Festival de la Novilla
The San Sebastian Heifer Festival or Festival de la Novilla is a popular festival in Puerto Rico, held annually in the municipality of San Sebastián on the third weekend of January, during the town's fiestas patronales (Spanish for patron saint feast) dedicated to Saint Sebastian. The weekend-long event is one of Puerto Rico's best known festivals, drawing visitors from all over the island. San Sebastián is located in the western mountainous region of Puerto Rico, close to Aguadilla and Mayagüez.
The festival is dedicated to the
History
Even if the Festival de la Novilla was first celebrated in 1977, the town has celebrated similar events as part of the
The 2018 celebration was dedicated to the victims of Hurricane Maria and that year's heifer was named Esperanza (Spanish for hope).[3]
Heifer Parade
The heifer parade is the main event of the festival. The parade is led by a heifer which is adorned with a flower crown, colorful ribbons and painted hooves. A new heifer is chosen every year to lead the parade and it is traditional to praise her by applauding and calling it "mira que linda!" (Spanish for look how pretty [she is]!) as the parade passes by. The parade also includes other cows, themed-floats, musicians and marching bands, and local artists. Other "characters" that appear in the parade and the celebrations are Don Pepe, who represents the character of the town crier who makes public announcements, and La Titina, an over-garnished character who represents the celebrations themselves. Another stock character, Los Negritos (Spanish for the little black children), is normally portrayed by children. This has come into criticism in recent years due to the fact that children portray them with blackface.[4] The parade starts at 10am at corner of Route 111 and Route 445, and follows along Route 111 for a while until Route 119.[5] About 60 thousand people visit or participate in the festival each year.[6]
Gallery
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festival in San Sebastián
See also
References
- ^ "Festival de la Novilla". Discover Puerto Rico. Retrieved 2021-09-25.
- ^ "Festival de la Novilla - kooltouractiva.com". www.kooltouractiva.com. Retrieved 2021-09-25.
- ^ Rodríguez, Daileen Joan (2019-01-15). "Las novillas del Pepino; su nobleza desfila remozada por una causa social". La Isla Oeste. Retrieved 2021-09-25.
- ^ "Cuestionan niños pintados de negro en Festival de la Novilla". Primera Hora (in Spanish). 2019-01-21. Retrieved 2021-09-25.
- ^ "What's Happening? January 2020". www.puertoricodaytrips.com. Retrieved 2021-09-25.
- ^ "Festival de la novilla Puerto Rico-datos y fotos-video". www.prfrogui.com. Retrieved 2021-09-25.