creativity and decorate it with flowers of different designs and colors, which are cultivated in Santa Elena.
The history behind the "Silleteros", started when the farmers of Santa Elena, realized that these wooden frames could be used to transport and sell their flowers in the city of Medellin.
The parade was really unique & I am glad I got to be part of such a huge day in Medellin. By the end of it, I didn't really want to see another flower. As you can imagine (for the biggest event of the year for a city), it was sooo busy. A few people that I went with from the hostel had their stuff (cameras, wallets) pick-pocketed instantly. I wasn't able to take good photos either (some of these photos are stolen from Google images.)
The crowds and the pick-pocketers weren't the only downfall for us. We stood near the end of the parade since we arrived late. The participants in the parade were super tired. There were actually a few people being carried out on stretchers. These campesinos are tough, but I can't imagine how hard it must be for them to carry something that sometimes weighs as much as them(all the way through the parade & then some).
After the parade, we were waiting in line to buy food, when a lovely Colombian family (husband, wife, and their 11 year old daughter), started talking to us. We all connected instantly, and all went out to a bar (at a supermarket... yeah, weird, right?) Nonetheless, it is always nice being able to spend time with locals.
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