The Mejorana Festival turns 75 in 2024

Azuero is a land of festivals and one of the most anticipated is the Mejorana Festival in Guarare, Los Santos province. Those who visit will be able to appreciate the culture and traditional music of the Azuero region. The mejorana is a stringed musical instrument, similar to a guitar, that is played with a pick.

During the festival, a competition is held to choose the best performer of the mejorana among the participating musicians and singers. The event includes a parade of oxcarts, the construction of a barrier and bullfights, traditional dances such as the tamborito and the carnival-style tuna dance. The Virgin of Las Mercedes is celebrated with a procession, altars, songs and the playing of the mejorana.

It is common to see people in typical Panamanian clothing, especially those who participate in parades and events during the Mejorana Festival. People come from all the provinces of Panama with their respective flags. There are competitions of skills in traditional demonstrations such as the salomas, the grito and the decima competitions; as well as competitions of drum, accordion, marjoram and folkloric dances. These competitions have categories for children, youth and adults.

Every year a queen of the Mejorana Festival is chosen. In its 75th version, the honor fell to Marialuz Saavedra Vergara. Her coronation is on the first night of the festival where the previous queen passes the crown to her.

This festival in Panama is a great opportunity to try Panamanian food. Visitors will be able to sample dishes such as sancocho (chicken soup), arroz con pollo, carimañolas, buñuelos, tamales, chicharrones and much more.

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History of the Festival of the Mejorana

In 1949, Professor Manuel F. Zarate started the Mejorana Festival to be a tribute to the Virgin of Las Mercedes, the patron saint of the town of Guarare. Her image has been on the altar in the parish of Guarare for over 100 years. This image replaced the previous one, which according to history was a gift from King Charles V in the 1700s to two Catholic women.

The first image was made of sticks with a head and hands that were dressed in clothes to give it shape. In 1912, Father Jose Vazquez ordered a new image to be made by a sculptor from La Villa de Los Santos. This same sculptor had made the images of the Virgin of Las Mercedes that are found in the town of La Villa de Los Santos and La Arena in Chitre.

Manuel F. Zarate and his wife Dora thought that their daughter Edanela had leukemia. On the day of the exam, they prayed and asked the Virgin of Las Mercedes to save their daughter. If the miracle happened, they would throw a party so that everyone could go see her. Their wish was granted and the test result was negative. This was in 1949 when they held the first Mejorana Festival in Guarare.

The day of the Virgin of Las Mercedes is September 24, so the Mejorana Festival begins the weekend before that week. Within the framework of the festival events, a procession is held on September 23 and a solemn Eucharist on September 24 in honor of the Virgin of Las Mercedes.

In 1955, Arcelio Perez, a member of the nation’s legislature, presented a bill that declared the Mejorana Festival as a National Festivity of Panamanian Tradition. In 2002, this law was amended to ensure that INAC (now the Ministry of Culture) would allocate 25 thousand dollars each year for the festival. This law also gives the institution autonomy to carry out competitions. The ministries of education and sport and INAFOR (National Institute of Professional Training) must also participate by covering the cost of lodging for the participating delegations. The Mejorana Festival is managed by a board of trustees.

Calendar of Events 2024

The Mejorana Festival in 2024 will be from September 21 to 30.

Saturday, September 21:

• 8:30 pm Coronation of H.M. Marialuz Saavedra Vergara Queen of the LXXII Mejorana Festival by H.R.M. Madelaine Cedeño Pinzon, Tribute to H.R.M. Arlin Gonzalez on his silver wedding anniversary.

Sunday, September 22:

• 9:00 am Traditional “making of the barrier” for bullfights.

Monday, September 23:

• 7:00 pm Hail and procession of the patron saint, Las Mercedes.

Tuesday, September 24:

• 10:00 am Solemn Eucharist in honor of the Virgin of Las Mercedes
• 12:00 pm Laos to the Virgin of Las Mercedes by singers of tenth and best songs from the region in the Mejorana Palace. Presentation of the Medal of the Virgin of Las Mercedes to Ricardo Soriano Cordova.
• 6:30 pm Meeting of former presidents of the board of trustees, reflections, anecdotes, music.
• 8:00 pm Singing in honor of the 75 years of the creation of the Mejorana Festival.

Wednesday, September 25:

• 10:00 am – Forum “Theory of Folklore” Reflections, Mejorana Festival, at the Jose del C. Dominguez Cooperative, in Bella Vista, Guarare.
• 7:00 pm – Country night, Mejorana Palace.

Thursday, September 26:

• 3:00 pm – Pilgrimage to the Bust of Manuel F. Zarate, at the House Museum.
• 3:00 pm – Traditional Bullfights.
• 5:30 pm – Sixth “Ceferino Fefe Lopez” Saloma Contest.
• 6:30 pm – Sixth Jacinto “Chinito” Vergara Shout Contest.
• 7:30 pm – Twenty-second “Professor Dora Perez de Zarate” Clothing Contest, male and female work modality, cholera party shirt, montuna skirt.
• 8:00 pm – Presentation of the Henequen sack flag.

Friday, September 27:

• 3:00 pm – Calm day, Great Atolladora. Traditional cow races, parade of the Henequen Sack flag.
• 8:00 pm – Gala “75 years of History and Tradition” Mejorana Festival.

Saturday, September 28:

• 9:00 am – Start of the Great Mejorana Tournament with various vernacular expressions.
• 9:00 am – The children and youth delegations will perform folkloric dances at the “Victorino Fulito Cordoba” Meeting on the Children’s Performance Stage.
• 9:00 am – Twenty-seventh Children’s Drum Competition.
• 10:00 am – Fiftieth Written Decima Competition “Manuel F. Zarate”.
• 10:30 am – Twenty-seventh Children’s Accordion Competition “Didio Borrero”.
• 12:00 pm – Forty-sixth Adult Drum Competition “Gumersindo Diaz”.
• 1:30 pm – Thirty-fifth Mejorana Playing Competition “Aristides Gil – Esteban Rodriguez”.
• 3:00 pm – Traditional Bullfight.
• 3:00 pm – Presentation of the “Orden Manuel F. Zarate” decoration and the Dora Perez de Zarate Award.
• 3:30 pm – Presentation of the prize for the Written Tenth Contest at the Mejorana Palace.
• 4:00 pm – Sixty-first “Rogelio Gelo Cordoba” Accordion Contest.
• 7:30 pm – Lorenzo “Lencho” Vergara Folk Dance Contest.
• 9:00 pm – Tribute to Folklore Cultivators, Harmodio Espino and Francisco “Chico” Vergara.

Sunday, September 29:

• 9:00 am – Meeting and organization of the carts, delegations and the people in general along the national highway in front of the Juana Vernaza School.
• 9:30 am – Thirteenth Children’s Mejorana Toque Contest “Gabriel Villareal”.
• 11:00 am – Eighteenth Children’s Decima Cantada Contest “Felix Perez”.
• 1:00 pm – Start of the great cart parade led by the standard-bearer, during the parade the Thirty-third Tuna Contest “Martina Castillo” and the Twenty-seventh Cart Contest “Tiburcio Saavedra” will take place.
• 3:00 pm – Traditional Bullfight.
• 6:00 pm – Awards ceremony for the winners of the Tuna and Cart Contest at the Palacio de la Mejorana.
• 7:30 pm – Twenty-eighth “Bernardo Cigarruista” Decima Cantada Contest.

Monday, September 30:

• 7:00 pm – Twenty-sixth Scholastic Cortez Violin Competition and Forty-sixth Grand Classical Violin Night.

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