The Handsome Bull, a festival of the interior provinces of Panama
The festival of Torito Guapo (Handsome Bull), is one of the most original and fun-filled folklore festivities of the province of Coclé. The event will take place from October 11 to 15 de in the district of Antón. It will feature dances, horse riding parades, "mojaderas" (throwing of water), "tipico" dresses, music and domestic chores competitions.
The cattle raising tradition of the region gives the name to this festival. The "toritos guapos" or brave bulls, are popular characters who take to the streets at carnival time to charge the passers- by.
The "toro guapo" costume is built on dry bamboo, forming a structure, covered with cloth or leather, topped by a fake cow´s head and a great number of mirrors and ribbons or ropes. Usually a skillful dancer, the "Toro Guapo" will prance around while performing the traditional dance, all the time trying to charge the "empolleradas", (women wearing the traditional national custom of Panama).
This year the festivities start October 11 with the "Day of the Children". After the coronation of the children´s queen, Her Majesty, Jaissa Milagros Rivera Wilburn , there will be a folklore children´s parade, follow by a folklore abilities competition, fireworks and more folklore dances.
On October 12, at midday the bells will start ringing and the dance of the "Diablos Limpios" (clean devils) will commence. They are masked characters, who wear black pants, white shirts, conic hats adorned with mirrors, flowers and multicolor feathers. They use handkerchiefs tied to their waists and they carry a stick covered with handkerchiefs and bells to announce their arrival.
The same night at 8:00 p.m., the festival´s queen, Her Majesty, Karen Linette Quintero Sánchez will be crowned. After that they will be folklore presentations, dance and singing competitions and fireworks.
On Saturday at 11:30 a.m. there will be a "mojadera" with "totumas" (the participants throw water to each other using utensils made of a type of pumpkin). At 2:00 p.m. the domestic chores competition will start: with rice pounding, wood cutting, coconut peeling, cow milking, coconut grinding and wood carrying. At 4:00 p.m. comes the ceremony of putting the "cutarras" (sandals used by peasants) on the hoofs of a cow. This strange event, commemorates an old trick used by cattle robbers, so that the animals did not leave any footprints.
On Sunday the fun continues with a sunrise "tuna" (musicians and dancers dance on the streets) at 5:00 a.m. It will be followed by the blessing of the bulls and the fights of the "toros guapos", in which the dancers pretend to attack one another following the rhythm of three drums, a box like drum and a small bell called "almirez", a type of bronze mortar utilized by pharmacists to grind medicines.
Around midday there will be parades, folklore presentations, dance competitions, the dance of the juvenile bull, popular festivities, and dances. The celebrations will culminate on October 15 with a horse riding and bull parade around the principal streets of Anton.
Buses from the Panama terminal in Albrook go direct to Anton. Accommodation can be found in Anton and other nearby towns, but it is advisable to make reservations.
