UNIVERSITY OF AMAZONIA ENGLISH PROGRAM SEMINAR IN COMUNICATION TATIANA CHAVES MONCAYO COD. 162006310

FESTIVALS AND HOLIDAYS IN THE ANDEAN REGION Festival of the Flowers is a festival that takes place in Medellin, Colombia.

The festival is the most important social event for the city and there is a pageant, automobiles, a Paso Fino horse parade and many musical concerts. The first Festival of the Flowers took place on May 1, 1957 and was organized by Arturo Uribe, a member of the Board of the Office of Development and Tourism. The festival lasted for five days with an exposition of flowers displayed in the Metropolitan Cathedral, which was organized by the Gardening Club of Medellin and monsignor TulioBotero to celebrate Virgin Mary day.

Christmas time in Medellin, Colombia is a time of celebration and holiday

spirit as the city begins to light up with amazing decorations. Citizens decorate their yards, balconies and homes with festive decor as everybody prepares for the month of December and its various celebrations.These Christmas lights adorn the entire city and are setup along major thoroughfares, roads, parks and especially along the Medellin River.

Kite festival: In August, called on Colombia Month of kites, due to strong

winds blowing at this time, the sky of Villa de Leyva is full of dots of many colors that move in all directions by the wind. In the beautiful setting of Villa de Leyva colonial is the Festival of the Wind and Kite, during which the participants not only have fun but have the opportunity to observe professional contestants in the town square made impressive showings.

Festival of Lights in Villa de Leyva: In Colombia, the night of 7-8 December

was a unique time of year. Tonight, the city streets are flooded with lights and sidewalks, balconies and terraces of the houses are filled with candles. This is the traditional Night of the candles. n these days is full of tourists from across the country to enjoy the colorful spectacle and Fireworks Contest in a magical setting colonial streets.

Manizales Fair, held annually in the Colombian city of Manizales, known for

its bullfighting season and the International Queen of Coffee Contest. This fair has Spanish roots, mimicking several of their customs, but also with many Colombian manners, especially in the Andean region.

Riosucio's principal attraction is the Carnival of Riosucio, also known as the Carnival of the Devil, that takes place every two years. The main participants in the processions are the cuadrillas: teams or squads of people usually based around members of the same family or their relatives by marriage, who parade through the streets in costume on several of the carnival days. Although activities and partying take place all around the town.

The film festival is celebrate every years in bogota, This festival brings

together the best directors and best films. The Ibero-American Theater of Bogotá is a major cultural event in Colombia

and one of the largest performing arts festivals in the whole world. It takes place every other year in the Colombian capital and brings together the most important theater companies from five continents. For seventeen days, the city becomes the setting for colorful parades; Bogotá dresses up for the party and becomes a genuine Theater City.

The Folk Festival, National Bambuco Reign and Folklore International

Exhibition, is one of the most important holidays of surcolombiano, especially the department of Huila, Neiva whose capital is the meeting point for the development of this festival. It is held in mid-June to the first week of July of each year and attracts a considerable number of Colombian and foreign tourists. The music, dancing, parades, roast, sweet wine, brandy, are enriching elements of the festivities that have its own identity in the territory that is now assigned to the department of Huila.

Blacks and Whites' Carnival is the largest and most important celebration in

southern Colombia. It's celebrated from 2 to 7 January of each year and attracts a considerable number of Colombian and foreign tourists.The carnival includes four major stages: the Carnavalito (Chlidren's Carnival), the Arrival of the Castaneda Family, Blacks' Day and Whites' Day with the Grand Parade (this being the most important day for its beauty). However, it's necessary to consider the pre-carnival activities and in recent years, 7 January is considered another carnival day for Remate (Finish) with the celebration of the "Cuy's festival" when locals and tourists delight the typical dish of the region.

The Cali's Fair is the most important cultural event in Cali, Colombia. It is a

celebration of the region's cultural identity, famous for the Salsa marathon, horse riding parades and dance parties. The Fair has been celebrated since 1957, from December 25 to December 30, and it promotes cultural, ethnical, and musical diversity in the region. In a few occasions the Fair included Vallenato and Merengue groups from Colombian and surrounding Caribbean countries, and samba schools from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil