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Tradition, Joy, and Folklore Abound At the Thousand Pollera Parade

People came from everywhere, and despite the gray sky and the rain, which served as a backdrop, the parade marched on. The streets were filled and embellished with colorful traditional costumes. The traditional gold costumes illuminated the way. They revived old traditional tunes accompanied by drums, accordions, and joyous marching bands. As the Thousand Pollera Parade proceeded through the city of Las Tablas, more women dressed in traditional pollera costumes, came out of doorways and from balconies, and joined this majestic parade. There were so many polleras, and it is believed that there were approximately 10,000 in all. The polleras —montunas, ocueñas, and gala— shined during the sunset. They were welcomed with admiration by hundreds of journalist cameras. The polleras danced for the sole recompense of rescuing the Panamanian folkloric tradition, which revived with the rain that an admiring sky poured on them.

The Thousand Pollera Parade was celebrated in the city of Las Tablas on Sunday, November 27, 2011. This unique, folkloric event gathered approximately 10,000 polleras, who traveled from everywhere around the country to join this magnificent and colorful event. This parade, which was sponsored by the Tourism Authority of Panama and the National Lottery, has been transformed into a tourist product that brings thousands of people to stay at the hotels of the Provinces of Herrera and Los Santos. The parade brings a high demand for gas stations, restaurants, bars, and stores.